Content Development – Page 10

How to create a short, yet effective, deliverable from mounds of references

July 26, 2019 / By Krishna Patel

Can you think of a time when your team was asked to distill 1,000s of pages of information into a concise training deck, brochure, white paper, or speaker presentation–on a topic that your team didn’t know much about? To me, these are exhilarating adventures where I’m offered the opportunity to get my analytical and problem solving skills firing on all cylinders.

Despite so many resources out there, someone is paying you to create a new piece to serve a specific purpose because it doesn’t exist in the public domain. How do you do it? Everyone has their unique approaches, but here I share the approach that works for me.

It’s time to make big strides and turn heads–let’s go.

How to create a killer piece from 100's of sources

Gather information

Before hitting the books, start by asking your team members or clients the right questions to understand the purpose of the project, the baseline knowledge of the audience, and any sources that they are already aware of.

Scour publicly available sources

Remember to only use reliable sources. If the information is relevant to your topic, pull it into your information management application (I prefer Zotero and OneNote over Word because they can categorize information so that it's easily retrievable via tags and bookmarks). More importantly, be EXTREMELY CURIOUS during this phase as this will enable to ask questions and seek out the right information. This step is the most time-consuming, so it's important that you stay focused and pace yourself.

Create an outline

Create broad categories and weave-in the information from your research into the outline (this is where you'll be glad you used Zotero or OneNote over Word, because retrieving the information will be a BREEZE). Once you've created broad categories and weaved in the information that you already have, take a second look and ask yourself what other information you still need in order to tell a complete story. Finally, re-shuffle the categories in an order that tells compelling and easy-to-digest story.

Socialize the outline

Two heads are better than one. Now it's time to step out of your vacuum and show your plan to teammates and/or clients.

Create a draft

Ideally, you should assign the writing to the same person who conducted the research and developed the outline, because it will buy you time and efficiency in the long run. In this phase, also have an idea of the graphics that you plan to use to convey your messages effectively.

Socialize the draft

Again, two heads are better than one. Ask for the opinions of your teammates and/or clients.

Refine and follow-through to the end

Usually 3 cycles of feedback-and-refining suffice in order to reach a place where everyone on the team is happy with the work. This is also where you introduce your design team and editorial team into the project. Finally, follow-through on the regulatory process in order to get your piece approved and ready for use.

How do you define your target audience? Create a Persona Profile–here’s an example

July 22, 2019 / By Krishna Patel

Marketing effectively requires cultivation of empathy. On the contrary, cranking out tactics for the sake of doing so is a recipe for failure.

Can you envision what your customers look like? Do you know what keeps them up at night? What are their priorities? What are their threats? What motivates them?

Looking at your product through your customers’ lenses means to make their problem your own. Only then can you find a solution that will actually work, and thereby increase sales and revenue.

I, myself, sometimes lose sight of the customers’ needs, which is why I follow Nancy Duarte’s advice and keep a Persona Profile on my wall to remind me to empathize with the target audience. I have even named my hypothetical customers to make them more human. I modify the specifics based on the product I’m working on, but the general profile remains the same.

After preparing the customized Persona Profile for the specific product (which can be a simple PowerPoint slide), then only do I internalize the value messages and craft a killer tactic that actually resonates with customers and inspires them to follow through on my call to action.

See below for an example of my high-level Payer Persona Profile.

It’s time to make big strides and turn heads. Ready. Set. Access.

Payer Persona Profile

Jeff, Heli, Sarah, Maggi, and Sam

Pharmacy Services at XYZ, Inc.

WHAT ARE THEY LIKE?

They're payers who are in the business of making and saving money. They can only keep their population and customers happy if they, themselves, are financially equipped.

WHY ARE THEY HERE?

To see how my product can help them make or save money.

WHAT KEEPS THEM UP AT NIGHT?

Drugs are becoming more expensive and they're struggling to find ways to keep them affordable for their population yet ward off unwanted attention from the press and politicians. It's difficult for them to maintain a positive reputation when their current financial calculators cannot keep up with the growing number of expensive specialty drugs.

HOW CAN I SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM?

If a specific type of their population uses my product in the correct manner, they will end up saving, and even making, money.

WHAT DO I WANT THEM TO DO?

First, understand the right population for the product. Then, facilitate access of the product to all those patients.

HOW MIGHT THEY RESIST?

They will scrutinize each of my claims vigilantly. They will want to see evidence of my claims and their own numbers rather than national averages.

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO REACH THEM?

It's difficult to find time to get all of them together in one room--perhaps the maximum is 45-60 minutes. I will need to be creative in effectively communicating my message in a limited time period. If needed, I will have to resort to pre-reads or pre-views where they can access critical background information before-hand on their own time. Then, I can devote the live meeting to communicating my product's value proposition.

How to identify a good market access content developer

July 3, 2019 / By Krishna Patel

Finding the right content developer feels much like finding the right pair of running shoes, or the right foundation (for those who wear makeup), or the right house to settle into. Once you find it, it’s really, really, REALLY hard to give up. A good content developer is someone you can rely on to get the job done well even while you’re on vacation or busy attending to another task.

Medical writers and copy writers are not necessarily content developers, though there’s nothing stopping them from becoming one.

So what does a content developer look like?

Top 5's to Identify a Good Market Access Content Developer:

# 5 : Follows directions and gives feedback

Commercialization is a team sport which cannot be played in solitude (just try to, and you’ll see what I mean). For this reason, effective 2-way communication is important to create a masterpiece. A client gives directions, and the content developer asks clarifying questions and provides suggestions.

# 4 : Knows the trade

Market access can be tricky because it requires understanding clinical knowledge AND the intricacies of the healthcare space–BOTH of which are constantly evolving. Put simply, it’s a matter of keeping up or moving over. The curious mind can keep up.

# 3 : is precise (Less is more)

Why should anyone read 3 pages of information when the information can be conveyed in one short paragraph? Knowing the audience and the strategy enables laser-focused content.

# 2 : is accurate

Promotional material should ALWAYS be supported by sound evidence. Inaccuracy will lead to multiple rounds of revisions, wasted time, and thereby wasted money and diminished reputation.

# 1 : Has a can-do attitude

Perhaps the most important trait is a psychological one which is hard to gauge in interviews and is not a focus for development in the corporate world. Having the can-do attitude enables innovative strides, persistence, timeliness, and solid delivery of a project (more on this in a future blog post).