Tempering the hype
Like almost everyone else in pharma - and beyond, we here at eyeforpharma are intrigued and excited by the promise of new social media tools like Twitter and Facebook and their potential value to pharma marketers.
By on Jun 2, 2009Like almost everyone else in pharma - and beyond, we here at eyeforpharma are intrigued and excited by the promise of new social media tools like Twitter and Facebook and their potential value to pharma marketers.
But much of what Aaron Uydess had to say at our recent eMarketing Europe 2009 conference (see our summary article of his talk here ) about the difference between strategies and tactics rang true to our ears.
Uydess argues that companies should not be pursuing the use of new social media technologies (or any other, for that matter) simply for the sheer sake of doing so, but only because they are the right tactic for reaching a particular audience or conveying a specific message that is part of a comprehensive approach and strategy. And hes right.
Its easy to get caught up in the buzz, hype and excitement that surrounds many of these news tools and fall unsuspectingly in the snare of declaring them the greatest thing since sliced bread (as we say in the my neck of the woods). And more often than not, in doing so, we give these tactics a life of their own thats far removed from their true status as tools a means to an end.
Like all eMarketing approaches, social media tools like Twitter and Facebook are just new tactics added to a broad basket of tools for communicating different messages and reaching different audiences. Sometimes theyre the right approach and sometimes theyre not but Uydess is right, what they never are is a strategy unto themselves.
Just as what we used to call eBusiness quickly became just part of good business, "eMarketing," as Uydess points out, is simply becoming just part of good marketing. And the tools we used to get there whether were talking cutting-edge technologies like Twitter and Facebook or once innovative, but now commonplace approaches like email are only that: tools.
Dont get us wrong, lets sing the virtues of new media tools to the roof tops and evangelize about their value to all those who have yet to experience their wonder. But at the same time, lets not let the hype replace sound strategy and goals.