In this video, Grace Rodriguez from UCB emphasizes that investing in custom creative for POC marketing can be a game-changer for healthcare campaigns. And leaders from Merck and Pfizer agree. (Watch the full Voices from Pharma panel here.)

It’s time to stop repurposing, start investing in custom POC creative, and rev up your ROI. In this article, we’ll explore why POC-specific creative is worth the investment and how it can transform your healthcare marketing campaigns at critical conversion points.

POC-Specific Creative to Drive Conversion

The evidence supporting the effectiveness of custom POC creative is compelling. Transforming your messaging from a generic shout to a trusted conversation requires strategic planning and tactical finesse. Even minor, cost-effective adjustments can bring to life stale POC campaigns. Make the most of mid-funnel and retention. Here are some of the top strategic insights and approaches coming from Industry Leaders and POC research (POC NOW 2024).

The proof is in the numbers

• Original research presented at the recent POC NOW 2024 Summit and insights from industry leaders reveal POC-specific content boosts engagement, ROI, and impact
• Voices from Pharma note 5:1+ return on investment
• Research showed a 6-8% boost in overall campaign effectiveness when adding POC to marketing strategies
  
  

Don’t let POC be an afterthought

• Maximize results by integrating the POC channel into your strategy from the start
• Include POC in market research and audience segmentation to ensure your messaging resonates with the right people at the right time and place
• Leverage POC data to identify patient populations and conditions that can inform messaging and improve relevance
  
  

Collaborate and Conquer 

• Healthcare marketers can reach more effectively across touchpoints when creative teams collaborate closely with POC partners
• AI is paving the way for precise targeting and personalization at the POC
• Share the data behind the target lists to encourage personalization and a collaborative strategy
  
  

Some marketers have been slow to prioritize custom POC creative due to lack of understanding, the torpor of habit, or budget concerns. However, with its proven ROI, POC is a David and Goliath investment you can’t afford to ignore.

What Does Custom Creative Look Like?

Custom creative tailored to digital and print POC contexts can take many forms. The main goal is to provide transparent education and support, delivered at the right time and context to optimize receptivity in emotionally and physically challenging situations.

Even minor changes in content, more frequently refreshed, can educate patients, address concerns, and prevent fall-off and drive better patient outcomes. (And yes, there are ways to measure POC effectiveness.)

This isn’t just awareness, it’s critical understanding by the people making decisions that impact your product’s place in their lives. It is not just patients who want more POC materials. Understanding patient and HCP needs reveals opportunities to create staff education, equip providers for immediate patient needs, and empower the entire support team to improve treatment adherence.

Patients and HCPs

Understanding the needs and preferences of patients and healthcare providers is crucial for creating effective custom POC content.

• POC Effectiveness research shows patients and HCPs want more content that is easy to read and relevant to personal journeys and conditions
• Create variations of content for different audiences and contexts, including front of office, back of office, provider-patient conversations, and take-home materials
  
  

Culture is Coherence

Incorporating cultural considerations and transcreation strategies is essential for developing POC content that resonates with diverse audiences.

• Transcreation (creating content specifically with an audience in mind) is essential to driving patient behavior
• Actively research and incorporate understanding of an audience’s beliefs, values, and barriers to earn trust
• Minor changes, such as showing a doctor speaking with a family or including a line in Spanish, can make a significant impact (More on Hispanic Healthcare Consumers)
• Consider the people who support patients, including communities and caregivers, as valid consumers of POC content (on Patient Journeys)
  
  

Cost-Effective Customization

Creating custom POC content doesn’t have to be expensive. There are several strategies for developing cost-effective, tailored content.

• Integrating POC considerations early on allows for cost-effective tweaks or parallel creative
• Consider shadow shoots for specific patient populations or scaling down creative production while focusing on content that is more patient-centered
• Don’t forget the value of evergreen content, like print materials or digital resources, that clearly explain, set expectations, or offer support
  
  

 Accessibility is Key

Ensuring accessibility and personalization is critical for creating POC content that effectively reaches and engages patients in various healthcare contexts.

• The intimate and trusted nature of the POC space makes personalization and accessibility imperative
• People in a healthcare context may face cognitive, social, emotional, or physical barriers
• Diversify your approach and mediums thoughtfully to accommodate different needs
• Use simple, easy language centered around what the patient needs to understand
• Provide information in smaller, more digestible chunks to support healthcare journeys
  
  

Market for the Moment

To create impactful POC content, it’s essential to focus on relevancy, clarity, and emotional connection.

• Think about where in the POC the content is, and how messaging can move with the patient from waiting room to post-care support
• Design custom content to address specific patient concerns, questions, and needs during their healthcare journey
• Create value for the patient with clear and simple ways to navigate care or enable better conversations and outcomes, rather than repurposing ad strategies that rely on brand equity or product placement
• Create personalized content that forms a stronger emotional connection with patients, making them feel seen, heard, and supported
  
  

Help HCP Workflows

Create custom POC content that supports healthcare providers’ workflow, adds value and improves patient care.

• Align support and education with the fast-paced workflows of the healthcare system
• Design custom POC content to align with providers’ specialties, communication styles, and preferences
• Use tailored content to quickly and effectively convey key messages based on patient data, saving time and enabling better-informed conversations
• Reinforce treatment decisions with POC materials that supplement the information providers share with patients
• Provide information for staff and care teams to support treatments, answer patient concerns, and ensure everyone is working towards common goals
  
  

Reaching Support to Build Adoption and Adherence

Extending the reach of custom POC content beyond the in-office setting is crucial for building a support network that improves adoption and adherence.

• Custom POC content is not just used in-office; create content that is easy to share with caregivers and care teams
• Building a network of understanding can help adoption and adherence, clearing barriers to care
• Consider the community that patients come from when creating POC material, addressing barriers or tapping into enablers
• Create personalized content with empathy, offering resources and guidance to support caregivers in their roles
  
  

Creating bespoke content that is clear, comprehensive, and thoughtful can extend far beyond the boundaries of care, directly into the homes and minds of everyone who touches the care journey. Healthcare marketers can forge stronger connections, build trust, and ultimately drive better outcomes for all involved.

Unlocking the Power of POC Marketing

An entire “Got Milk” campaign launched Aaron Burr into popular consciousness simply on the idea that you need milk before you make a sandwich. In healthcare marketing, you need to be there, in the room, ahead of vital decision making moments. Your top-of-funnel messaging has to journey through human lives and contexts that naturally gum up messaging receptivity.

As healthcare marketers, it’s time to embrace the untapped potential of custom creative in POC marketing. By investing in POC-specific content and leveraging the insights and strategies shared at the POC NOW 2024 Summit, we can create more impactful campaigns that drive better patient outcomes and business results.

By following the insights from the POC NOW 2024 Summit – integrating POC early, understanding diverse patients, collaborating across verticals, and leveraging tech – we can create campaigns that not only drive better patient outcomes but also deliver unbeatable business results. For a more in-depth look at these takeaways and other insights from the summit, read The Top 4 Healthcare Marketing Takeaways from the POC NOW 2024 Summit.