“If we are not standardizing our content, how are we going to capture the data and personalize?” Even the most advanced solution can’t tell you how content is performing at a granular level without consistent structure behind it.
Lack of standardization becomes a roadblock when companies try to personalize their messaging. If your content is not tagged, it gets difficult to assemble it in a way that matches the interests of HCPs.
So, why do so many life sciences brands keep seeing content standardization as a nice-to-have?
Why Brands Resist Change
“Clients raise legitimate concerns about content standardization,” says Cecilia Baeza-Castro, Head of Change Management and Customer Transformation at Viseven. They often share that “It’s too expensive to overhaul our content strategy, because they think it will inflate their current costs.”
Clients consistently face tough decisions around budget and timelines: should we develop the assets and modules, just the assets, or just the modules?
If the brand decides to build both modules and assets, it must be ready to invest resources in setting new strategic imperatives and providing clear guidance across teams. One content asset can yield up to 90 modules. It’s unrealistic to hand over 90 modules to local teams, expecting them to assemble everything on their own with minimal support. The sheer scope of resources needed often makes companies postpone standardization until “better times.”
Change Management Practices for Adopting Standardization
To make content standardization work, you need strong change management. Here are the key steps to take:
Communicate the value to each team
Content standardization changes the way marketers orchestrate, execute, and deliver campaigns. It lays the groundwork for the AI model to personalize on a scale.
Yet, it's important to set clear expectations, as the impact of standardizing end-to-end content processes will take time to materialize. To bring colleagues and business units on board, highlight impactful use cases that demonstrate how the change will benefit them in meaningful and practical ways.
Help your marketers envision what the new process will actually look like. Encourage them to reflect on a brand plan and define the key messages they want to communicate throughout the year. Based on those messages, assist them in building content modules and templates that can be reused and repurposed.
When it’s time to deliver, they won’t be starting from zero. It will simply be a matter of selecting from what’s already been developed, saving their time and speeding up the time-to-market.
For the IT department, standardization will take a lot of complexity off the table. They won’t need to build custom solutions with every new campaign, and it’ll be easier to merge all tools into one ecosystem.
When content follows the shared structure, the procurement team will not need to hire three agencies to create three versions of the same e-Detailer. The scope of work will get leaner while duplication will go down.
When each team understands how standardization helps them do their work better, rather than just hearing about high-level corporate benefits, they’re far more likely to get on board and want to see the change succeed.
Make the change a team’s sport
This kind of change does not happen in a silo. Your teams need to sync on how they collaborate, define the timeline, and agree on how the strategy will be rolled out across the organization.
“That means getting your global brand lead, omnichannel lead, and content strategists in the same room. In some cases, you will also need medical teams, if you are trying to align not just on marketing, but also on disease awareness,” adds Cecilia.
And let’s not forget about the MLR teams’ input. Without a clear template, it’s easy to miss critical elements, like prescribing info or footnotes. And since MLR reviews can take weeks, even small-and-forth swings can mean missing a chance to reach HCPs early in their journeys or keep the conversation going, moving customers down the sales funnel.
Ensure a shared vision
These teams need a shared vision and a clear understanding of the technologies already in place. Today, there are plenty of tools for deploying content and tracking data. It is no wonder why they often feel overwhelmed and lose sight of what success looks like and how to get there.
Take an example. A global team requested something that the existing template simply couldn’t support. If you don’t fully understand how the available technology aligns with your goals, you might end up asking for something the solution wasn’t designed to handle. You inevitably face frustration, and, at the end of the day, delays.
Now imagine that happening across multiple campaigns and partners. It is not hard to see how this friction can snowball quickly.
Standardization isn’t set in stone; it is an evolving process. Regularly gathering feedback on new elements is essential for refining the roadmap for future development. While full implementation may take up to a year, it lays a stronger foundation for other innovations, including AI.
If you’re considering content standardization or any other digital transformation, the Viseven team is here to help you champion and sustain that change without stressing out your organizational health. Let’s talk — schedule a demo call with us!