Social media - friend or foe - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

Social media - friend or foe - Viewpoint - careers advice blog “A commitment to social media is an understanding that people will be the voice of your brand â€" both positive and negative,” says Matt Lowe, Head of Digital at Creston Health and a pioneer of digital strategy. But are marketing and regulatory teams ready to work together for pharma to enjoy the benefits of social? Ever since the arrival of smartphones, it seems that even the humble event of a cup of tea must be shared widely across various social media platforms. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the millions of blogs worldwide give us an insight into the lives of others on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. But should pharma be embracing social media as the dream engagement tool many claim it to be? Or is it simply a PR and regulatory nightmare waiting to happen? According to Matt, pharma would be missing a trick if it didn’t embrace social media: “Never before has pharma had access to so much information about their brands and therapy areas. They just need the skills and understanding on how to listen.” Too often Matt hears companies paying lip service to their social media commitment. We are all about patient-centricity, but we wont do social media unless you can show me some ROI is the brick wall he often encounters. But for Matt, before companies launch their business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) social media strategies, they first need to open up and embrace business-to-employee (B2E) channels. Matt poses the question: “How many employees know what their organisation is doing across social platforms and if and how they should engage at all?” He goes on to say: “B2E needs to be part of the mix and slowly you will start to see the structure that needs to go into a social media strategy.” But many pharma companies remain nervous about opening a social dialogue with employees, let alone patients and consumers. And surely inviting consumers to participate in discussions on such a visible platform is asking for trouble? Not necessarily. Online blogs and discussion boards were in existence long before Facebook and Twitter arrived and patients have been using them to seek and share information for a long time. The challenge now is that communication via the internet â€" whether sitting at your desk or lying on a beach â€" is far more mainstream and acceptable than it ever has been. Many consumers now expect to be able to talk to companies online. In 2012, the European Medicines Agency issued guidance on good pharmacovigilance practices that briefly mentions the collection of adverse events from digital sources. In 2013, the UK’s ABPI issued its own set of guidelines expanding on the EMA’s digital pharmacovigilance, and the FDA published its draft guidelines in January 2014. The latter covers digital tools and technologies, including blogs, microblogs like Twitter, social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, online communities and live podcasts. Key points raised by FDA draft guidance The main take-outs from the new FDA draft guidance are: Each firm is responsible for product promotional communications on sites that are owned, controlled, created, influenced, or operated by, or on behalf of, the firm So this would include Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and any blogs owned by the company Under certain circumstances, firms are responsible for promotion on third-party sites A firm is responsible for the content generated by an employee or agent who is acting on behalf of the firm to promote the firms product So companies are responsible for content generated by its employees, or any agents, acting on their behalf to promote the firms products The FDA wants to be notified of all user-generated contact that falls within its recommendations for interactive promotional media. For practical purposes, companies should submit every month an updated listing of all non-restricted sites for which it is responsible, or is an active participant, and that includes interactive or real-time communications. What is clear now, is that for social media to work for pharma rather than against it, marketing and regulatory departments need to work as a single team. The value of being able to interact with patients in a real, albeit virtual, world cannot be ignored. But the structures and protocols need to be in place to allow regulatory to do their job. Roche and AstraZeneca now both have their own guidelines for using online tools and resources, covering a broad set of principles and the online behaviour expected of employees. No doubt others will follow, if they haven’t already done so. Mistakes will be made, but as long as there are robust protocols in place to deal with situations swiftly and efficiently, the damage can be controlled and any legal requirements satisfied. Perhaps social media will become the common ground on which marketing and regulatory become teammates with a shared purpose. Social media tips In the meantime, here are our top five social media tips: Be sociable: Use social media to build relationships but remember, it’s based on dialogue and sharing.   Follow people and interact with them. If your company has clear online guidelines covering conduct and how far discussions are permitted to go (with regards to a particular product, for example), being sociable shouldn’t be something to be feared but rather embraced and actively managed. Just ensure your protocol is tailored to each country, and/or region and its culture. Be real: Be honest, be authentic and reflect your brand personality at all times. If you receive negative comments, recognise them and deal with them sensitively and swiftly. Don’t feed the trolls, but ignore the haters at your peril. Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting can largely be automated, leaving you to concentrate on being sociable and ensuring a positive experience for your community. Sharing is caring: Content is king and having your own unique content to share will quickly build an audience. Clearer guidance from the regulatory bodies now means that we have a more precise definition of the communications that would trigger a post-marketing submission. But sharing other content helps to build relationships, illustrate facets of your brand personality and generally makes you more interesting. Remember to always credit your sources. Focus: There are many channels out there, but you don’t need to be active on every one. Find the ones that suit your brand and master them. As you are responsible for what is published on them, make sure you have the bandwidth to effectively moderation them. Effort: There’s no such thing as a free lunch, in the social media world as elsewhere. Success requires hard work, knowing your audience and being consistent. What has been your experience of using social media for your category, brand, products or services? What would be your top social media tips for pharma and life sciences? Join the Life Sciences Industry Insights with Hays LinkedIn group to share your thoughts and stay up-to-date with the latest on business, employment and recruitment news in the life sciences industry. Join the conversation