"6 top tips to stay ahead of the curve"
With circumstances changing every day around the ever-evolving situation created by COVID-19, Bastion Brands have developed a suite of tools and deliverables that can help you reshape the way you communicate and help your brand maintain a strong voice in changing times.
Over the next few weeks, we will focus on each of the following in more detail and hopefully shed more light on how implementing these tactics can benefit you:
6 ways to stay ahead of the curve during COVID-19 and beyond:
1. Sales Team Engagement:
The way reps engage with customers has changed dramatically. Now is the time to start focussing on how to re-train and adapt your sales team to the ‘new normal’. This not only includes useful tips on working from home and helping keep the team motivated, but moving to direct channels and virtual meetings by delivering key messages in a much shorter time, re-framing call dialogue and sales materials, and utilising channels like direct mail more creatively.
2. K.O.L Engagement Strategy:
With no face-to-face meetings allowed, what is your action plan to engage with KOLs over the next 6 months? Opportunities exist to create virtual ad boards, podcasts, a fortnightly meeting etc. This is perfect timing to engage with your top 10 KOLs and critical to strengthening relationships.
3. Content Strategy/Marketing:
People are consuming more online content than ever before. The rise of digital media has increased exponentially over our first 2 weeks of lockdown alone. There has never been a better time to plan your digital content and start providing salient material.
4. Virtual Conferences:
It will be at least 6 months before conferences as we knew them will return to normal. How will your brand appear in a virtual conference world? Are you prepared and ready to face this new dimension?
5. Patient Journeys/Customer Journeys:
The way we interact and receive information has also changed forever, as has the doctor/patient relationship itself. Teleconsulting is becoming more prevalent, and consideration must be made to how this impacts patient and HCP alike.
6. Patient Support Program:
If there is an existing patient support program, how are you evolving it for these times? Your patients need your leadership and brand strength more than ever. If you don’t have a patient support program – the time is now to explore what else can you do to support patients on your product during this time.
Our clients have already seen the benefits of strong, positive and responsible communication with their key stakeholders, partners, HCPs and their patients and patient advocacy groups alike, through our ability to provide expert message development that is clear, helpful and on brand.
Now is the time to think beyond the crisis and establish new work cycles and activities that work – from finding new ways to connect with customers, to providing timely helpful communications to those in need – and ultimately help your brands endure and become more salient in times of crisis.
Stay tuned for more on each of our 6 ways to stay ahead of the curve over the upcoming days and if you like anything you read, please reach out and get in touch.
We are always interested in hearing from great people dedicated to making a career in pharmaceutical communications. If you’re ready to make a positive impact with Bastion Brands, get in touch today.