Bridging the Gap: Aligning Pharma’s KOL Engagement Strategy with HCP Digital Behavior

THE DIGITAL PARADOX IN KOL ENGAGEMENT

“We’re not sure where social fits within our KOL engagement measurement yet. It’s still very new, and its value is hard to evaluate.”

That observation from a frustrated Medical Affairs director captured a truth we’ve seen time and time again.

Earlier that morning, I had been reviewing a fascinating post referencing data from EPG’s 2023 survey on the Future of HCP Engagement Impact. At first glance, the numbers seemed to support our client’s hesitation—only 41% of HCPs rated social media as ‘very important’ for accessing scientific information.

But the deeper I looked into the full report, the more striking the paradox became.

WHERE HCPs SPEND THEIR TIME VS. PHARMA’S PRIORITIES 

HCPs are telling us exactly where they engage:

• Email, independent websites, and social media rank as their go-to channels.
• Over a quarter of them engage through these platforms at least weekly.
• Younger physicians—those born after 1990—show an even stronger preference for digital-first interaction.

Yet, when we analyze pharma’s KOL engagement platform priorities, we see a completely different picture:

• MSL engagement, sales force activities, and scientific meetings dominate the landscape.
• Independent websites barely make it to sixth place.
• Email ranks seventh.
• Social media? It languishes at number twelve.

Looking at these findings, you might think we were reading two entirely different reports.

A MISSED OPPORTUNITY IN KOL ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

For pharmaceutical companies committed to addressing unmet patient needs, this gap represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Outdated approaches to KOL research and KOL analysis leave valuable insights untapped. While traditional KOL data collection methods focus on legacy engagement models, HCPs have already shifted their behavior.

The reality is that basic social listening barely scratches the surface of digital KOL engagement. Sophisticated AI-powered KOL engagement platforms now enable Medical Affairs teams to:

• Decode digital conversations with unprecedented precision.
• Identify unmet patient needs through advanced KOL data analysis.
• Uncover hidden influencers who shape scientific discussions across social and independent platforms.

THE ROLE OF AI IN KOL ENGAGEMENT MEASUREMENT

Instead of relying on outdated monitoring tools, advanced AI implementations provide:

• Real-time insights into what matters to HCPs in their daily practice.
• A granular view of how and where they interact across digital platforms.
• Predictive analytics to anticipate emerging trends before they gain traction.

Even a simple AI-driven query can unlock rich insights into unmet patient needs. Consider this real-world example analyzing discussions among leading Hematology Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs). A broad prompt, intentionally designed to capture high-level themes, surfaced critical gaps in patient care—insights that traditional KOL analysis would have likely missed.