Why does Key Opinion Leader mapping matter in Medical Communications?

Medical Communication has become a crowded market for authoritative voices. This saturation calls for targeted tools and insights that can identify, map and engage the right Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to support specific needs. Medical Communications teams that can inform and educate clients on which experts have the most relevant sphere of influence, and who can amplify the right data to the right stakeholders, deliver the most value to clients. But, with thousands of KOLs in many different therapeutic areas around the region, where do you begin?

Identify the gaps in your existing KOL database

An audit into the existing KOL database is a great starting point to ensure existing partnerships are current and relevant. It is not just about identifying the obvious global or regional leaders, but also discovering those voices at a local level who have influence among their own communities.

Using qualitative and quantitative metrics to assess your candidates

To identify suitable KOL candidates, individuals should be profiled based on qualitative and quantitative metrics, within a framework of defined parameters and limitations. These could include involvement in journal publications, association or working group presence, media coverage, and scientific events.

Ask yourself how these candidates fit within the wider healthcare ecosystem

Mapping and segmenting KOLs should be done based on how their profiles fit within the wider ecosystem of the healthcare industry. The map will reveal who is best to engage for specific initiatives, for example, a leader with high social media following in a particular region may be best place to distribute brand messages associated with disease awareness.

The map should serve as an insights tool that feeds into your communication and engagement plan -for example, your pool of experts may appreciate soft skill training to build their speaking capacity, more speaking or writing roles in regional conferences, or a diversification strategy to reduce your risk of over-reliance on one influential expert.

Spurwing Communications is a Scientific and Medical Communications consultancy with experience managing various stakeholders, including medical experts. We can be your strategic partner to design and execute your KOL mapping initiatives to expand your network of influential experts – get in touch at dennis@spurwingcomms.com