By Katie Kennedy Identifying Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs) is a hot topic for pharmaceutical companies at the moment. Both brand and medical teams recognise the importance of identifying HCPs who are influential online; and then working with them, either through direct collaboration or by creating resources they believe will be of interest to them.
As DOL strategy work becomes prevalent for pharmaceutical companies, we are starting to see recognised DOLs increasingly being approached by multiple companies. So how can you succeed in developing relationships with the right people? CREATION.co has a number of solutions to improve your DOL strategies. One of these is to start identifying your ‘rising stars’ now in order to have a good strong relationship in place as they grow in their digital opinion leader status.
What is a ‘rising star’?
A ‘rising star’ is an HCP who is showing signs of becoming a Digital Opinion Leader – an HCP who leads online discussions and is seen as a respected source of information. A rising star may be showing a real passion about a specific medical topic but perhaps they don’t yet have the digital reach of an established DOL. We might see them engaging significantly in the existing DOL network and starting to be mentioned and recognised by other DOLs. They may not yet have built a strong following, but they are on their way to building trust by posting engaging and relevant content on topics of present interest.
Being able to identify rising stars means you can start building a good relationship by supporting them on their journey. Perhaps you can bring them into a Digital Advisory Board with your recognised DOLs and encourage them to learn from those who are already using social media for collaboration. Perhaps you can help them to magnify their voice by supporting them with resources and assets they would find useful. By investing the time to support them as they become DOLs, you will have a strong relationship with them when they are more influential. A key consideration in the whole process, is that a DOL is different from a KOL.
At CREATION.co we specialise in understanding the voice of the HCP online. Tapping into our unique data set of 3 million HCP social media profiles we can identify HCPs who are both established DOLs and those who are on the path to becoming DOLs. Our research provides you with a strong understanding of what is driving the HCP to use social media, what channels they are on, what they care about and how you can build relationships with them by adding value.
If you would like more information about DOLs, CREATION.co has a range of free educational webinars providing useful tips and information, depending on where you are within your own DOL strategy planning. Choose one that’s right for you.
Or if you would like to meet with me to look at what a DOL or Rising Star project could look like for you, please email [email protected].
