Everyone is trying to figure out what to do with the 18 (or more) websites/portals they have created - how do you get doctors in? How do you lead them to the good stuff (presuming you HAVE something good)? What do you expect from them in return? Step back - figure our where you are now, figure out where you want to go and start mapping it out. What do your targeted health care professionals use and like now? What is missing? What are the top 3 things your customer does in your site - make the path to those things clear and easy - lower the barriers to play in your space - don’t ask them 75 market research questions - keep requirements minimal - if you don’t NEED a DEA number don’t ask for it.
User experience will really come into play - more companies are stepping back and re-architecting sites, more company portals will be built, offering all the goodies from all the brands with one point of entry - doctors will be able to get samples and the latest updates, including mini mobile details on any device, anytime. Since we can’t hand out mugs and pens anymore and half of the sales force is gone, we have to start figuring out how best to connect with the docs.
Overall, the world o’ pharma is going to get a lot more complicated - helping your doctors get what they want on your site shouldn’t be.
It takes a lot of work to figure out what your company stands for and it’s core competencies. Just because someone doesn’t like what you say or what you offer, doesn’t mean you should change.* Find the people who LIKE what you stand for and what you do - they are your people. The others? Let them go - you don’t want to work with them anyway.
*Ok, if EVERYONE you meet with says you are a moron and offer crap, perhaps you should reconsider.
I don’t have a whole lot of time to fool around with social media. Facebook and MySpace seemed a little narcissistic and I really never felt the urge to open the kimono to the world at large. Twitter, well, I’m not sure anyone really cares what I am doing on any given second - but I am still thinking of how I might use it.
LinkedIn, however, has proven to be a very interesting tool - I have had more interesting conversations with more CEOs and business leaders - throughout this year I found it incredibly helpful to share experiences with those running companies and hear their survival strategies and tactics.
Now I have people “watching” what I am reading - commenting on my blog, asking questions, answering questions that I have posted - and quite a few folks who I worked with in the past who have gotten back in touch with me. I’ve found a whole community of bright people with incredibly diverse backgrounds, who are delighted to think about my problems/challenges and share their viewpoints with me - and people who will happily connect you to anyone you want to meet.
And what is even more amazing - I asked to connect to Barack Obama today - how cool is that? It will be interesting to see how he uses social media to keep connected to Americans - I would think he would want to tap into our collective thinking - and I sent him a note to encourage him to do just that.
I put my American flag in front of my house for the first time in two years - I feel real hope for America for the first time in a long time. Hope is an essential ingredient to move forward - as a country and to get the economy moving. We are seeing signs that things are getting done in our industry again - the 4th quarter is going gangbusters and 2009 is looking fantastic.
Here are the lessons I learned in 2008:
- Find a message that resonates and stick with it
- Clearly be able to articulate what you do and why it matters to your clients
- Find a niche so that people know what to call and ask for
- Cash is more important than your mother
- Believe in yourself and your company - if you don’t, no one else will either
- If you innovate in tough times, you will stand out - most companies will play it safe
- Save money, another rainy day will come
- Ask for help - you’d be surprised how eagerly people respond
Surviving is good - thriving is so much better.
Yep, the economy sucks - we all know it. But when the times get tough, the tough start innovating. History has shown that the ones who can see the opportunities, buckle down and think are the ones who make it. And if everyone around you is boo-hooing and wringing their hands, and you stand up with ideas, that alone makes you stand out. So, wipe your tears and start thinking - and VOTE…it’s the only way things change for the better.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge Seth Godin fan. I’m reading his new book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, and loving it. The idea behind the book is that a tribe is a group of people that are connected to one another, a leader and an idea. I haven’t read the whole book, but here’s what I’ve gotten so far:
- Leaders make a ruckus and aren’t afraid to do so
- A movement requires 3 things:
- a story about who you are and what you are doing/building
- a connection between and among leader and tribe
- something to do - the fewer limits, the better
- Make it easy for your tribe to communicate with each other and the leader
- If you are not uncomfortable with your work as a leader, you are probably not reaching your potential as a leader
We have set a goal of finding 50 people who love One Eleven, so our tribe is pretty small - we are working on crafting our story (again!) and really making sure we are all on the same page and boy do I love a ruckus, so we are probably onto something here.
Pick up the book - it’s an easy read with lots of food for action!
Everyone says we are passionate about online/mobile marketing. We are…but not just because it is exciting — it is downright practical! Think about traditional fax-back/mail back programs for sampling:
- Print out a form.
- Get a doctor’s signature.
- Fax it back (eventually - or if not done within 10 days or so, the request is nullified).
- Wait for samples.
Note: between 20 - 40% of printed forms are NOT faxed back - so you lose a giant chunk of customers from the get-go.
Let’s contrast that to mobile sampling - since the doc has an iPhone on their hip and because they’re already registered, and e-signature is in place, the sample request is as follows:
- HCP gets text message that samples are available.
- HCP enters login information.
- Confirms sample order.
Done. Just do it (this slogan works well for mobile sampling!).
It’s not every day that someone writes a recommendation for you and then puts it up for the whole world to see (on “Linked In”) - Karl Schmeider, Principal of MessagingLab is a really bright, talented and downright interesting guy - for him to give us this endorsement, well, it made my week:
“Janet and I have gotten to know each other over the years.. seeing each other at events… telling each other about what we were working on. When she first told me about what One Eleven Interactive (OEI) was going to do, especially for the mobile channel, I was very interested. Now, that I’ve seen the progress, the mobile products — especially the iPhone apps — I am blown away. When people talk about the future of Direct to Physician - professional - advertising, OEI is it. The OEI solutions blow the competition out of the water. It’s only a matter of time before all physicians are getting their drug-related information on a mobile device. And OEI will likely be the force behind that information.”
According to Mobilemarketer.com, National Geographic is going mobile:
”National Geographic Ventures has launched a mobile division to leverage its nature-focused content across one of the fastest-growing interactive channels.”
It should be very interesting to see how they deliver the rich content that their magazine and television properties are known for.
Read article.
In the last few days, we have had clients (and potential clients) approach us with some really practical ideas for mobile, and particularly, iPhone apps. Clients are bringing us assets that have excellent potential for helping physicians help patients at the point of care - that is HUGE and it is our reason for being (OK, one of them anyway!)
Practical, useful and cool…that’s what I’m talking about!!
