Social Media & Health Insights & Findings

Richard Meyer http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com

What do we know from the data?

72% of U.S. adults living with chronic conditions use the internet

Collecting health information online is a journey

Social media is part of the journey to collect health information

But there are concerns within the industry..

Pharma budgets are under more scrutiny as patent expirations and higher costs of drug development

erode profits/sales.

And pharma is not considered a digitally mature industry

Capgemini  classified  33%  of  pharma  companies  as  digital  beginners,  which  it  described  as  companies  that  are  several  years  away  from  realizing  the  poten8al  of  digital  marke8ng.      

Yet pharma is planning to spend more on social media

However the use and benefits of social media for health varies by

demographic segment

And only 6% of traffic to pharma websites comes from

social media

And pharma is moving very slow to embrace social media

•  Pharma companies have higher hurdles to use social

media in part because of regulatory requirements and constraints outside of the U.S. to reach patients directly.

•  Early movers are testing the waters with an educated trial and error approach.

•  Establishing the means to respond to online interactions and manage the large volume of social media data are essential first steps.

•  Assessment of social media ROI is best done in context of the overall marketing and communication strategy.

•  The growing volume of digital interaction, both through mobile devices and social networks, is creating an ever greater stream of data for companies to access. However, analyzing this data within the right context and generating relevant business insights remains a major hurdle.

h8p://www.forbes.com/sites/edsilverman/2014/01/21/tweet-­‐this-­‐pharma-­‐sBll-­‐fails-­‐to-­‐embrace-­‐social-­‐media/  

The FDA has issued draft guidelines

•  The FDA has proclaimed it is acceptable to promote a product on company controlled forums and channels. It is also acceptable for a company to promote their products on third party sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

•  Per the FDA ‘A firm is responsible for product promotional

communications on sites that are owned, controlled, created, influenced, or operated by, or on behalf of, the firm.

•  On an ongoing monthly basis, companies will need to provide the FDA with a list of the social networks they are active on and the date of their most recent activity.

•  For content and promotions on closed or private channels, companies

will be required to submit screen shots of any and all activity. Examples of this would be a protected Twitter account or groups on Facebook or LinkedIn that are not open to the public.

•  The FDA’s definition of Interactive Promotional Media lends itself very well to what digital marketers categorize as ‘native’ advertising.

But do patients want social media engagement ?

•  The usage and presence of social media channels is rising, though still lags among the population segment that utilizes healthcare services the most: patients over 65 years of age, and those with multiple chronic conditions.

•  Digital activities are currently highest in areas with the least healthcare impact. •  Social media channels are diverse, provide different user experiences, and are

subject to rapid shifts in use. •  The role of social networks in healthcare is critical throughout a patient’s

journey, and demand by patients for support is high, with social media expanding on the habit of discussing healthcare with family and friends.

•  In the U.S., interest in specific diseases receives the greatest amount of attention in social media relating to healthcare, followed by lifestyle changes, health insurance details and safety information.

Report  by  the  IMS  InsBtute  for  Healthcare  InformaBcs.      

Conceptual viewpoint of digital activities

Social media requires trust to be effective with patients

•  The internet is increasingly becoming the first source for general and specific health information. Current estimates are that

between 70 and 75% of people online in the U.S. seek healthcare information. In addition, 42% of respondents to a U.S. survey said that they had used social media to find out about a healthcare issue, nearly 30% had supported a healthcare cause, 25% had discussed a health related experience, and 20% had joined a health community or forum.

•  Unsurprisingly, most online health seekers (77%) begin their pursuit of information through search engines. •  Wikipedia is a prominent source of online health information compared to the other online health information

providers studied. But a survey of patients with multiple sclerosis found 28% reported that it took a lot of effort and felt frustrating to search for relevant information, 40% were concerned about the quality of information and 20% had problems understanding the information

•  Healthcare is generally utilized the most by patients over the age of 65 where chronic diseases are more common and are often accompanied by other conditions. However, social media is still generally utilized more by younger age cohorts, in contrast to web-based information sources and more familiar communication tools such as email. Recent surveys indicate that 89% of 18-29 year olds use social media compared to just 43% of people aged 65+.

•  Age is one of the few differentiating factors for the usage of social networking sites, where usage is less dependent on gender, education, income or other forms of social advantage.

•  The healthcare information that patients look for on social media and the internet varies. The most searched for terms relate to specific diseases, usually affecting the person in question or a relative.

•  Those seeking information are more likely to turn to conventional digital sources, while those in need of emotional support will be more drawn to social media platforms.

Source: Engaging patients through social media. Report by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.

But trust in social media for pharma is low

Does social media really drive brand objectives?

•  87% of respondents reported the need for help in measuring a return on investment (ROI) for their social media marketing.

•  Conversely, in the same survey 86% agreed that social media was important to their business.

•  One explanation that is often proffered is that a social media ROI cannot be measured directly in terms of absolute sales or even the number of “likes” but requires a more nuanced view of the benefit of customer interaction, including the quantity and quality of followers, the number of comments, likes and shares, the reach to targeted demographics, the sentiment of comments and buzz, and ultimately the change in brand perception. Source:  Engaging  paBents  through  social  media.  

Report  by  the  IMS  InsBtute  for  Healthcare  InformaBcs.    

Wikipedia is the leading social media site for conversion

to an Rx

•  Wikipedia is the leading single source of healthcare information for patients and healthcare professionals.

•  Visits to Wikipedia pages are higher for rarer diseases than for common diseases. •  Wikipedia is used throughout the entire patient journey, not just at the point of treatment initiation

or change in therapy. •  Correlation between Wikipedia use and medicine use can be identified for a large number of

disease areas. •  Younger people tend to investigate conditions and treatment options online before treatment is

started whereas patients of age 50+ tend to start their treatment first and then seek information online thereafter.

•  Content incorporated or changed at healthcare related Wikipedia pages is subject to constant change, often overseen by informal or formal working groups.

•  At least half of all healthcare related changes on assessed Wikipedia disease articles are changes to patient relevant information.

Source:  Engaging  paBents  through  social  media.  Report  by  the  IMS  InsBtute  for  Healthcare  InformaBcs.    

Top Wikipedia health articles (Last 12 months)

Qualitative Research Findings

Objective-Methodology

Objective: •  Find our why people are using social media for health and its impact on

healthcare treatment decisions.

Methodology: •  Quantitative/Qualitative research throughout the U.S. 2,013 (n=3255) with

online health seekers.

Key Findings

ü  Social media is becoming a bigger part of the journey to collect online health information.

ü  The use of social media for health is divided into two key areas; the search for information on current treatments and emotional/spiritual support for those with chronic conditions.

ü  Online health seekers are consuming the content on social media but a smaller percentage actually post on social media due to privacy concerns.

ü  Caregivers are also turning to social media for support. ü  While there is a sharing of information most users verify findings on

third part sites (low trust). ü  Some social media communities are very active in talking about new

treatments on the horizon (MS,Type-1 Diabetes, Cancer).

Social media is becoming a bigger part of the journey to collect online health

information. •  Consumers will visit a wide variety of health

sites to learn all they can about health conditions, treatments and quality of life issues.

•  How much time they spend is contingent upon where they are in the healthcare treatment model.

•  Women will spend more time than men gathering information but caregivers, both men & women, will get enough information to help them alleviate the stress of taking care of a loved one with a chronic condition.

•  Some people on social media can be considered “influencers” in that they spend a lot of time answering questions of others and directing them to online resources.

•  Patients use social media because they feel only “people like me” can provide valuable information.

The use of social media for health is divided into two key areas

•  The search for information on current treatments and emotional/spiritual support for those with chronic conditions.

•  The search for current treatments varies by health condition but key concerns are safety (quality of life) and cost.

•  Patients reaching out on social media are also looking for empathy as they feel that a lot of HCP’s really don’t address their concerns.

–  “I just want to be heard and assured that what I’m going through is part of the recovery process”.

–  “Doctors don’t listen, they seem indifferent to my needs as a person”.

•  More people will use social media for health but actually will only consume the information, not participate, because of privacy issues.

Recommendations

Biopharma Marketers

1.  Conduct qualitative research with your audience to learn their health informational needs.

2.  Listen to current social media conversations to learn what patients are talking about and publish high quality information on your website to address these needs.

3.  Wikipedia is a proven channel for converting patients to an Rx. Update the information through your KOL’s but be transparent.

4.  You can integrate patient communities into your website but make sure that users do not divulge any personal identifiable information.

5.  Start building capabilities now. Become an organizational influencer and explain how and why patients are using social media to make healthcare treatment choices.

“The conversations are happening. Don’t you want to be part of the quest for information ?”

About me…

•  Healthcare Digital Marketing Professional with 15 years of experience.

•  Author of World of DTC Marketing. Com •  Editorial Board PM 360 Magazine •  richardameyer@me.com