Marina Maher Communications

As healthcare communicators, we have been staring at, arguing about, and advocating for the elephant in the room for years now: the intersection of health education, social, and mobile media.  The convergence has been slowly creeping forward, and the rationale for Pharma to engage patients and healthcare professionals online has never been stronger.

New apps, social platforms and websites spring up every day, changing the nature of healthcare in the U.S. by putting more knowledge and power in the hands of the patient.  Pharma companies are creating mobile apps to help patients track their symptoms, research diseases and medications, and manage their care.  Sites like HealthGrades.com and Vitals.com help patients make informed choices about their healthcare professionals.  Cleveland Clinic hosts regular web chats with physicians for the public.  A recent survey found that 59% of American adults searched online for health information last year, and from the looks of it, it’s only full speed ahead from here.

Government regulators and professional medical associations have recognized that social media is here to stay.  Though the FDA draft guidance issued in December 2011 only addressed off-label promotion, the FTC recently updated its guidelines on digital disclosures, helping to ensure online promotional communications are transparent for consumers.  Most recently, the American College of Physicians issued a position statement on best practices for physicians to maintain professional interactions with their patients online.  Intended to maintain trust in the profession, uphold confidentiality laws, preserve professional distance, and manage their online reputations, much of the advice is common sense to PR pros.  But, they are groundbreaking in one aspect: regulators and self-regulators are on board. 

As healthcare PR professionals, we are always challenged to develop meaningful educational programs for health consumers that address their needs, including the ways they access information.  With their growing reliance on mobile apps and social and digital media, MMC has worked to develop innovative programs that are also regulatory compliant. Here’s how:

• We start small:  Particularly in this environment of unclear FDA guidance, pharmaceutical companies are conservative.  Companies that post relevant, unbranded content can build a controlled online presence and establish themselves as an expert resource that health consumers will want to turn to when they evolve to online engagements. 
• We partner early and often with regulatory and legal colleagues:  Collaborating with regulatory and legal early in the process so that they understand your goals ensures your programs will meet both marketing and regulatory needs.  Partnering throughout the process will grow comfort with your programs and help ensure a smooth internal approval process.
• We think long-term:  You can take small steps to manage a company or brand’s online reputation.  Create or update the company’s LinkedIn profile, Wikipedia page, and website.  Check Facebook to see if a lack of corporate presence has resulted in the company having an “Organization page” – and update it. 
• We listen:  If your client is not ready to create or share content, remind them that the conversation is happening whether they’re taking part or not.  Start listening online, which can not only guide a future strategy, but also inform patient insights.  Consider developing social media guidelines so that you will be able to help the company understand how two-way engagement will be implemented. 
• We counsel:  Ready or not, online engagement will eventually become a reality for every healthcare company that markets to consumers.  So make sure you stay current with evolving guidelines, regulations and practices.  And, always be ready to suggest how changes in online engagement can benefit your client, your brand or your company.

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If they’re on their mobile devices, here’s what motivates them to read on:

• Special offers
• Promos + vouchers
• Real-time delivery tracking
• New product launch or information
• Newsletters

Forty-three percent of emails and rising are read via mobile devices.

Despite this, 75 percent of companies do not create mobile friendly emails and continue to lose out on the ROI, according to Email Monks.

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Approximately 2,000 press releases are distributed daily. So how can you prevent yours from getting lost in the mix?

This infographic offers some suggestions, including the following:

• Limit your headline to 65 to 85 characters
• Use the keywords your target audience uses
• Move up the most important information – the main message and keywords
• Link to one or two priority websites, such as the company, product, or campaign site
• Be clear and concise, as always

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According to new research, 72 percent of marketers think that online personalization is important, but are unsure how to implement it.

Online personalization is when companies gather information about their customers – both new and returning – to tailor content, information and offers.

Sixty-six percent of marketers say their motivations for personalizing are improved business performance and customer experience.

Businesses that are personalizing web experiences are seeing an increase in sales of 19 percent.

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According to this infographic, consumers are making purchase decisions based on the following:

1. Recommendations (90%)
2. User reviews (70%)
3. Price-checking via Facebook (60%)
4. Price-checking via mobile devices (44%)
5. Word of mouth (37%)

Of note, more than half of consumers would delay purchase or buy somewhere else based on number three and four – price point.

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Yesterday, we posted about moms who are researching online before purchasing. They’re not alone. Travelers are also looking online and specifically for others’ opinions before booking trips.

Research shows that 95% of travelers trust reviews, and 78% say they reinforce their booking decisions. They also appreciate when hotel management responds to reviews. It improves their impression of the hotel. Moreover, 80% say reviews for hotels where they stayed are accurate.

On the flip side, half of travelers will not book a hotel with no reviews.

So what do travelers look for on sites with online reviews? Number of reviews, images followed by quality.

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Women, particularly mothers – who represent a $2.4 trillion market – are making about 83-87 percent of purchase decisions in American households.

In March 2013, Mom Central Consulting surveyed 900+ moms to understand the power of peer influence on these purchasing decisions. The results showed the following about moms:

• 99% research products online before purchasing; of which, 87% specifically look for first-person recommendations. Marketers need to engage with consumers to get feedback and address it to maximize positive brand sentiments.   
• 81% read 5+ blogs per week, which confirms the importance of encouraging online influencers to blog about your brand.
• 76% trust social media recommendations for products before purchasing them, and 69% are more likely to purchase if a product is recommended by those they follow on social networking sites.

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