Pharmaceutical companies aren’t taking full advantage of the captive audiences that can be found on various social media platforms, according to doctors who have become experts in the space.
In a survey of healthcare providers representing more than a dozen specialties by the physician influencer marketing agency MedFluencers, nearly 90% said they believe the pharma industry is underutilizing social media as a method of communication.
For one, they suggested that patients may be getting a significant portion of their health information from online content, as 85% of the doctors surveyed said they’d had patients mention social media posts during their appointments.
“Patients are on social media, and they trust the content. It’s up to us as HCPs to provide accurate and engaging information to combat misinformation,” Sanjay Juneja, M.D., MedFluencers’ president of innovation, said in a statement. “It’s time for pharma to step up. Patients and HCPs are here!”
And it’s not just patients who are looking to social media for health purposes: More than 90% of the physicians surveyed said they’d be open to learning about new drugs and devices via those online platforms—opening up a new pathway for pharma outreach to the more than 50% of doctors who said they prefer not to have drop-in visits from sales reps and the almost 40% who reported avoiding the typical pharma-sponsored key opinion leader lectures.
To help pharmas better reach those audiences on social media, MedFluencers touted alongside the survey results its ongoing partnership with marketing agency Lippe Taylor to help connect drugmakers with physician influencers. Together, they’re aiming to guide pharmas through the complicated landscape of social media marketing, spanning rules around medical regulations and sponsorship disclosures, as well as influencer partnerships and rates.
“There is a growing need to connect with audiences using social media for discovering symptoms, healthcare, and treatment options. HCP influencers skilled in creating compelling content are crucial to meeting these marketing goals,” said Corey Martin, managing director of creator marketing and influencer at Lippe Taylor.