How "Real" Can Social Media be in the World of Pharma?

One comment that was left in response to AdPharmBlog's post "How to Win New Business with $11 and a Blog" raises the question "how can we use social media in a highly regulated pharma world in which every word must be approved by a lawyer, MD, regulatory pro and PharmD?"

At first I thought the question was kind of silly. There are PLENTY of examples out there where pharma has successfully used social media.

But then it got me thinking....outside of corporate blogs or Twitter pages, how many examples of are there of pharma using real social media are there - and by real social media, I mean online media that allows a back and forth conversation between various parties.

This back and forth conversation, and the ability to change, respond, influence, and engage with the people who create the content we read online is what makes social media so exciting to me.

But when I think about the examples of pharma dabbling in social media that are out there today, like the ADHD Moms Facebook page, I think it is a noble attempt and I have a lot of respect for J&J for the effort (after all, somebody had to try!). But it doesn't get me excited because it is missing the most essential part of social media - the conversation.

Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and mother of a child with ADHD, Katherine Ellison wrote an op-ed piece in The L.A. Times about the ADHD Moms Facebook page, which launched last July and was created in response to research that showed mothers who have children with ADHD feel isolated and also tend to use Facebook. The article dissects the pros and cons of the Facebook page (which of course doesn't allow for ANY interaction between its 8,000+ fans), and ultimately concludes the following.....

"Alas, there's still no such thing as one-click parenting. Our choices about how to treat our children's emotional and mental travails surely shouldn't be as lonely, painful, costly or shaming as they are today. But virtual "friends" aren't the answer."

As I said before, I think the ADHD Moms page is a noble attempt at social media given the hurdles it is up against, but I agree it doesn't solve the problem it set out to solve - which was to help Moms feel less isolated and to be a trusted resource about ADHD.

This article raises the question - what could be done by pharma to tackle this problem? And could it be done using social media?

Suggestions are welcome. I will also be thinking of some potential solutions (and if I come up with any, I will post them here!).

Facebook Connect--so last year, but not really

Last year, Facebook—the most visited social network in the world—launched something called Facebook Connect. What this does is allow you to comment Facebook style on third-party websites and publish to your network of friends—never having to leave those third-party sites. Obama did it via CNN. eMusic launched it last week (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29369646/). CitySearch is in Beta. Brands are jumping on the Facebook bandwagon—a fast-moving vehicle that we should all keep our eyes on.

So what, right?

Well, many of our clients as well as the industry at large are asking the same thing—but the key point is that they are asking. We can guess that Pharma won’t be jumping on board any time soon being that comments are real-time which means AE risk, figuring out who will monitor, who will be in charge of crisis control, etc. BUT we need to be ahead of the game. We need to extend the actions we want users to take (buying products, rating/ranking products or leaving comments) into the Facebook stream.

And what will probably happen re: Pharma is that people will start talking about drugs, side effects, etc. on sites that adopt Facebook Connect or allow comments in another way. And Pharma will be forced to read and ultimately be forced to respond.

Social media isn’t new—it’s just so much easier with the web, Facebook, email, texting, etc. We have to keep up. So let’s be cognizant of what is happening out there, and make a little money doing so. This is what clients will pay for.

Manage Your Online Reputation Or I Will

Another great resource from the same person who brought us the Healthcare Social Media Wiki. Found on the DoseofDigital blog, this post - Manage Your Online Reputation Or I Will - has a list of all the social media sites out there who may be discussing your brand.

The list is sorted in order of importance, and even includes tips on how to search for your brand and what to search for.

It's really important to know what people are saying about your brand online. For example, there are several unofficial “Pfizer“ groups on Facebook that express some negative opinions.

Bottom line - Although you can't control what people say about your company, keeping track of it will help ensure it doesn't appear at the top of a Google search.

Check It Out! New (to me) Social Media Wiki!

You hear about it from time to time - pharma is attempting to dabble in social media.

Whether it be the ADHD Moms Facebook page (created by Johnson & Johnson), or a pharmco starting a Twitter account, such as the one hosted by AstraZenca US - pharma and social media are no longer like oil and water.

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past year, this is old news.

However, what is new news (to me at least) is this wonderful Healthcare Social Media Wiki that was created to "house every Social Media project that has been created by pharma (or healthcare companies in general)."

I highly recommend that you check it out. The wiki includes:

• Every known Facebook and MySpace page (yes, MySpace still exists), blog, Twitter account, etc. created by a pharmco
• Patient communities
• Marketing professional communities
• Hospitals that use social media
• Brand sites
• Top industry blogs and Twitter accounts

Who knows, someday the AdPharmBlog might be on there!