One of the dominant themes at the Eye for Pharma conference this week has been how pharmaceutical companies can use social media channels beyond just conveying a positive message about their brands to their customers. But if traditional advertising doesn’t resonate enough and FDA regulatory concerns pour cold water on more innovative consumer interactions, how can pharma engage customers in meaningful ways, especially if those customers are patients?
UCB Inc. manager for social media and influence, Greg Cohen (@GCohen85), offered up an interesting example that seemed to solve all those problems as part of a talk about leveraging the power of social media.
In January a woman posted on a patient forum (not one of the patient-focused websites that UCB manages) after her insurance plan changed. As a result, she opined that a particular drug she used to treat her chronic condition was no longer available. It was particularly frustrating since she had tried other treatments and they were not as successful. Cohen said the company pinpointed her geographical location since she identified her insurance company and contacted the payer about the situation. The woman posted on the same forum soon thereafter and voilá, the situation had been resolved.
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Although Cohen emphasized that this situation was rare and the problem may very well have been resolved without any involvement on UCB’s part, it’s an example of what can happen when pharmaceutical companies not only listen to patient concerns, but find a way to intervene as well. Cohen added that social media could be the way the pharma industry redeems itself with patients and restores trust among consumers.
Social listening is a practice the company likes to use to identify patient issues. Cohen said it follows loads of patient forums and social media channels that go well beyond Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Quora, for example, is a website where people post questions about every conceivable subject. Pharma companies would do well to take a look at what’s there. They’ll find people (or companies posing as people) asking “What’s it like to have Crohn’s disease?” The answers vary from short and concise to more considered responses. He emphasized that “good content elicits an emotional reaction from users.”
One obstacle that is likely to prevent that from happening anytime soon is that most people who are savvy enough to use social media are pretty dubious about posting so much information about themselves in a public forum. They also tend to be suspicious about how companies use their information. Could that change? Maybe, and it will be these kinds of stories that help pharma companies make their case.
[Photo of Social Media Cloud from BigStock Photo]
