Engaging HCPs With KOL Videos

The role of KOL-based video continues to grow in importance for pharmaceutical and other life sciences companies in capturing the attention of HCPs. Physicians rely on their peers to provide non-biased, clinically relevant education, and by adding a trusted voice with illustrations to those communications…you’ve got their attention.

Post-Pandemic Digital Landscape

BioPharm has experienced the evolution of this medium firsthand. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted us to a more virtual landscape, and HCPs had to quickly adapt—and many continue to embrace it! They have become comfortable with using digital tools to communicate with their patients and for educating themselves on new treatment therapies. This transformation to digital opened additional opportunity for video.

Agencies like BioPharm quickly pivoted and started producing more virtual, KOL-based video content to engage HCPs—finding ways to educate through interactive learning modules across many therapeutic categories.

Digital technology continued to evolve with the arrival of augmented reality. This unique technology uses a QR code to launch a KOL video with commentary on your peer-to-peer print content, bridging the gap between print and digital channels. Not only does this interactive experience lead to deeper engagement with your audience, but you can link to other brand videos to continue your brand story—all while capturing aggregate data on your print assets.

Dynamic & Engaging

Videos support engagement in a way that medical journals or research reports cannot. HCPs are busy, so consuming bite-size pieces of educational content within a few minutes offers a time-saving method to learn. They can view a video almost anywhere on their phone or tablet before quickly moving on to their next task.

According to Foster Business Research Group, the average viewer remembers 95 percent of a message when it is watched, compared to 10 percent of text-based messages. About 90 percent of the information our brains process is visual. That’s a powerful benefit for videos. When the impact of video messaging compares to other channels such as emails or banner ads, even though they may include visual/graphic elements, the video will almost always surpass the impact of other channels. At BioPharm, we have found that using the right mix of multiple dynamic channels has the most impact in behavioral change.

Tracking Success Better Than Ever

Video is also very trackable. You know who watched the video, where they watched it, how long they watched it, and where they dropped off. If knowledge is power, then videos deliver powerful returns for brand teams to utilize in their continued efforts. This data is valuable to the sales rep who can now identify the interests of individual HCPs. In addition, these metrics can influence the brand’s video content strategy based on what is watched and for how long.

What Does a Good KOL Video Look Like?

The best KOL videos are succinct, clinically relevant, and engaging. They must clearly communicate precise information to a specific audience with the goal of providing education that the healthcare professional can immediately apply in their clinical practice. Think “conversational” as opposed to a KOL just speaking to a slide deck. You want the KOL to be energetic and confident in what they’re saying—and the data they’re speaking about. What truly makes a KOL video great is when the expert can provide nuances to patient care—clinical nuggets and clinical pearls—based on their extensive experience that the audience can then implement to improve their own patient care.

It’s best to keep the core content of your videos in the 3- to 5-minute range. Undoubtedly, we live in a YouTube® world, where peoples' lives are busy and attention spans are short. We have found that unless there is a specific payoff or benefit—e.g., continuing education credit—healthcare professionals will not engage with long videos. Video quality, high-fidelity sound, and good lighting are critical elements that can make or break any video. In today’s high-definition world, poor quality of videos is not tolerated. Even on a budget, prioritize professional lighting and microphones/recording devices—they set the mood and tone of the video. Your content could be amazing, but if the sound is hollow or pitchy, or the lighting dim or flat, your audience can easily get distracted and lose interest. The pandemic has made more people comfortable with virtual video and interviews, live streaming, and podcasts—but the aforementioned guidance still applies to these formats. If the quality is poor, you are telling your audience that the content is not valuable to them.

If KOL-based campaigns and videos aren’t in your current brand marketing strategy, it may be time for you to consider this effective, influential source of marketing content