Anyone have any thoughts on Social Media marketing in Pharmaceuticals? In the research I've done i've found some pretty interesting things. With regard to websites like twitter, while they are very useful, I think there are a few things that are roadblocks for pharmaceutical companies --- 1. I’m not convinced that many people would really jump at the chance to follow a pharmaceutical company on twitter 2. while the 140 word limit makes it could prove to be difficult in posting tweets about pharmaceutical products, and 3. the conversations on twitter are much less likely to be found when people 'Google' the topics they are looking for (which is what people usually do.)
Instead i've found what a lot of companies are doing is creating their own Youtube pages (Johnson & Johnson) or supporting community based websites that support specific illnesses/medical topics (High blood pressure, high cholesterol (by Merck), Menopause (by Wyeth) etc.) What this is doing for companies is really just establishing a better face. The Pharmaceutical industry is one not highly trusted by consumers – with research saying around 50% of people doing online research for a medication will not go to the brand website because they believe the information is either biased or designed to just sell their medication. And while they are obviously trying to sell their product, the pharma industry is one that should be working to establish some kind of relationship with consumers, especially in these times when candid/un-censored conversations are happening EVERYWHERE online. One thing I found that is great is some companies are now creating communities within their branded websites, or sponsoring popular websites that everyone goes to (such as WebMD, RX list, or online communities) because they are open forums for both curious and educated consumers. In doing this they help to finance resources for consumers (doctors/pharmacists) and then get their product message delivered in a much softer, less abrasive manner. A high blood pressure medication for example might support ways to lower BP naturally though an online community/forum, and then say something along the lines of "if diet and exercise isn't enough "XYZ" is here to help you." --- making them sound much more consumer based and not sales based.
Ultimately I think that Social Media is a highly untapped marketing resource for pharmaceuticals and I’m very interested to see how it will be used in the near future.
