A common question asked by healthcare marketers before engaging in social media is whether or not their patients are online.  Past research from the Pew Research Center indicates that people dealing with chronic illnesses are more likely to be active participants in social media.  That was one leg of the stool, now comes a second leg.  A report released on August 27^th by the Pew Research Center further strengthens the case that social media platforms are a growing and active place for patient congregation.

The report, titled “Older Adults and Social Media,” found that social networking use among those ages 50 and older nearly doubled over the past year.  Among the primary drivers that Pew indentifies for this surge is the fact that older adults are more likely to be living with a chronic disease, and are therefore more likely to reach out for support online.  Put the two pieces of research together and pharmaceutical marketers have a compelling case for engaging in social media.  It should no loner be a question of “if” patients are seeking resources online, but a question of “where.”

While none of this qualifies as an earth-shattering revelation, it does lend a bit of credibility to what we’ve intuitively known all along.  For those of us grinding away at each social media barrier it’s always been evident that there is ample opportunity to engage with patients online.  We knew it because we see the voracious appetite for content among patient communities.  We knew it because patients have long craved a more interactive and empowered relationship with doctors and pharmaceutical companies.  We knew it because pharmaceutical companies have unique access to information and data that can provide patients with an unprecedented role in health decisions.  We knew it—but much of the data was scarce.

Part of our job as social media advocates is to provide the best indicators possible that point to success.  We tend to rely on anecdotal evidence or our instincts.  But executives don’t exactly trust our guts and aren’t keen on anecdotes. They want hard numbers that provide a reason to be active in social media.  Certainly, a single Pew Research report is not the silver bullet some have been searching for.  That silver bullet will never come but the more relevant reports that are released the lesser the barriers to entry for pharmaceutical social media.