Pharma Marketers Capitalize on Social Media Buzz

Pharma companies targeting doctors and other healthcare professionals are opening up now, more than ever before, to the possibilities of social media groups in helping them spread their reach, brand and product among their target professionals including doctors and healthcare personnel.

Media, other than the online one can hardly make a dent in the pharmaceutical industry's earnings. Online marketing has opened new doors for the pharma industry to garner clients, nurture and retain them.

The usage of social media sites or user generated content (UGC), such as blogs, podcasts, tagging, ratings, videos and photos has grown exponentially according to Jupiter Research, a leading authority on the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on business . Social media like 'digg', 'facebook', Del.icio.us, etc have become 'the' platform for community members to express their concerns, ask questions about drugs, diseases, diagnosis, interact with doctors online, rate the answers received or the efficiency of drugs, and so on.

Research indicates that more and more doctors are 'online with patients' and provide consistent support and advise from remote location of their residences or offices. Physicians and seekers of medical information are increasingly behaving internet-savvy and potentially spreading the company's profile by word-of-mouth and online in equal measure. Over 75% adult consumers surveyed online and 92% youth disclosed that they regularly use at least one kind of UGC information.

Since over 75% online community members regularly share online health information with others, it becomes even more imperative for pharma companies to tap into the huge potential to market and position itself among its demographic. The inherent craving for 'human' interaction drives most people who are online to seek-out others who share their passion, concerns or problems.

Numbers indicate that the spurt in popularity of social media sites and proper leveraging of their potential by the pharma industry can more than meet their business goals, rather create a benchmark for their future marketing approaches.

Source by Kelly K Johnson