Viewpoint

Micro-education

Inside Edge Consulting, Princeton

April 9, 2015

As discussed in previous posts, pharmaceutical marketing is all about getting the right message, to the right stakeholder, at the right time. We have heard this phrase over and over again in our work at Inside Edge Consulting Group (IE), but the process is never simple. One of the tools that we use with our clients to assist in the process of ‘right message, stakeholder, right time’ is called micro-education. This is much like it sounds, educating specific patients, payers, or provider segments with a message crafted specifically for them. While the approach may seem simple, insuring that it is done correctly is not as simple.

The IE approach has three phases, with an initial emphasis on insight gathering. Without the insights, it is unlikely that the programing or the ROI will be effective in relation to the overall marketing plan. The IE process helps to identify the targeted groups that are most influential to the specific disease state and product, which enables the client company to understand how, to whom, and what to say to the influencers in this market.

Micro-education often utilizes community-focused groups, medical societies, or community thought-leaders in order to create a program that is meaningful to the target audience in that it is effectively targeted, has ‘sticking power’, and is offered on common ground.
The execution phase of this product can be done through digital or in-person educational programs. These programs can be CME or non-CME, but are tailored to the needs to the micro-market as identified in research phase of the project.

Michele Granahan
Senior Project Manager
hello@insideedgeconsulting.com

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