Multichannel Marketing and the Key to Channel Integration

Today’s guest post is from Craig Sharp, Chief Editor at eyeforpharma.

Craig discusses the Key to Channel Integration and eyeforpharma’s Channel Integration Guide which is a major focus at the Multichannel Engagement USA conference on being held November 18-19, in Philadelphia, PA.

Check it out, especially if you want to learn more about integrating digital channels with traditional approaches.

Multichannel Marketing and the Key to Channel Integration
By Craig Sharp, Chief Editor, eyeforpharma.

Multichannel Marketing isn't about having presence at all the channels, it is about channel integration: how each channel can complement one another. The key to a successful multichannel marketing strategy is a good blend of channel mix and a synchronized cross-functional team with a comprehensive understanding of the full potential of MCM.

Download the Channel Integration Guide now to:

• Discover how Novartis effectively measure channel performance and ROI
• Learn from Roche on how to reach full CLM potential and identify your customers' digital behavior and reach them with the right content and the right channels
• Insights from Pfizer on how to look beyond iPads and maximize digital capabilities

With cuts in front line sales forces and pressure to maintain market share, pharmaceutical companies are investing more and more into their marketing in an attempt to positively impact sales. It’s clear from the research we conducted that companies are evolving with more integrated departments. Marketing priorities are no longer focused on the physician, but also other stakeholders such as payers, and most importantly, the patient. Each of these stakeholders is unique and messages need to be tailored in order for the relationship with them to be strengthened.

However, in addition, each channel used to reach out to stakeholders requires a different approach – leading to a fragmented message which weakens what the company is attempting to communicate with their customer, and ultimately the patient. The Channel Integration Guide aims to help address the effective integration of these channels for a better marketing approach.

All marketers we surveyed said that pharma has some ground to make up, compared with other industries in integrating and synchronizing MCM with digital tactics, often treated as an add-on to traditional approaches. Five experts are already beginning to see this change with clearer objectives and measurable goals attached to digital channels.

One European marketing executive agrees, and believes that the industry needs to be better at unifying elements of a campaign. “For me, [MCM] has to look like a series of valuable interactions at the end of the day rather than a mix of different channels going through customers in, at worst, an unordered fashion. So, how do you build that customer experience over time with the right channels and the right message?”

Imran Haque, Head of Multichannel Marketing and Digital Strategy at Pfizer Animal Health, describes the successful strategy his team utilized in developing MCM. “We design our multichannel through six or seven channels. We built capabilities on how these channels will be offered and have a methodology in how we bring them to life. The third part is how we actually join them together to create these customer journeys.”

Digital channels in focus for his team include: eDetailing, eLearning, customer portal, email marketing, social media, mobile, and eCommerce. Haque highlights that the MCM effort had executive backing from his team’s inception, enabling the team to focus on developing inhouse.

Lacking a clear objective as marketers try a new channel can be risky. Marketers stressed that having a clear understanding of the disease prevalence and setting out marketing objectives are very simple, but essential steps to take prior to initiating a new channel or campaign.

Click here to download and continue reading the Channel Integration Guide.

Join us at the Multichannel Engagement USA conference and learn

• How Merck, Astellas and Boehringer Ingelheim break down the organizational silos to create synergy among marketing, sales and IT to develop data-supported marketing strategies that deliver to your customers across multiple channels
• Customer-centricity: utilize data to identify customer preference at the individual level and deliver relevant contents to drive impactful engagement
• Learn best practices from Novo Nordisk and Endo on how to create the perfect blend of channel mix and budget allocation to boost your ROI and improve your bottom line

The Multichannel Engagement USA summit will give you the competencies and abilities to stay ahead of the curve by understanding how to create streamlined and technology enabled marketing operations and data analytics.

Click here to see the full agenda and speaker line-up or download a brochure.

Please contact Evena Liao, Global Conference Director at eyeforpharma (evena@eyeforpharma.com or 201-204-1914) with any questions about the article or the Multichannel Engagement USA conference.