Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs)
DOLs are emerging as powerful voices that not only influence healthcare conversations online, but also offer valuable insight into stakeholder needs and perceptions, amplifying the lesser-heard voices in healthcare. Identify and engage the right DOLs to understand market sentiment, tailor your communication strategies and maximize your reach.
Definition
DOLs leverage online platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn and more to influence healthcare audiences. Through engaging content like videos, blogs and social media posts, they build a dedicated following that trusts in their expertise and opinions. This trust shapes perceptions of healthcare products and services. DOLs also offer valuable insight into patient needs, viewpoints and emerging trends. While they may not always hold the same formal academic credentials or publication track record as traditional Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), their strong online presence allows DOLs to connect with a much larger and more diverse audience.
Criteria
Established as a source of reliable online information and respected opinion; may be a well-published KOL or a stakeholder without a publishing track record e.g., a patient advocate
Holds a strong interest in a given topic and actively uses online platforms, including social media, to share their passion, insights and points of view
Demonstrates a substantial digital following, with the ability to reach and impact a diverse audience
Stays abreast of the latest innovations, leveraging digital platforms to contribute to and influence discussions
Power your decision-making
with bespoke and intuitive intelligence boards
VISFO combines cutting-edge technology and deep subject matter expertise to de-silo data and enable confident decision-making. With all outputs housed in an agile, always-on delivery portal, you can quickly:
Visualize
Identify
Interrogate integrated and enriched data from diverse sources to identify DOLs in your therapy area and markets of interest —
- KOLs who also publish digital content, giving them a global reach and substantially greater impact on global opinion than non-digital KOLs
- Digitally active, respected and influential healthcare providers who are not KOLs, such as general practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists
- Patients, their advocates and carers, sharing the lived experience and offering insightful perspectives
Analyze
Use sophisticated data analytics tools to:
Listen to the conversation
- Learn what DOLs are saying and what resonates with your target audience through hashtags and reshares.
Map DOL geolocation and networks
- Identify DOLs who have an established online presence in key markets.
- Understand who DOLs engage with to reveal influential clusters.
Understand individual DOL impact, interests, and influence
- Leverage our dynamic DOL impact factors based on total posts, engagement reach and top-performing content types to identify DOLs whose content and audience aligns most closely with your company’s specific needs and strategic objectives.
Optimize your communication and content
- Tailor messaging that will speak to specific DOLs based on their profession, interests, regional priorities, preferred channels and preferred content type, or craft a digital narrative that will resonate with your chosen DOL’s audience.
- Monitor the digital environment to measure campaign effectiveness against set key performance indicators and respond accordingly.
Build communities and drive influence
- Partner with influential DOLs to co-create compelling digital narratives for your brand or gain insight into how your brand is perceived by stakeholders.
Go beyond the surface
- Utilize natural language processing to understand the emotions behind online conversations.
Maintain a clear view of the DOL landscape throughout the lifecycle of your product with user-defined data updates.
Use cases
Develop market access strategies that address payer perspectives, evidence requirements and reimbursement challenges
Advocate for policy changes, address access barriers and promote your product value proposition to key stakeholders
Identify digital trends and opportunities to optimize your market access strategy
Gain insight into emerging trends and patient preferences that may impact clinical trial design and recruitment strategies
Reach and engage with patient populations that may otherwise be challenging to access
Disseminate study findings effectively online and share insights with the broader healthcare community
Release relevant and engaging educational content through digital channels to diverse stakeholder audiences
Raise awareness about disease conditions, treatment options and patient support programs; empower patients to advocate for their healthcare needs
Understand and formulate responses to the perspectives, concerns and questions of key stakeholders
Delivered through Helix
Modular knowledge base
Interactive data visualizations for easy self-serve analysis and insight surfacing
Comprehensive opinion leader profiles for effective interaction planning and engagement
Multiple data export options for rapid insight sharing across your business
Customizable, modular knowledge bases with no user limits
