Digitalization is transforming the field of healthcare and the COVID-19 epidemic is responsible in a variety of ways. Since biosciences research and technology is growing quickly, the top life science companies are preparing to find and launch new medicines or products. When a new product or drug is discovered and enters its lifecycle Life sciences companies need the advice of experts and opinion makers to guide the product from the beginning of discovery to commercialization.
According to a PubMed study on the use of social media among plastic surgeons discovered that “62 percent of surgeons with plastic surgery have active Facebook and Twitter accounts.” In Twitter, “tweets with “#PedsICU” were shared 49,865 time across seven continents in the period between January 1, 2020 between February 1, 2020 and May 1, 2020.”
Are there ways that for the industry of life sciences make use of an influence from digital opinion leaders to promote their product or drug? Learn more about the advantages life science companies can gain from digital opinion experts know-how.Who Are DOLs?
Digital Opinion Leaders within Healthcareare the latest type of HCPs that has been created in recent years. These are professionals in healthcare (HCPs) who utilize social media and other digital platforms to communicate scientific and medical details to patients, colleagues as well as their fans. They do not often attend conferences , nor do they publish papers in journals, but their aim is to provide relevant and informative content to inform their communities. DOLs aren’t social media influencers, but are the true “thought leaders” since they don’t self-promote themselves , but instead are ambassadors for the brand they endorse.
Particularly in the field of healthcare, the most influential people (DOLs) could be HCPs as well as non-HCPs. They range from doctors as well as allied health professionals medical and scientific writers and nurses, caregivers and pharmacists, to patients’ advocates, industry analysts as well as cancer survivors and health bloggers, journalists and patients. Non-HCP Digital opinion leaders utilize social media to write about general issues regarding healthcare such as the latest developments in the field of healthcare and hot topics related to specific diseases such as diabetes, cancer, etc. Non-HCP DOLs also distribute information through their groups, however the content is generally general and could or might not be scientific.Why Should Life Sciences Companies Engage DOLs?
Key Opinion Leader (KOL) identification and management within life science organizations has always been an integral part of the “bread and butter approach” for a long time. An old-fashioned KOL is influential with regard to the conferences attended or written articles however, it’s the DOL who is able to increase the impact of this scientific and medical content via social media.
Utilizing the influence that DOLs are able to exert on platforms that digital, life science companies can benefit from their DOLs:
- In enhancing the brand message the company aims to promote.
- Assisting companies in the field of life sciences find new talent through their influence through digital websites (clinical trials recruitment).
- In collaboration with others on the creation of marketing materials, and offering valuable feedback.
- Assisting with the medical and marketing team in developing educational material for patients.
- As spokesperson or member of the advisory panel/judges for contests, contests, etc.
- In sharing their voice regarding disease awareness, the best practices, and new initiativesthat the life science firm is taking on.
Through getting involved with DOLs and developing meaningful connections with them over time life science companies can connect with potential customers that they had not ever thought of before at one click.How Can Life Sciences Companies Identify and Engage DOLs?
At present we have a lot of DOLs are now KOLs!
“The Five Ws” have to be answered by Life science companies before engaging DOLs.
- Why Should Life Sciences Companies Identify DOLs?
The commercial and medical teams must agree on the goals and strategies of the brand being used before they decide to choose the DOLs.
- When Should Life Sciences Company Think About Identifying DOLs?
The life science company must be aware of the issues or opportunities they’re trying to solve by finding DOLs.
- What Parameters Should be Considered to Identify The Right DOLs?
* Are they publishing relevant and original content on the internet?
• Do the DOLs have a strong digital presence (public and peer followers?)
Do their peers trust their opinions and their content? (Are they reliable?)
* Are they influential offline as well?
* Are they already working with your business on various projects?
- Who is the best DOL to work with?
After we have addressed what we want to know, lets discuss the WHO.
1. Who’s responsible for DOL (HCP) who is sharing material that is relevant to the business’s brand/therapeutic area of expertise?
1. What’s the area of expertise and sub specialization of the DOL? DOL?
How do you judge what is the standard of information that the DOL publishes?
* How often is the DOL update the content?
* Is the DOL communicating with its colleagues or is it just a one-way exchange through posting the information online?
- How do I engage DOLs?
After the DOLs are identified and mapped, the person on the team (medical/commercial) must be in contact with them. Face-to-face meetings are favored by DOLs to ensure that they can interact with the teams face-to-face and comprehend their purpose for engagement.
The healthcare industry is constantly influenced by technological advancement, it is crucial that life sciences companies make use of the latest tools in software to locate, map and communicate with Digital Opinion Leaders.
konectar Socialkonectar Social – our powerful Digital Opinion Leader platform has been built upon the most advanced technology, paired with an NLP framework that allows for precise search engine crawling as well as entity extract. konectar Social has several features that enable Life Sciences companies to find the best Digital Opinion Leader from drug discovery through commercialization.
How Can Life Sciences Companies Utilise the Expertise of DOLs?
Life sciences companies need to tailor their DOL engagement strategies to meet their goals in business. Here are some common ways that life science companies can interact with DOLs and make use of their talents effectively:
an. empower the DOLs by providing resources and information
Life science companies need to be able to educate and prepare their DOLs about the drug or product they intend they DOLs are expected to be advocates for. The internal team must share the materials they have created for this therapeutic subject to the thought-leaders in digital media. These tools will assist the DOLs to disseminate their platform’s current information to their target audience.
b. Know their areas of interest
This is essential when Medical Science Liaisons’ (MSLs) communicate with DOLs. The MSLs should be aware the DOLs areas of expertise to ensure that pertinent topics can be discussed with them.
C. Create an advisory board of DOLs.
Similar to KOLs, life science companies need to form advisory boards to the most prestigious DOLs to get more varied insights. Since DOLs and DOLs interact with their patients, communities and their peers on the internet they will be able to provide new and distinct perspectives on new research findings, most recent launches, medications or products that are related to their therapeutic areas. This could help life sciences companies in their quest to develop and explore new possibilities.
D. Aid the DOLs to extend their reach
Certain DOLs might be present on one or two digital platforms. Life sciences companies are able to assist and assist DOLs to utilize different platforms based on their therapeutic requirements. This will assist life science companies when it comes to marketing their product or drug across multiple platforms, and assist the DOLs in expanding their network.
e. Develop and build relationships with DOLs
Life sciences companies should strengthen the relationship they have with their DOLs through providing them with insights from their company information, resources, events etc. So that they can better understand the digital landscape.
F. Engage with Digital Platforms with DOLs
Commercial and medical teams should meet, host webinars, tweets, etc. together with DOLs to establish long-lasting connections through sharing scientific and medical information. This will enable the DOLs to connect with the communities that are relevant on the web.
G. Maintain a record of competitors DOLs.
It is essential to stay on top of competitive landscape. Life science companies must keep track of the activities competitors’ DOLs engage in. This can help them plan better.Future of Digital Opinion Leaders’ engagement in the Life Sciences Industry
The ever-changing healthcare landscape has brought about a shift in the perspective of work of companies in the life sciences. The DOLs are now indispensable for organizations and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future!
Life sciences firms are becoming digitally active and are increasing their presence on digital platforms through engagement with DOLs. In order to grow and change life sciences businesses in the near future will need to collaborate with both DOLs as well as KOLs in the same platform to assist in developing insights, making material, and disseminating the knowledge instead of working with only one. This will increase the power and impact of life sciences firms.
A new generation of thought leaders besides Kol Mapping Healthcare and DOLs is making their way into the field of life sciencesand are referred to in the field of Digital Scientific Leaders (DSLs). DSLs are DOLs with a solid scientific background and credentials. They utilize digital platforms to share details about the most recent clinical trials, studies diagnosis, as well as treatment methods. In the near future we see the life sciences industry are likely to hire KOLs, DOLs, and DSLs to provide a wider and more extensive coverage.
Engaging Software for HCPs is changing, in turn, DOLs Healthcare will be carving the way for the future!
