Pharmaceutical Social Media: Make It Meaningful

Pharmaceutical Social Media: Make It Meaningful

by

Kevin Waddel

Connect pharmaceutical social media activities to marketing with a meaningful strategy by discussing and sharing information important to those who may or will someday make a purchase. Strategically build brand awareness and trust with a pharmaceutical social media campaign.

That really what it should be about; however, too many marketers in the pharma world are jumping on the pharmaceutical social media bandwagon for all the wrong reasons. A Facebook or Twitter page is created and then used to merely push out promotional content. That\’s a great way to alienate your community or customer prospects. They\’ll tune out instantly.

Pharmaceutical social media is important, yet the industry is lagging in its use. Recent research shows about 85 percent of decision-makers are using it mostly for business not personal reasons. Patients want relevant information both immediately as well as in advance of making a decision on a type of therapy. Typically they\’re commenting on discussions, perhaps reviewing related products or services or reading online forums or content. They\’re in the study phase.

Engaging in

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmhRMMA5iL0[/youtube]

Pharmaceutical Social Media

presents the company with an opportunity to begin building brand awareness and trust. Creating perceptions of trust in the pharma marketing world yields a significant marketing advantage. As a consumer you will most likely choose the brand from a company that shares deep knowledge with you as opposed to one that just delivers product announcements to you. Pharmaceutical social media fills a great need because consumers want to buy your product for the company s perspectives and its values.

Positioning your management as thought leaders via your pharmaceutical social media campaign, you can gain a distinct advantage over your competitors. That difference separates your brand from others, a key objective of any successful marketing campaign.

Other benefits of employing a pharmaceutical social media campaign are that it:

*Attracts specific kinds of customers

*Changes how people think

*Preempts competitive marketing efforts

*Attracts attention beyond simple product or company advertising claims

*Fosters the development of a dialogue among your key constituents

In order to fully deploy a pharmaceutical social media program, you need to have a clearly-defined market position for your product. Share important knowledge freely. Keep your pharmaceutical social media efforts focused on customer relevance, not on pushing products. Remember, they\’re after information that prepares them for a future purchase from a trusted brand. Build trust first.

Earn that trust, stand by your principles and support your point-of-view. Also strategically important is keying on a topic germane to your company or product. Engaging in and embracing open public discussion around your main topic should be at the heart of a pharmaceutical social media campaign.

Kevin Waddel is a free lance writer. To get more information about Public relations, Public Relations New York,

Pharmaceutical Social Media

and Health Public Relations visit

makovsky.com

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com