Listen up! As we mentioned in our previous post, there are great opportunities for pharma companies to accelerate innovation and build community through social media. One of the most beneficial tactics of implementing a social media program is listening. May sound simple, but listening provides invaluable insight into your online audience and target market.
As we recently saw with the widespread BlackBerry outage, ignoring your online audience will force a loss in market share—just ask RIM. When you listen to conversations happening online you will find that people are not typically speaking about adverse events, but rather they are seeking support and sharing information on lifestyle, experiences and tips.
Fear not: Industry research has shown that adverse event reporting is a small percentage of all social conversation on pharma topics. Knowing this, it is critical for pharma companies to make a concerted effort to listen because the majority of the conversations can be a very powerful third-party endorsement. Read more…
A Nail-Biter in Iowa
Posted by Ellen Enrico on January 4, 2012Here we are in a new year and kicking it off with the first electoral event: the Iowa Caucus.
As of 10 PM (PT), the Republican Party’s roller coaster campaign and last night’s race in Iowa stood at a virtual tie between Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney. Ron Paul came in at a respectable third place. It appears to have been the time for a new front runner-and the beginning of the end for some candidates. It was also a true test for Mitt Romney, who, for more than a year, and during his 2008 caucus performance, pulled around 25% of the votes and stayed flat all year round. In August, it was Michele Bachmann who won the Ames Straw Poll, but then later that month and into September, Rick Perry led the field by 38%. By October, it was Herman Cain, but by late November, it was Newt Gingrich. Finally, leading up to last night’s caucus, Iowans rewarded Rick Santorum for spending months going from small town to small town. Read more…