Should pharma just divorce social media, citing “irreconcilable differences”? Part II
Here we are, nearly a year later from my original post on pharma's struggle to stay committed to social media, and it appears trust issues are still at the forefront of relationship resolution. Apparently my advice for couples therapy was lost in translation.
A recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) found drugmakers have failed to gain the trust of most consumers on social networking sites. While the survey found only 37% of consumers trust information from drug companies on social media venues like Facebook, a third of those consumers did say that information from social networking sites influence their decisions about medicines - proving that pharma just can't ignore its transparent, outgoing partner completely.
Tightly-wound, regulated, top-down, Type A, one-way, controlled, structured lady, Miss Pharma thought she was finally really letting loose and embracing Mr. Social Media. She employed his free-wheeling, bottom-up, conversational, unpredictably evolving, current, wide open misfit spirit and setup that Facebook page, joined LinkedIn groups, tweeted what she had for breakfast, alerted the masses that she checked-in to CVS, and even pinned some corporate history.
But, no, it's never enough, is it?
"Health organizations have an opportunity to use social media as a way to better listen, participate in discussions and engage with consumers in ways that extend their interaction beyond a clinical encounter," PwC's Kelly Barnes, of the company's U.S. health unit, said, as quoted by InPharm. "Savvy adopters are viewing social media as a business strategy, not just a marketing tool."
It looks like Miss Pharma (and her Life Sciences Sisters and Biotech Babes) need to take it another step further and really dig into the wealth of consumer data from social networking sites.
She needs to communicate better with Mr. Social Media and find out what really makes him tick. Maybe treat him to a candlelight dinner downtown. Order the surf and turf and a nice bottle of Rosé. Learn about the hot topics among target patient groups and what is influencing decisions.
Maybe then, the divorce papers will be traded in for hashtags; the ballpoint pen for a pin, and the dotted line for a broadcasting hangout.
