Reaching Multi-Channel Physicians
PM360 May 2010
Contribution by Senior Research Director Monique Levy

With increasing sales pressure and sales force cuts, many brands started showing a renewed urgency around online and digital physician marketing in 2009. At the same time, the digital and technology landscape has rapidly evolved over the last few years, making marketers’ jobs more complex and challenging. Survey results from Manhattan Research’s Taking the Pulse® and ePharma Physician® studies indicate a few key trends that may help marketers keep their eye on the ball.

Physicians’ Primary Channel
Over the past few years, the Internet has quickly become one of the most important resources in the average physician’s workday—nearly 9 in 10 physicians view the Internet as essential to their professional practice. The share of physicians online daily has jumped from less than a third to three-quarters since 2005, and now physicians are almost as likely to do typical professional activities, such as continuing medical education, online as they are to conduct them offline. When physicians first began to use the Internet, they primarily accessed it before or after the workday or on weekends, but now many are going online at multiple points throughout the day, including during patient consults. This trend can be partly attributed to the increase in smartphone use among physicians, which allows them to access clinical resources on the go without being tethered to a desktop or laptop.

Advanced Internet Users
When it comes to non-work activities, physicians are more likely than average consumers to use various types of new media such as online video, blogs, and apps on smartphones. This suggests they are highly proficient with newer media and likely to bring high expectations to their professional digital experiences. The share of physicians using video, mobile media, and various forms of social media for work continues to climb and will likely accelerate as more publishers provide and support more content in these formats.

The Mobile Opportunity
Despite several false starts, mobile is a critical marketing and service channel for marketers in 2010. About three-quarters of physicians now carry smartphones, and the adoption rate is expected to grow to 81% by 2012. Currently, professional use of mobile devices primarily centers on research and checking references. However, adoption of other activities such as administrative tasks, learning, social networking, and service are starting to grow. To fully leverage the mobile opportunity, marketers should understand device, content, and usage patterns among their target market as these factors vary widely across segments.

Integrated Service and Content
Physicians use multiple online manufacturer content and service points, highlighting the importance of integrated and seamless experiences in these areas. About 4 in 5 physicians use corporate and product websites, but their visits are relatively infrequent. At the same time, more than half of physicians communicate with manufacturers by email for content and service and the same share proactively seek out service and content on manufacturer customer service portals, such as PfizerPro. Adoption of online detailing has remained relatively low since its emergence around 2000; however, survey results indicate strong interest in live videoconferencing among high-decile physicians, particularly with key opinion leaders. With online interactions between physicians and pharmaceutical companies spread out across a variety of destinations, it’s important to coordinate these touch points and make them work together to create a seamless brand relationship for the physician customer. Though physicians are more likely to visit third-party professional networks, such as Medscape, than manufacturer online properties, marketers can help level the field by using best-in-class search engine marketing to drive searching physicians to brand sites or directly to a customer service portal. Pharmaceutical companies can also improve customer service and visitor retention by offering services only they can provide, such as on-demand rep access through live chat or product and brand educational videos.

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