Now that Facebook and Twitter are being used to promote product in the consumer world, many of our clients are interested in the role social networking could play in their marketing mix. It’s not surprising. Thanks to the increasing challenges marketers face—Pharma guidelines, sales force reductions, media fragmentation, metric confusion, etc.—new ways to find and move an audience are almost always welcomed.
That said, healthcare brands face regulatory and privacy hurdles that Twinkies and Twizzlers don’t. Our experience in helping clients understand and use social networks has been fluid. It can be great for intelligence gathering. It can also be great for building relationships with prospects and customers. It also can make for a tough PRB.
We’ve had some incremental success though. One thing is for sure: everyone is going to have to find a way to get a handle on it. Providers and patients alike are self-identifying every day as brand prospects, antagonists, and advocates. Ignoring them is not really an option anymore.
I found this interesting presentation on Slideshare.net on this topic. It’s from someone at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and it’s a good primer for those interested.
–Scott
