Social Media: Let's please think about this for a moment
I don't think there is a term that is as overhyped as "social media".
By on Mar 20, 2009I don't think there is a term that is as overhyped as "social media". It's everywhere from the pages of top business publications to Internet sites that promote what other companies are doing on social media. However there is a reality of social media that marketers need to be made aware of: over 70% of the companies deploying a social media strategy will fail ! Why? Because they either did not specify objectives of social media going in or they didn't allocate resources to support social media. Here are the realities of social media when it comes to pharmaceutical marketing.
Social Media, Web 2.0, Web 3.0, a lot of marketers are getting tired of hearing these buzz words and frankly I don't blame them. I have read a number of articles from industry insiders who say "pharma needs to use social media" but my push back to that statement is what the hell is your objective? DTC marketing is about informing patients of health conditions and new medications. If pharma started to use social media what would it be for? Here are some possible uses:
1. Get closer to our customers ? Why? What is the objective and what makes you think patients who take prescription drugs want to get closer to you and if they do are you getting in between the patient-physician relationship?
2. Answer questions about the medications. I did a tour in a call center and most of the calls from patients revolve around medication combinations. Again this is not a question for the brand but a question for a qualified health care professional.
3. To listen to what people are saying about our product. OK, social media is great for that but if someone reports an adverse side effect via Twitter or Facebook what is pharma's responsibility?
4. To engage our audience online. And what would that engagement look like?
As you can see before any company starts to use social media they have to a clear measurable objective. With a product website or product social media I'm not so sure that there are clear enough guidelines or benefits to warrant the investment. However there are some things that pharma can do using social media;
1. Use a third party site to feature a series of online chats with thought leaders on disease states and latest treatments. The key is to be transparent and inform the audience that this is a paid thought leader but establish him as an expert with great credentials.
2. Share and learn: Let others come together to share their experiences on asking for an Rx and taking the products. What side effects did they experience and did they go away with continued use ? I'm sure, for example, that men want to know how patients asked their doctor about ED and what it was like to start taking Viagra or Cialis.
3. Social Media update page: Want to keep patients informed on new studies and potential benefits or side effects? How about a page on Facebook where patients can follow to get updates on the product including new promotions or reported side effects. A great example of this is how some people taking statins report diminished side effects by taking CoQ10.
4. Testing messages or marketing materials: Customer love to give their feedback to companies on marketing materials. Social media is great channel to solicit feedback on new marketing materials or messages. Again you have to be transparent and legal would probably require a ton of disclaimers but it can be a fast and inexpensive way to do some market research.
It has been my experience that the one thing companies are not prepared for when they launch a social media program is the negative feedback from consumers. You have to ready for that: the fact is that most people laugh at your brand today and are critical of any intrusive advertising. Also, because the pharma industry can be polarizing be ready for some who compare prescription drugs to toxic waste.
Yes social media is the big buzzword now but once you get closer to your audience you had better have a lot more to talk about then hello. Social media is at its heart a conversation but that conversation has to have value and be on the consumers terms not your