How to build an efficient communication strategy for an ehealth solution

Did you know that communicating around a solution is an integral part of an innovative project’s success? Indeed, the launch of a digital solution, such as a patient support application or a Patient Therapeutic Education (PTE) platform, is a complex process which requires a structured methodology. When we design a digital solution from concept to deployment, we immediately think about the definition, development and user-testing phases, but we rarely think intuitively of project communication, which is a crucial step in ensuring a successful deployment.

All too often neglected, communication has sometimes been the Achilles' heel of promising digital innovations, because they remained too little known by their users.

This is why it i an essential step! After all, why develop and produce an innovative solution if the people to whom you bring value aren't aware of it?
Just like a product, a digital solution is supposed to be available to a well-defined group of users. Just like the launch of a new pharmaceutical treatment or cosmetic product, communication should not be neglected or underestimated, from both a logistical and a budgetary standpoint.

Having your future users want to use the proposed service is also the first step towards subscription. The messages delivered must be relevant, convincing and engaging enough to get your audience interested in your solution and, better still, willing to try it out. In addition, communication helps enhancing your brand image and positioning you as a partner in the healthcare system, as an innovative player who is aware of their patients' needs.

The ingredients for an effective communication are simple: you need to clearly define your target audience andestablish arguments as clear as possible to arouse their interest in the solution. This will allow them to understand the value the solution can bring to them, and naturally, they will be willing to use it.

Observia has learnt from its many digital health projects and has identified best practices to support its partners in building a relevant and effective communication.

In this article, we share a few keys to a successful deployment and a patient enrolment rate in line with your objectives.

Building an effective communication campaign is not that simple

A digital solution, no matter what its purpose is, is part of a complex environment involving a wide variety of players. Many different users may be interested in using the same solution. These audiences are key targets, and above all, recipients personalized messages, through appropriate communication channels. The final goal is to deliver the right message, to the right people, at the right time.

Let’s take the example of the FormaRIC project, developed by Observia in partnership with Cochin Hospital. A digital platform dedicated to patients suffering from chronic inflammatory rheumatism and their caregivers, FormaRIC aimsat strengthening the link between civil parties and the hospital, and better train patients to cope with their treatment. In this context, for the solution to be a success, it needs to be known by patients,hospital staff and private healthcare professionals. We can therefore imagine a communication campaign targeting patients, via social networks or networks of patient associations for example, and another one dedicated to healthcare professionals, with communication media such as medical visits or press articles in specialized professional media.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when defining your communication strategy:

1. Use your strategic objectives as a starting point to define the target audience for your communication. You will most certainly have several audiences to convince, so prioritize according to the role they each play in the use of your solution. For example, focus your efforts firsthand on the stakeholders on whom the deployment success depends. Who is the solution aimed at? Then there are several targets to prioritize.
2. Adapt your communication to your targets. Personalization is the key word and echoes the "meet them where they are" logic. For example, you will not speak in the same way and via the same channels to a patient using a solution, a prescribing physician or a pharmacist using it. It is also a matter of helping people to talk about your solution, for example by providing a prescribing doctor with turnkey tools so that he can discuss with his patients.
3. Give your project a real visual identity. The name of your solution, its logo, its graphic identity, its avatar… are elements which will help you create an attractive visual identity. This will make it easier for users to identify your solution, facilitate the creation of aesthetic and impactful communication tools, and improve the adoption of your solution.

A well-constructed… and well deployed campaign

Once you have clearly defined your targets, key messages, and visual identity, all you have to do is roll it out! Here again, anticipation is your ally.

1. Don't hesitate to develop partnerships with experts. You can't know everything. What if you were to consider seeking expertise from people who know the audience you want to reach, such as patient experts or patient influencers? You can also rely on the partners with whom you have built your project: they will be excellent advocates!
2. Surround yourself with a few Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs). These are professionals who have been won over by your solution, who can give you sound advice and help you spread the word about your solution among their peers.
3. Use the appropriate channels for your prioritized targets.
   1. For patients
      1. … via their care pathway: documentation in waiting rooms or a poster in the hospital’s corridors will kindle their interest and curiosity.
      2. ..via a patient association which would be particularly active in the disease targeted by your solution, which can pass on information to its members. You'll also gain a lot of credibility.

• ...via the user's own research or the website they may use: don't overlook Internet support groups, forums or social networks.

1. Another solution is to rely on healthcare professionals as "prescribers" of the solution. There are several options here:
   1. Target healthcare professionals working in the establishments where you plan to deploy your solution.
   2. External companies can mobilize nurse coordinators or clinical research associates to help patients with the registration process.
2. For healthcare professionals
   1. …via salespeople who will come and present the solution to relevant people.
   2. …via scientific conferences or academic society meetings, which are great moments to come and demonstrate an innovative solution, with an impact on patients’ care.

Developing communication tools is not difficult - there are many players who can help you. Before that, the ball is in your court... Only you know what your target is, and the value of your solution! Be proactive and put communication issues at the top of your priorities (at least) 3 months before the launch of your solution.

The more you anticipate your communication plan, the more effective you will be when you roll out. We recommend that you carry out this work in parallel with the development of your program, to ensure that your communication arguments match the reality of the service. 

The sooner, the better!

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