While social media is now a mainstay of most healthcare companies’ omnichannel marketing strategies, a factor that has propelled forward consumer social media in pharma is the increasing importance of patient engagement. Care seekers and patients alike are ever more informed about their health – especially since the pandemic – and are actively seeking information about their conditions and treatments.
Social media therefore provides an opportunity for life sciences companies to engage meaningfully with these patients and provide them with the information they need, via a channel that according to Statista, comprises around 4.88 billion users globally. And this engagement can take place with audiences in real-time, responding to comments and feedback instantly for a heightened CX.
With social media comes a barrage of disparate data, so how do you get meaningful answers and tangible action items from it? Data analytics has become an essential tool here. By analyzing social media data, health & wellness brands can gain unique insights into their customers’ preferences, needs, and behaviors that would otherwise be unattainable.
One way in which data analytics can be used to find new opportunities is by identifying new market segments. Social media data can reveal patterns in consumer behavior that may not be evident through traditional market research methods. And it’s through the uncovering of these new segments that healthcare companies can tailor their products and services to meet the specific needs of these cohorts – such as for rare disease communities that, to date, have been overlooked.
Today, however, data analytics can go far beyond basic gap analysis. It can be used to monitor consumer sentiment towards a company’s products and services. By following social media conversations, healthcare companies can gain insights into how care seekers and patients feel about their products and services. This critical insight can then be used to improve or modify treatments, medicines or services, as well as providing a sounding board where health consumers can flag and address any issues they may have. Finally, yet equally crucially, data analytics can be employed to measure the effectiveness of a healthcare company’s social media campaigns. By analyzing social media data, (bio)pharma, med device and biotech businesses alike can determine which campaigns are providing the highest ROMI and adjust their strategies accordingly.
The evolution of consumer social media in the pharmaceutical industry and beyond has created new opportunities for healthcare businesses to connect with both their current customers as well as with those seeking help. It offers the opportunity to deliver nuanced, highly relevant content – be it branded or unbranded – in a timely manner via a channel that is supported by robust data analytics capabilities for capturing actionable insights. By building social media into a thoughtfully planned and comprehensive omnichannel strategy, healthcare companies can further finetune the art of meaningful patient engagement and most importantly, positive health outcomes.>/p>
If you’re looking for a seasoned agency partner with extensive experience helping healthcare clients make social media an effective part of their omnichannel media strategy, request an expert consultation.
