How do you keep your share of voice when your reps are benched? This list of tactics is a good starting point for how to keep those reps busy in these changing times. List includes pros and cons for webinars, edetailing, direct mail and virtual advisory boards among others.

1. Strategies to keep SOV when face-
to-face isn’t an option
REPS OFF THE ROAD?

2. How do you access key
customers to keep your brand
relevant and top of mind?
IT’S NO LONGER BUSINESS
AS USUAL
Healthcare professionals are coming
under unprecedented pressure due to
COVID-19, and visits by reps will become
an ever-lower priority.
Conferences are being cancelled as large
physical gatherings become impossible.

3. HOW CAN CPC HELP?
Drawing on our extensive experience with
a broad range of clients and issues, we
offer some suggestions here for gaining
and maintaining access to your
customers.

4. ENGAGEMENT
• Channels must have effective reach
• Communications must have genuine value
(especially for maturing products) e.g.:
• Educational information
• Patient resources
• Offer of samples
If these don’t already exist, it may be
worth creating them
Without
interpersonal
contact, standalone
communications
need to work even
harder…

5. CHANNEL
• Many doctors see no pharma reps at all
• More and more docs are digital natives
– live information is part of their life
• Digital effectively engages doctors as it
allows them to consume content on
their own terms
A multi-channel campaign with a
strong digital presence can achieve
excellent reach and engagement
Which channels do
doctors prefer?

6. ONE-TO-ONE & GROUP MEETINGS

7. One-to-One Meetings
• One-to-one detailing through digital meetings
• Several platforms available for video calls
• Current environment has likely accelerated the
acceptance of this technology
• Consider allowing physician to ‘drive’
presentation while rep talks – encourages
engagement
• Can use any digital tool and switch pieces if
conversation demands it
• Doctor can be anywhere – even on the road, in
hospital or at home

8. Webinars
• One speaker, many participants
• Can be pre-recorded and available on demand
• Good for self-directed learning
• Can grow email lists for further
communications

9. Virtual Ad Boards
• Designed for a smaller group of KOLs
• Digital platforms to allow asynchronous
communication and feedback
• HCP can access based on their own schedule
• Best practice is to combine with other virtual
meetings (i.e. a web conference or telephone
call to prep doctor and get agreement)

10. ONLINE SOLUTIONS

11. eDetails
• Multiple ways to make existing detail aids
virtual
• Print detail aids can be quickly disseminated as
PDFs with templated & PAAB-approved emails
• Prepare a digital resource centre for reps so
they can easily access and switch tools during a
call if needed
• Take existing print detail aid and break up into
discrete messages that can be animated and/or
emailed to HCPs
• Best option is to create a detail aid designed
for digital, with interactive content
• Web conference tools like Zoom can be used
on iPads so existing eDetails can be used in
calls with HCPs
• Create narrated videos that can be emailed –
doctor can view on own schedule

12. Therapeutic Area Hub
• Multi-brand product hub
• Can be built quickly to house previously PAAB-
approved material and built out later to include
multimedia as it is developed
• Creating one hub for multiple brands can be
more resource efficient and can allow for brand
spill over (come for one brand, learn about
another)

13. Request a Rep
• Landing page where doctors can request a
meeting or other resources
• Can be quick to develop as it is non-brand
specific
• Can be promoted via direct mail or email or
digital media

14. Digital Media
• Online resources (like the brand hub or ‘request
a rep’) can be promoted using digital media
• Typically difficult to reach doctors online can be
identified by their behaviour
• Target those online users who have visited a
specific address (i.e. doctor’s office) more than
3x in a week and arrived between 7 am and 9
am
• Can be very cost effective on a per click basis

15. The ROUNDS
• LinkedIn for doctors
• Opportunities for digital media
• Experience significant growth due to doctors
looking for Covid-19 information
• Good for brands or companies with direct
Covid information

16. DIRECT COMMUNICATIONS

17. Email
• One-to-one, customizable for reps
• Interactive engagement via downloads and
links (patient resources, videos, case studies,
sample requests etc.)
• Can build a ‘conversational loop’ through a
series of eDMs and offers
• Relatively short production lead-time
• Measurable, instant response
• Can use company’s own email list or send via
third party (e.g. PTM)

18. Print DM
• Brand awareness and/or tactical
• No CASL rules to contend with like email
• Generate engagement/response through offers
• Can help build email lists
• Can be retained
• A valuable element in the mix – particularly for
customers overwhelmed by their email in-
boxes!

19. Fax
• Still highly used by healthcare professionals
• Good for formulary announcements or new
product launches
• Brand awareness and/or tactical
• Can be retained

20. VIDEO AND OTHER MEDIA

21. VIDEO
• Highly consumed media at the moment
• KOL speakers could record at home
• Stitched together with balancing and
intro/outro added
• Can be recorded from home or office and
viewed anywhere
• Easy to produce, brand safety information can
be added to each one if needed

22. Virtual Conference Booth
• For conferences that are going virtual, create a
digital convention booth to explore remotely,
so that doctors can stay informed and
engaged, while staying safe from the ongoing
pandemic
• Able to produce by leveraging existing brand
assets by making them available in a simple
digital 360 booth microsite that be “walked
through” online anywhere anytime

23. PODCASTS
• Can develop new content or leverage from
webinars
• Can be recorded from home or office and
listened to anywhere
• Easy to produce, brand safety information can
be added to each one if needed

24. OPTIMIZE REP TRAINING

25. REP TRAINING
• Use the off-the-road time to optimize rep
training
• eLearning modules exist or could be developed
• Keep the team connected and motivated
• Multiple platform options available to turn
existing presentations into effective eLearning
courses

26. BRINGING IT TOGETHER FOR A LAUNCH

27. EXAMPLE
• Create ‘request a rep’ landing page
and promote via digital media
• Break up existing detail aid into
several discrete key messages
• Create unique DM for each message
(along with appropriate balancing
copy)
• Send via rep mailing list
• Different offer/call to action for
each eDM
• Downloadable patient resources
• Sample requests
• Support with a print mailer with key
messages
New product launch
with no face to face
meetings

28. EXAMPLE
Existing Print Detail Aid
Follow up with
print for non-email
recipients and to
increase retention
Breakdown into
discrete key
messages.
Send in
multiple email
waves
Banner ads on
medical journal
sites drive to
website with
email registration
page