Last month, we conducted a survey to better understand the needs and views of different departments in the life sciences industry regarding digital intelligence projects. First, we would like to thank everyone who filled out the questionnaire for your support.
We received responses from marketing, digital, medical affairs, IT, sales, and other departments. After analyzing all questionnaire data, we found several interesting patterns. This article was inspired by the second question in the survey: "What data do you think enterprises need most for digital intelligence?"
01 Starting with the survey data
This was a multiple-choice question. Nearly 80% of respondents selected more than one option, and quite a few selected all options. In the final results, the share of each option was not low, so for now we use 60% as a dividing line:
Note: This was a multiple-choice question, so the percentages do not add up to 100%.
- In the overall sample, two types of data exceeded 60%: the clear leader, HCP mindset data, which even passed 70%, and the second-place option, internal data on physician-enterprise interactions.
- Within the marketing department sample, those two options only just crossed the line, while a dark horse emerged: HCP potential data. This happened to echo a physician potential project case we shared recently.
02 What marketing teams mean by the data they need most
By this point, you have probably seen where we are going. Today, we are talking about the data marketing teams need most. From the survey results, internal data on physician-enterprise interactions is clearly one of the data types that many departments care about. But internal data is not the hard part. External data is.
From the real voice of one marketing client, Client A, we learned that they had very little external data, yet external data was the more valuable part and the part that could better drive business growth. For example, if the marketing team wants to know what field a certain HCP focuses on and whether the HCP is suitable as a speaker for a meeting, internal company data alone cannot answer that question. Asking sales might work, but it depends on whether the person you ask is reliable.
There are many similar needs. Based on this, we summarized three major challenges that missing external data creates for marketing teams:
03 Solving the three major challenges for marketing teams
How should these challenges be solved? The key is to master the corresponding external data.
a. HCP profile data
When HCP profiles are unclear, marketing teams struggle to understand the overall physician group and individual physicians, reducing the efficiency and precision of customer segmentation, product positioning, core messaging, and marketing strategy.
HCP profiles involve many dimensions of physician information, including basic information, career experience, academic activity, various behavioral data, influence, networks, cooperation history, and more. Even before talking about profiles for all target physicians, collecting the full information for one individual physician is already enough to give a marketing team a headache.
A marketing client, Client B, once wanted to analyze the profile of one physician. Let us call her Dr. Han Meimei.
At the basic information stage, the team got stuck. The database showed two records that looked like the same Han Meimei but seemed unrelated. Some experiences matched, but one record was in Northeast China and the other in Guangdong. Intuition told us they were definitely not the same person. The reality, however, was that Dr. Han Meimei had indeed previously practiced in Northeast China and later moved to Guangdong.
If individual HCP profiles are already this complex, how should group-level HCP profiles be analyzed? That is where AI and big data become necessary.MeDomino's physician database refreshes external data on 4 million physicians in real time, then uses multidimensional AI analysis to help marketing teams gain comprehensive, objective, and quantitative customer profile insights.
This involves a large amount of user information linking and merging. Take Dr. Han Meimei above. Without accurate judgment, both Han Meimei records in the database would be wrong. The Guangdong Han Meimei record would be missing not only her previous work information from Northeast China, but also a whole series of external data from that period. Only by linking and merging the information for the two Han Meimei records can we complete the individual profile and achieve a 1+1 > 2 effect. The same logic applies to group-level HCP profiles.
Note: The data volume shown in the figure is illustrative only. It indicates that the merged individual data volume is greater than the sum of multiple pre-merge false individual records.
b. Physician mindset data
Physician mindset was one of the most frequently mentioned phrases at a closed-door meeting of directors from large multinational pharmaceutical companies this June.
Mindset is not metaphysics. Many data modules are excellent materials for understanding physicians' views expressed in public channels, such as:
By analyzing these data modules, marketing teams can largely determine a physician's mindset stage and then match different physicians with suitable topics, activities, or content.
For Client A mentioned earlier, the most obvious value may be this: through big data, we can identify physicians who focus on the client's target disease area, have strong influence, and are at a high mindset stage. These are the most suitable speakers.
Mindset data can also be used to quantify the value and effect of marketing communication, continuously helping marketing teams optimize and improve communication strategies, and even supporting new product launches.
c. Physician potential data
As in the physician potential project case we shared recently, marketing teams need to accurately assess physician potential and quickly identify representative physicians who serve large patient groups, so that new and correct treatment perceptions can be delivered to them. This involves physician analysis, but it also needs to be combined with patient insight, because everything we do ultimately aims to meet patients' diagnosis and treatment needs and help them receive better treatment and care.
One final thought:
A fast train depends on its engine.
Strong marketing drives stronger growth.
Run forward, marketing teams.
