subject: Pharma Social Media: Why It Matters [print this page] Listening, learning, engagement, two-way conversation, transparency, sharing, is what pharma social media is all about or should be about.
To the pharmaceutical industry, patient engagement is a top priority; however the industry lags in the fullest exploitation of pharma social media activities. Pharma social media offers a better way for companies to get their message heard, and it requires going beyond the medications and stepping outside the silo.
Pharma social media clearly has the potential to be a serious game changer. Pharma social media is not just a channel; it really is a different way of doing business and it really impacts everything from strategy to our execution.
Pharma Social Media is really about connections to really impact patient outcomes. Pharma social media fosters the development of a coordinated approach with payers, with consumers, with hospitals, with advocacy groups and with government. Used properly, pharma social media is the connecting point that enables a company to connect with all of its stakeholders.
Pharma social media brings collaboration. Pharma social media creates the opportunity to steer the conversation. Listen to customers to gain insights, and respond quickly and appropriately. At its best, pharma social media can increase customer engagement.
While important strides have been made in pharma social media; however, many companies are still very much lagging and are behind the curve. For example, while Facebook appears to be a popular medium, Twitter may be lagging in its adoption in the world of pharma social media given its limitations as a communications vehicle. Twitter is a major platform and should be part of a companys pharma social media arsenal because responding in real-time can be critical.
Whats holding back the widespread deployment of pharma social media activities? Most likely the lack of regulatory FDA guidelines. There have been some, but the agency needs to go further to unshackle the power of pharma social media which will help advance marketing, communications, patient care and other key issues impacting the industry.
