The term “omnichannel” has been everywhere in pharmaceutical marketing circles, events, and publications for years. But while everyone talks about it, truly achieving effective pharma omnichannel marketing has remained a significant challenge. 

In fact, 8 out of 10 pharma leaders struggle to see the real impact of their omnichannel efforts on customer engagement according to a 2024 survey. It’s not that the potential isn’t there; companies with mature omnichannel models have seen impressive results like 2X revenue growth, a 10–20% increase in marketing efficiencies and cost savings, and 5–10% percent higher HCP satisfaction (according to multiple McKinsey analyses). The difficulty lies in understanding what true omnichannel entails and building the necessary infrastructure and processes.

This post will cut through the noise: defining genuine pharma omnichannel marketing, differentiating it from its less complex cousin, multichannel, and outlining actionable steps to elevate your campaign planning, execution, and performance.

What is “true” pharma omnichannel marketing?

At its core, true omnichannel marketing isn’t just about using multiple channels. It’s about creating a strategically unified customer experience. It involves:

1. Cohesive experience: Delivering a seamless and consistent experience for HCPs that builds upon the last interaction across all touchpoints, whether digital (eg, email, web, social media, virtual events) or physical (eg, sales rep visits and calls, conferences).
2. Synced sales and marketing: Ensuring real-time data exchange and coordination between field teams and marketing activities. Actions in one channel should immediately inform and influence interactions in others, with no lags of days, weeks, or months.
3. Tailored journeys: Moving beyond static segmentation to personalize interactions based on an HCP’s real-time behavior, preferences, and stage in the decision-making process, connecting through relevance and fostering more meaningful relationships.

The goal is to coordinate engagement strategically across all functions and channels to personalize the HCP experience, provide genuine value, and maximize the impact of every touchpoint.

Multichannel vs. omnichannel: A critical distinction 

It’s easy to mistake multichannel marketing for omnichannel, but they are fundamentally different:

• Multichannel: Uses multiple channels within a single campaign, but these channels often operate in silos. There’s little to no integration, data sharing, or coordination to tailor messaging based on cross-channel interactions. Think sending a mass email, running display ads, and having reps visit HCPs, but without those activities informing each other or being executed without regard for the timing of the others.
• Omnichannel: Intentionally integrates all channels and functions. Engagement is strategically orchestrated to create a personalized, evolving journey for the HCP. Data flows freely, allowing for dynamic adjustments to messaging and channel mix based on individual HCP engagement, and each interaction can build upon the last because there’s transparency within the system.

We’ve explored this before because multichannel does offer some value, but the differences have been a continuously thorny distinction for many teams—partly due to all the vendor noise in the industry. Executing multiple tactics across channels through a single third-party platform or website might seem integrated, but if it lacks true cross-functional coordination and personalization based on holistic HCP behavior—and if it’s missing channels outside of that closed ecosystem—it’s still just sophisticated multichannel.

What pharma omnichannel marketing isn’t 

Recognizing what doesn’t qualify as omnichannel is crucial for identifying gaps in your current strategy:

1. Relying on outdated preferences: Using historical or static data on channel affinity isn’t enough. True omnichannel requires dynamic understanding as HCP behaviors and preferences evolve.
2. Disconnected field and marketing teams: If sales rep interactions aren’t captured and used almost immediately to inform digital messaging (and vice-versa), it’s a disconnect, not omnichannel. Timely synchronization is key.
3. Inconsistent experiences: Sending generic messages across channels without tailoring them based on an HCP’s prior engagement creates a fragmented and often frustrating experience.
4. Single-platform tactics: Simply using various tools offered by one vendor doesn’t automatically create an omnichannel ecosystem. Integration must span across different platforms and internal functions.

Why is omnichannel so challenging in pharma? 

The transition to a truly effective omnichannel model faces several hurdles:

• Siloed teams and data: Historically firewalled departments (marketing, sales, medical affairs) and disconnected datasets prevent a unified view of the customer.
• Infrastructure gaps: Lack of integrated technology and deployment infrastructure hinders seamless execution and data flow.
• Measurement complexity: Developing new measurement frameworks and accessing the right data sources to track holistic journey progression is difficult.
• Need for upskilling: Teams require training and internal education to understand and align on omnichannel principles and execution.
• Resource constraints: Limited budgets and team capacity can restrict investment in necessary data, tools, and personnel.

We’ve also discussed the additional challenges of lack of customer knowledge and the time- and resource-intensive implementation processes that have hindered adoption in the past in this blog post.

5 steps to advance to an omnichannel marketing strategy 

Moving towards a true omnichannel approach is a journey, not an overnight switch. Here’s how to get started:

1. Conduct a landscape analysis: Honestly assess your current state. Understand HCP needs and preferences, map existing company infrastructure, evaluate available datasets, and gauge organizational readiness and culture.
2. Understand HCP journey stages: Map the typical HCP decision-making funnel for your therapeutic area. Define SMART goals and clear metrics for each stage to measure how engagement progresses towards prescribing behavior or advocacy.
3. Invest in data and technology: Identify gaps in your data (audience, channel, real-world insights) and technology stack. Partner with data and orchestration providers like PharmaForceIQ who can fill these gaps, enable seamless execution, and provide real-time performance metrics.
4. Prioritize optimization: Continuously measure Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) during campaigns, not just after. Move beyond manual adjustments by exploring automated, AI-driven tools for real-time optimization.
5. Embrace change management: Omnichannel transformation requires careful planning, internal alignment across functions, and dedicated management to navigate the organizational shifts required for success.

The rewards of real omnichannel

While the path to true pharma omnichannel marketing requires strategic planning and investment, the rewards are substantial. 

Leading biopharma companies have seen significant engagement increases, while those with mature models report considerable revenue growth and improved campaign effectiveness through synced field and digital efforts. 

For some clients, this has led to measurable script lift far beyond industry standards and to significant cost savings through more efficient targeting and buying.

Success in today’s competitive landscape demands leveraging data, technology, and AI to create seamless, personalized HCP experiences across every touchpoint. By moving beyond multichannel tactics towards a genuinely integrated, customer-centric omnichannel strategy, pharmaceutical marketers can build stronger relationships with customers, improve outcomes, and drive sustainable growth.