Try these webinar tips to make your virtual meetings a success.
Virtual solutions are one of the most effective communication channels to extend reach and frequency of engagement with customers. And following Covid-19 restrictions they are now the norm.
But it takes more than just loading up Zoom or Teams to achieve your objectives in a way that will benefit your customers and, ultimately, patients.
Virtual medical education covers a broad range of solutions including webinars, eConferencing, advisory boards, briefings, round tables and training.
Here’s how you can get the most out it from planning to delivery.
Planning
When planning your virtual medical education, define the what, the who, the how and the when.
What?
Start with clear objectives, data and messaging.
- What are your objectives?
- What is your purpose, goal, and target audience?
- What customer insights do you have?
- What is your message?
- Make sure it’s clear.
- Is it topical or relevant to current policy/ developments?
Who?
The right KOLs and speakers are essential as they can make or break your event, but you must also make sure they’re fully briefed.
- Who is best placed to represent you and your brand?
- Will a Chair add value to discussions?
- Do they understand your proposition?
- Do they know the data?
- Do they understand compliance?
- Engage internal compliance early and throughout.
How?
It’s important that you deliver what your customers need to know.
- How will you get maximum learning and engagement?
- How can you enhance the benefit to the audience?
- Will CPD/CME certification help?
- How long do you need to do the subject justice?
- Allow time for introductions, presentations, polls and Q&A.
When?
Timing is crucial to ensure maximum attendance.
- When can your audience attend?
- Mid-week is ideal.
- During lunch or outside clinic hours?
- Is your audience global? Think about time zones.
Making it happen
Once you have defined these steps in your planning, consider the specifics to make your virtual medical education a reality.
This involves marketing to reach your audience, technical elements to make sure it runs smoothly and represents your brand, and the all-important follow-up to add value, build on the work and keep momentum.
Marketing
- Set your KPIs.
- Plan your multichannel marketing.
- What’s the best route to your audience? Use any data you have on individual preferences.
- Promote through third party lists, sales force, digital advertising, journals, emailers and, where compliant, social media.
- Have you got permission to contact existing customers?
- Define your call to action. Does it match your learning objectives?
- Be clear, catchy and compliant with your messaging.
- Profile speakers and learning objectives.
- Link all marketing to the registration portal.
- Include ‘add to calendar’ and ‘submit advance questions’ links.
- Is it a promotional webinar? Remind attendees to watch in private.
- Start marketing at least two weeks in advance.
- Midweek is the best time to email.
- Monitor response rates and resend weekly, also target non-registrants.
- Send out reminders: one week, one day, one hour.
Technical
- Not all platforms are the same; select one with the functionality you need.
- An external agency can take on the technical elements.
- A fully trained, competent technician ensures seamless delivery.
- Run a technical briefing to check speaker and Chair connectivity and broadcast quality.
- Get online early to avoid last minute hitches; 30 minutes in advance is ideal.
- Speakers need a private space, free from noise and distraction.
- If on camera, ensure speakers are well-lit with clear backgrounds.
Follow up
- Get feedback; use a post-event survey.
- Analyse the data including attendee numbers, attentiveness, engagement with Q&A, polls and surveys.
- Benchmark the data against your KPIs.
- If you’re hosting on-demand, get the webinar recording approved.
- Send post-event communications including a link to on-demand, certificate, future webinar details and the survey.
- Promote the on-demand for wider reach.
- Review the ongoing performance of the on-demand.
Follow these tips to make your virtual medical education a success.
Take a look at out virtual solutions and if you need further assistance, E4H is a trusted partner for national and global pharmaceutical companies.
For more information, contact our experienced team on 01462 226126 or email enquiries@e4h.co.uk.
Go to: www.e4h.co.uk #WeAreE4H
This article was originally publishing in Pharmafield. Pharmafield is part of the medical publishing arm of E4H.
Emma is Head of Marketing and Content at E4H.