There are many types of companies that may choose to work with a healthcare or medical public relations agency. These companies market medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biopharma products or perform research in the life sciences. Calling upon the expertise of a PR firm may be necessary in order to help develop a winning strategy for reaching constituencies that can include patients, doctors, payors, thought leaders, healthcare advocacy groups and investors. Which factors are most important when evaluating a public relations agency?
First, healthcare companies must decide whether their requirements match the expertise and offerings of the healthcare PR firm. While there are many agencies to choose from, there are no two agencies that have the same capabilities or that provide exactly the same services. As a result, companies must identify what goals they need to achieve and find a firm that can deliver clear results.
Its also critical to investigate a firms record of success with other medical companies. Medical PR is a highly specialized field"knowledge gained working with other industries isnt a strong substitute for direct experience in healthcare. Its essential to find a firm with experience in your area. A public relations firm that focuses its efforts within disciplines that are relevant to you is likely a better choice than a more generalized agency.
The PR company that represents your interests must have a thorough understanding of the particular regulatory guidelines that relate to your business. For firms that operate in the areas of biopharma, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a clear set of guidelines for marketing and advertising to which these companies must adhere. These guidelines are constantly evolving and a good PR firm will be up to date with these changes.
Additionally, companies should seek to find an agency that has successfully developed and executed PR campaigns that are similar to what you are seeking to accomplish. For example, if you are exploring the use of public relations as a tool in clinical trial recruitment, then find an agency that has run recruitment campaigns before. The same would apply to items like announcing important scientific data or meeting a key regulatory milestone. Have each agency you are reviewing show you examples, or case studies, of previous successful campaigns in these arenas.
Dont just make sure that the agency has experience working in your market and executing the types of campaigns you need"take care to ask who would work on your team and what relevant experience each person would bring to your assignment. Its not enough for the PR firm to have a strong background with companies like yours; the right people need to be available for your team.
Before engaging a firm, ask to meet the people who will actually be doing the work for you. Ask for their medical PR credentials and for examples of some of their past successes that may be relevant to your own situation.
Another item that all healthcare companies now need to perform due diligence on is the agencys capabilities and performance in newer, non-traditional forms of public relations, including what is broadly defined today as social media. Traditional media outlets such as newspapers, magazines, television and radio are all built on advertising revenue models that have been hard hit by the economic downturn. Increasingly, healthcare companies have been turning to emerging, online techniques to connect with clinicians, patients and advocacy groups. In this ever-changing environment, it is critical that the PR agency be on top of these trends and have relevant experience in conducting campaigns of this type.
Author Resource:
Lloyd Benson is an Executive Vice President with Schwartz Communications. He currently oversees the agencys award-winning healthcare public relations practice.
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