Virtual conferences are a growing trend in the pharmaceutical industry, that has gained exponential strength during the pandemic. However, there are challenges they pose to engagement that should be overcome.
According to a 2021 Veeva study, virtual conferences are effective in reach and cost. Nonetheless, they stay behind in engagement, when compared to in-person events. So, companies must find ways in which to optimize their potential by integrating interactivity elements.
We have, then, come up with 3 different ways that will make your virtual conferences more interactive.
3 Ways To Make Your Virtual Conferences Interactive
1) Presentations – PowerPoint & Prezi
Virtual conferences often tend to be one-way conversations, in which flow and visual stimuli are needed to keep the audience captivated. Presentations through PowerPoint and Prezi are one effective way to mitigate this engagement challenge.
Prezi is a presentation tool that works as an open conversation. It allows you to zoom in and out of topics. Providing, then, your audience with a visual understanding of the message you intend to convey. Prezi is now also adapted to virtual conference platforms such as Zoom, Google Meets, and Microsoft Teams. Through it, you can still establish a visual connection with participants while integrating your presentation on video in real-time.
PowerPoint is a presentation software included in the Microsoft Office suite. It works with slides. Further functioning well for presentations that intend to follow a specific cause-consequence order. For that, it can gradually build a better understanding of a determined topic among the audience. In it, you can further include images and embed videos that can better help you convey your message.
By providing a visual structure to your ideas, you can increase engagement in your virtual conferences. People need stimulus to feel connected with the information they are consuming. And, presentations are great at doing that.
2) AR (Augmented Reality)
Presentations in themselves foster greater engagement from participants. Nonetheless, they lack an immersive and interactive competence that could more efficiently show off your product. AR (augmented reality) can be the solution.
AR is a technological field in development. It allows you to layer virtual information over reality. Through it, you can make your audience equally engage with such a proposed dimension. Providing, in that way, a clear, visual understanding of your product and features.
Big tech companies, such as Apple, have already launched their AR kits and developers. And for that, they have been paving the way for collaboration between technology and the pharmaceutical industry. Allowing companies to explore the possibility of immersive experiences as a new way for physician education.
By integrating AR in your virtual conferences, you set yourself apart from the competition and strengthen your brand image near the target audience. Consequently becoming a hallmark for immersive and interactive education that is adaptive and modern.
3) Video
The human attention span is now 8 seconds. And within these, people seek stimulative, interactive information that meets their needs, quickly. Physicians are no exception. So, video has grown as a resourceful tool.
If you want to stand out from the competition and make sure to optimize your audience’s experience and time, you have to convey your complex data simply and quickly. That way you can ramp up engagement while maintaining reach and cost-effectiveness.
According to a recent Arkadin Arkadin study, an audience will retain 95% of your information if it is conveyed through video. They will only be 10% if read. So, companies have here a great opportunity to vamp up engagement in their virtual conferences.
Through video you can:
- Transform your case studies into interactive animations;
- Explain a drug’s MoA (mechanism of action); and
- Go over your product’s features…
There are companies that have already taken a step in this direction and created tools for pharma marketers to use.
BlueNovius has created PubExplainer – software that translates your complex scientific data into easy-to-understand 90-second videos that will make your message clearer to the audience. Through it, you can not only increase engagement but guide your customer through a product’s life cycle.
So, instead of telling your physicians about a product, show it. That way, they will not only develop a greater understanding of it. But they will also be more likely to retain more information about it. That way you can reach informed decisions, and your product will be considered for its advantages and qualities.
Want to know more about it?
Reach out to us today to book your Free Demo or request our latest PubExplainer case study that will give you insightful information on the impact of video in increasing HCP engagement.
