One of the many smart people I follow on Twitter today Tweeted (the link to which I cannot find for the life of me) a question to the masses: “when is the last time you have read anything useful about pharma social media?”

While I do think there is a group of people putting out valuable content in this area, it is a question that warrants closer consideration.  One of the issues I constantly struggle with is the idea of a pharma social media echo chamber.

While I am thrilled to have any and all readers to this blog, my hope is that the content ultimately gets into the hands of pharma marketers.  Agency people, social media advocates and consultants are valuable resources because they contribute to the “think tank” we have created—but at the end of the day—we are trying to demonstrate the value of social media to pharmaceutical marketers.

Without question, the community that has started to form has moved the social media cause forward in the pharmaceutical industry.  But is that progress stifled by our echo chamber?  Are we often just convincing ourselves on the value of social media rather than tailoring our messages to the audience that matters most—the pharmaceutical companies?

There is evidence that suggests the pharma social media bandwagon is not confined to an echo chamber.  Jon Rich of Does of Digital has chronicled the slew of pharmaceutical companies that have engaged in social media.  Some examples are better than others, but the point is, people are taking notice and demonstrating varying degrees of success.  The recent FDA hearing on social media is another prime example of the grasp social media is beginning to hold on the industry.  Some may argue that the hearing was dominated by social media wonks and agency fat cats. They would be right in the sense that agency people dominated the podium, but the impact of that hearing was far more widespread then the four corners of the dingy D.C. conference room.  Anecdotally, recent conversations I’ve had with pharma marketers and projects I have completed lead me to believe that the pendulum is swinging in the right direction.  The pharma industry is showing an interest (we could argue the genuine nature of that interest in another post) in social media and its ability to enhance marketing efforts.

Returning to my original thesis: are pharma social media advocates part of an exclusive echo chamber?  I don’t think so.  But, I do believe that we need to do a better job of educating all stakeholders, focusing on the patients in our engagement strategies and demonstrating the real-world success that has been achieved through social media.  Echo chamber…no.  Need to press forward?  You bet.

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