A well-defined omnichannel strategy is a win-win for patients and healthcare marketers

Sanjay Mehta, Joint CEO, Mirum India highlihgts that omnichannel marketing is taking the throne as a more holistic approach that keeps the communication channels open between channels and addresses the needs of multiple stakeholders including patients, healthcare professionals and payers

A few years back we all witnessed an internet revolution due to the advent of smartphones and cheaper data rates. Every individual now is in the possession of a smartphone with the power of highspeed data in its hand. Fast forward to 2020, we were introduced to the pandemic so devastating that it changed our lives forever. The pandemic managed to accelerate the adoption of consumers to the new-age technologies that have changed every aspect of our lives. Whether it is the way we live or eat or shop or even buy medicines, the last 20 months have altered everything.

And just like that the healthcare sector has been going a rapid transformation to provide the customer enhanced experiences. The healthcare industry thrived on the interactions between the medical sales representative and the healthcare professionals. But a lot has changed over time and this very interaction has expanded into multiple communication channels like emails, social media, and various digital platforms. And now the omnichannel marketing is taking the throne as a more holistic approach that keeps the communication channels open between channels and addresses the needs of multiple stakeholders including patients, healthcare professionals and payers.

Today’s customer is empowered with digital assets at its disposal and demands information at its fingertips to make informed decisions. and when it comes to healthcare content the customer walks between various channels to finally conclude what works best. Now the responsibility lies the entire pharma industry to make accurate knowledge and content easily available for its customers.

Omnichannel medical marketing doesn’t exist in some parallel universe. Many industries have launched large-scale omnichannel transformations years ago, and its consumers are still experiencing the benefits. All the marketing personnel within the pharma, healthcare, medical, and all patient-facing and medical-professional-facing marketing sectors have seen first-hand the effects of digital disruption on business as usual. It is not easy building long-term relationships with today’s patients. Moreover, it is not just about building relationships it is about engagement and loyalty in the world where targeted audiences are fragmented. So how do we make every customer feel that they have a personalised experience? Just as mentioned above the answer lies in the omnichannel marketing. Instead of just delivering content on different platforms, omnichannel requires an increased focus on optimising marketing communications for the entire patient journey, across all possible channels, in a cohesive manner.

A well-defined omnichannel strategy is a win-win for patients and healthcare marketers. Patients will be happier and have a better experience because they are receiving the benefits they need, and marketers are satisfied as they are able to attract and retain more patients. Omnichannel marketing is an opportunity while it seems more of a challenge, it is all about making the selected channels work together for maximum benefit. Most of the patients will prefer an integrated approach they can engage with as healthcare marketing is all about the patients. Having omnichannel marketing strategy in marketing arsenal will enhance your chances of getting success.

In omnichannel healthcare marketing, the messages are posted on multiple channels that will make it easier to collect data on the target audience and their preferences. Over time, messages that drive leads can be strengthened, resulting in more impactful messages for your target audience. And thus, reaching more target audience will help you nurture more leads.

Today’s customers are engaged across various channels through different devices serving a different need and a preference. One can see higher engagement and increased conversion rate strategising your omnichannel healthcare marketing campaign.

Each channel delivers a different and an unique element in the message and when all the capabilities of multiple marketing channels are aligned there stands a great opportunity to deliver an apt message. This will only enable a potential patient to react instantly to a well-crafted social media post or an email.

Well to summarise all this the goal should be to use many channels, but in such a way that there is a seamless experience across the most appropriate channels for customers. a culture of optimisation must be built in the organisation so that the approach can be established in phases, this will result in a great success in Indian healthcare. Omnichannel healthcare marketing is a step in the right direction.