Optimising Pharma Communications To Create Deeper Connections

The global COVID pandemic shone a spotlight on communications within the pharma industry – and the effect was startling.

Increasingly, pharma companies and services face a widening disconnect between themselves and their patients.

Internal communications flag, as employees question the approach of the business that employs them.

Healthcare stagnates and processes flounder as a vital message is lost in substandard communication.

Although more and more services are turning to social media as a way to improve pharma communications (Pharmaceutical Technology), more needs to be done.

The employee, patient and customer experience in healthcare is still rated “average” (DT Consulting), and less than half of hospitalised patients are able to name their diagnosis or medication upon discharge (Institute for Healthcare Communication); clear evidence that healthcare communications have a way to go.

So how can healthcare organisations optimise and elevate pharma communications – conveying a medical message clearly, effectively and memorably – to both patients and employees? The answer lies in advanced healthcare animation.

Why is Communication Important in the Pharmaceutical Industry?

A well-designed, effective communication strategy improves engagement and fosters a positive brand reputation in the pharmaceutical industry.

It plays a crucial role in the development and training of employees. Good pharma communication can help cultivate and nurture positive relationships with customers and patients, as well as ensure compliance with industry regulations.

The best way of improving communication in the pharmaceutical industry is with visual storytelling techniques. For instance, video can be used to create engaging, informative content that educates patients about their condition, treatment, and ongoing lifestyle implications.

In the pharma industry, internal communication is also important for success. Medical animation can be used to offer compliance training, and more fulfilling development programs for employees. Beyond this, social media platforms and gamification are examples of internal messaging tools that keep healthcare employees informed and engaged.

Challenges in Pharma Industry Comms

Depending on your audience, pharmaceutical communications can present a range of complex and often-nuanced challenges. How can you overcome the obstacles and ensure clarity of communication, whilst presenting your message in an engaging and memorable fashion?

Internal Communications Challenges

Within your organisation, training, development and collaborative processes will of course depend upon the communication skills of your staff. With that said, a large part of effective communication is the manner of messaging; that is to say, the way you tell the story, rather than the story itself.

Modern graphics technologies complement and elevate the impact of your communications to help overcome challenges such as the following:

• Ensuring all employees have access to necessary information, regardless of location or role
• Managing and disseminating large amounts of complex or technical information
• Clarity and consistency of medical messaging between different departments
• Balancing transparency with patient or company data security
• Keeping up-to-date training protocols in a fast-paced industry
• Making sure of ongoing industry compliance

Patient Communication Challenges

In a similar vein, it’s often a struggle for healthcare organisations to communicate effectively with patients.

Patients may become confused or anxious when presented with a complicated piece of medical information. Finding ways to convey this message clearly, in a calm and informative way, is vital. Again, animation strategies (such as animated explainer videos) can be of great utility here.

Challenges in communicating with patients may include:

• Building trust and rapport with patients to encourage trust and adherence to treatment programs
• Communicating complex medical processes to patients or customers with varying levels of healthcare literacy
• Addressing concerns regarding potential side effects ad affirming the benefits of prescribed medication
• Explaining the costs involved in medical procedures and providing information on financial assistance
• Meeting customers or patients in digital spaces to build a brand image as a modern, efficient organisation

8 Benefits of Upgrading Pharma Communication

In the words of American entrepreneur Jim Rohn, “effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.”

With a view to the modern world of digital communications, where clarity is key and visuality drives results, we might add another parameter to this idea. Knowledge and passion are, of course, essential: but the manner of communication – the way you tell a story – is perhaps the biggest driver of effective pharma communication.

Below, you’ll find the core benefits of optimised pharmaceutical communication, all of which can be manifested via modern animation techniques.

• Improved customer experience & patient outcomes
  By communicating effectively, pharma companies ensure patients have the context needed to make informed decisions about their health.
• Strengthened reputation & brand image
  Consistently-engaging communication helps to build trust and strengthen your company’s reputation.
• Enhanced targeting capabilities
  Targeted messaging and marketing strategies allow pharma companies to effectively reach and engage specific audiences.
• Improved content development & marketing
  Utilising visual storytelling techniques helps to build out engaging content and marketing strategies.
• Increased effectiveness of internal communications
  Graphics-based messaging helps to convey internal updates more effectively and keeps employees engaged with the process.
• Enhanced compliance training
  Interactive tools such as VR and gamification improve retention of information; critical to maintaining ongoing regulatory compliance.
• Improved employee engagement & job satisfaction
  Streamlined, more emotionally-stimulating internal communication results in employees who feel more connected and satisfied with their work.
• Increased efficiency and cost savings
  Streamlining communication processes and using digital methods can save time and cut costs.

Building Your Future in Pharma Communication

Despite the very real challenges facing healthcare organisations in terms of patient and internal communication, there is the opportunity to optimise.

Visual communication – through explainer videos, VR, gamification or otherwise – opens a new chapter in healthcare messaging, offering the chance to engage audiences on levels previously unseen with traditional communication strategies.

Part of what makes pharma communication from Sliced Bread Animation so compelling is the fact that it engages with the natural hardwiring of the human brain. People are, primarily, visual creatures; we remember information much more effectively when we’re able to connect emotionally with a core message.

In this way, motion graphics animations enable your organisation to take control of its communication and future-proof the interactions it has with both patients and employees.

To find out what the next generation of healthcare communication could look like for your organisation, or to discuss ideas for your next project, contact our team now.