Three Ways to Win at HCP Programmatic (Hint: Start with NPI Targeting)

In today’s increasingly cluttered media landscape, programmatic media gives healthcare marketing agencies the scale and insights to deploy digital HCP marketing campaigns more efficiently through automated bidding. But efficiency gains can be quickly wiped away by imprecise or mistimed media that leads to wasted impressions and disappointing results. 

At OptimizeRx, we have the advantage of programmatic and clinical domain expertise, as well as years of experience from working with countless brands and their agency partners to elevate the performance and script impact of physician marketing. Here are three winning ways to get more impact from your HCP programmatic:

1. Shift to Dynamic NPI Targeting

Most pharma brands have a designated NPI target list to serve as their basis for HCP marketing programs. However, most of these NPI lists are static – drawn from historic prescribing and claims data with a notable lag time – and may not be updated more than a few times a year. Relying on this “point-in-time” information means marketers have to make assumptions about future behavior when segmenting and prioritizing audiences. But this approach could miss potential high-value or new prescribers, and waste impressions (and budget) on HCPs that aren’t likely to see brand-eligible patients in the near future. In the patient journey, timing is everything. 

Dynamic NPI targeting approaches work differently. Instead of looking only at past physician prescribing, dynamic targeting focuses on future patient flow. By predicting the HCPs most likely to see brand eligible patients in the near future, brands can find, segment, and target NPIs that are able to act on marketing content.  

2. Connect Your Programmatic and Point-of-Care Channels

The most successful HCP campaigns deliver a “surround sound” experience, reaching and engaging providers with personalized marketing. But too often, programmatic media is planned and purchased separately from EHR advertising, which means brands can’t “follow” physicians through the full marketing funnel – or turn programmatic awareness into prescribing action. 

3. Automate Campaign and Media Optimization

Physician-level data and reporting (PLD) is the gold standard of programmatic measurement – and for a reason. But given the size and scale of most HCP marketing programs, turning 1:1 NPI engagement into meaningful campaign optimizations can be cumbersome and resource intensive. 

Instead of leaving optimization opportunities on the table, look for responsive, AI-enabled platforms that tailor channel delivery and message timing based on each NPI’s engagement behavior. And if you’re using a dynamic NPI list, a smart platform will also optimize based on each NPIs projected patient flow. Not only does this mean HCPs are more likely to encounter brand information on the channels they prefer, but it also prevents harming brand relationships due to overwhelming, frustrating, or irrelevant marketing.