I recently participated in an online advisory board. As a long-term supporter of advisory boards, I was impressed by the level of collaboration taking place in this digital platform. After reading, posting, and reading more, this weeklong conversation between experts was incredibly thought provoking. As an MD, I’m now convinced that conducting boards online is advantageous for both healthcare professionals and medical marketers in many ways.
Flexible timing
Similar to following lectures on TED.com, industry thought leaders can follow advisors and engage whenever they please. Between busy schedules and appointments, online advisory boards offer flexibility and convenience for all of us to learn and question topics when it’s right for us – from the office or from home. No travel. No lost time.
Top advisors prefer virtual meetings
According to a recent survey, 83% of participating advisors preferred the experience of an online meeting versus a live-only advisory meeting¹. Now, more than ever, healthcare and marketing professionals can benefit from advisors taking more opportunities to discuss fundamental issues and advancements in technology. Especially since the Sunshine Act is making it much less desirable for advisors to participate live.
Ongoing discussion
So often, advisors return home after a meeting and the peer-to-peer conversations dwindle. However, with weeklong online advisory boards compared to 2-hour meetings, advisors have the ability to give more thought to answers before contributing. Over a course of days, continuous dialogue unravels and questions can be tweaked or revised based on an advisor’s answer. In essence, our very own at-home market research.
Less overhead. More impact.
Live advisory boards are costly. Companies dedicate an abundance of time and energy, along with expensive travel and accommodations. It adds up, but the impact from a 2-hour meeting doesn’t always add up. With online options, healthcare companies can create a more efficient, cost-effective meeting. And the medical marketers can redirect their energy to communicating more useful content instead of managing out-of-pockets.
As technology inevitably grows quicker and less clunky, so can our ability to absorb imperative industry information. At Brandkarma, we believe this trend is beneficial and we embrace it for the community through our rants, too. Read and react, whenever you please.
1. Recent post-advisory board survey at a top 5 manufacturer.
RELATED TOPICS
Ken is a great deal more than just the president of a medical communications company. He is something of a hybrid. He’s part marketing manager, part creative director, and part copywriter. To the chagrin of his peers—but to the delight of his clients—Ken is a consummate perfectionist. As a former creative director for a high-end consumer agency, he challenged his creative teams to go beyond the mundane to produce work with real creative impact, something he’s just as fervent about today. From producing and directing TV commercials, to launching DTC and Rx-to-OTC switches, Ken brings his clients a world of experience in OTC pharmaceuticals as well as business, lifestyle, and high-end consumer products and services. Whether huddled with clients behind a mirror in a market research center in Houston, facilitating a strategic workshop in Madrid, or developing a global campaign either in the New Jersey or California office, Ken is always fully engaged, bringing “bestness” to all areas of his hectic but full life.
