Social Media

9 Golden Rules for Optimizing your Social Media Presence

November 28, 2011 By lgoodale Leave a Comment

Heather Stone, Interactive Producer, Palio

Online or offline, we’re perceived by our actions. Because social media has become just “part of how business gets done,” it is easy to forget to be mindful of how we interact with others. In many religions and cultures, there’s usually some variation of the golden rule – do unto others as you wish to have done to you. Applying this rule to your online communications can help optimize your social media presence and contribute to positive perception of your company and personal brand.

Treat others how you’d want to be treated – Good relationships are the cornerstone of a successful social media presence. That requires listening to the needs of your audience and communicating with them in a way that resonates. Want to increase customer loyalty? Remember it’s about them, not you.

Be welcoming – If someone likes you on Facebook or follows you on Twitter, they’re open to having a relationship. Get them at hello, whether that’s offering a promotion, inviting them to subscribe to your newsletter or simply acknowledging the relationship (caveat: no auto-reply, please).

Be responsive, caring and thoughtful – Displaying empathy towards your customers is a valuable competitive advantage. If they’re having a service issue, show you care by being proactive in communication and problem resolution. If they’re looking for information prior to making a buying decision, go beyond product-specific information to connect them with a like-minded community.

Ensure interactions add value – Remember that social media is about conversations – not just opportunities to name drop your company, product or service. If you’re using Facebook to post the same discount offer or website link multiple times, you’re going to turn off your audience. There’s no shortage of information out there, either. Keep content fresh and make every conversation count.

Embrace opposing viewpoints – You can learn a lot about your customers by listening – especially when they’re disagreeing with you. Rather than run away from or get caught up in the argument, keep communication transparent and deliver messages that speak respectfully to contrarian ideas.

Think before posting – Even the best community managers can get emotional. Snarky replies don’t do anyone any favors. Not pausing before you post can damage your career, reputation or company. Word things carefully, and if you need to, walk away for a few minutes before responding.

Sharpen your listening skills – Paying attention to what customers and competitors are saying provides valuable business intelligence. Empower and collaborate with your audience based on the things that are important to them.

Share and share alike – If you want engage people as brand ambassadors, provide information that is worthy of sharing and make it easy. Something as simple as “please retweet” can move a message.

Be authentic –Use your social media presence to let people know who you are and what you stand for by painting a picture across all your social networks. Take responsibility for your words and actions – even during difficult times.

Communication is a key to better relationships and long-term customer engagement. Follow the golden rule, respect and honor those you interact with and commit to listening and responding appropriately to optimize your social media presence.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Filed Under: Career, Creative, Industry Trends, Media, Social Media Tagged With: empathy, golden rule, Twitter

Forgoing Face Time? Get Tethered!

November 23, 2011 By lgoodale Leave a Comment

Todd LaRoche, EVP, Managing Director of Creative, Palio

There is no slow season in health care. Whether seeing patients in between personal and professional appointments or a spike in patient visits during cold and flu season, doctors are always busy. For sales reps, this results in a greater challenge getting face time with doctors.

Sales reps may not be used to communicating in a two-minute window, but doctors, nurses and office staff are conditioned to interact that way. Last year on Pixels and Pills, I wrote about being brief and getting to the point when communicating with doctors. That still holds true, but with more doctors tethered to their smartphones and iPads, we need to use technology to change how we communicate with doctors.

Give them what they want. Sales reps need to get better at tracking information related to each sales call, including the doctor’s contact information and preferred mode of communication, patient population needs and prescription-writing activity. With a compressed amount of time to detail new medicines and deliver marketing messages, it’s important to address those most relevant to each practice. Having better information, sales reps can then implement more doctor-centric strategies and design more relevant campaigns.

Get your high tech game on. It’s important to identify creative ways to convey information. For doctors who are digitally savvy and prefer electronic communication, an interactive iPad app or digital brochure can deliver value and foster stronger relationships – all while providing an efficient and more cost-effective means of communicating beyond the traditional face-to-face call. And, physicians can review information at a time that is convenient to them – not when they have an office full of patients.

Speak in sound bites. If you can convey information in a 140-character tweet, you can do it in the real world. But if you have mere minutes of a physician’s time – whether in the office or at a virtual event – a succinct presentation style can be a real differentiator.

Recognize that it’s all in the details. While overall sales and market penetration matter immensely to the organization’s bottom line, at the individual sales rep’s level there are other metrics worth tracking in this limited-face-time environment. Average amount of time spent discussing products with a physician, requests for additional information, volume of sample product distributed or prescription-writing activity are just three of many ways to track messaging effectiveness by proxy measures. Understanding how physicians want to receive and interact information can help you determine the best technology solutions to facilitate information exchange and meet their needs.

Technology is creating new and exciting opportunities for communication that enable us to take evolving communication preferences into account when providing new product information, clinical alerts or product updates. By incorporating communication technology, electronic promotional activity, and virtual events into our communication arsenal and demonstrating depth and breadth of product knowledge, sales reps can provide valuable interactions with doctors and achieve their objectives.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Filed Under: Account Services, Advertising, Brand Planning, Creative, Industry Trends, Medical Strategy, Social Media, Technology Tagged With: digital, Health Care, iPad, sale rep, Smartphone

Palio Tech Watch: 11/21/2011

November 21, 2011 By lgoodale Leave a Comment

Jon Fisher, Technology Manager, Palio

01. 23andme


Categories:	Home testing, genomic testing

What it is:	According to their site: “23andMe is a retail DNA testing service providing information and tools for consumers to learn about and explore their DNA. We utilize the Illumina OmniExpress Plus Research Use Only Chip which has been customized for use in all of our products and services by 23andMe. All of the laboratory testing for 23andMe is done in a CLIA-certified laboratory.”

Why it Matters:	We are at the dawn of personalized medicine. Up until now, testing and diagnostics have been in the hands of physicians. This is starting to change. With a growing geriatric population and sky-rocketing health care costs, there will be a trend in taking ownership of one’s healthcare. That, along with the coming trend of aging in place, proactively taking responsibility for one’s healthcare will not only take hold, it will become the norm. Look for encouragement from healthcare policymakers to take proactive steps not only in preventative care, but for long term disease management. And, very soon, the dialog will shift from “sick care” to “health maintenance.” The long view will shift will be from “healthcare” to “health lifestyle.”

02. Cure Together


Categories:	Social media, social medicine

What it is:	Disease state social media. According to mashable.com: CureTogether is not just for people with chronic illnesses; most people have medical issues, if only the occasional seasonal allergies. CureTogether helps you track symptoms, share information with others and, ideally, find treatment and cures.

Why it Matters:	This seems remarkably close to Patients Like Me, but the big difference seems to be built around sharing antidotal information around what works and what doesn’t, and allowing the community to share data that is aggregated into data visualizations that patients can review and form their own opinion about what’s working and what’s not. This is a further step toward participatory medicine. The important bit of information to note in these social disease state sites is that the conversation is moving further away from the doctor as being the sole source of healthcare and disease state information.

03. Withings WiFi Body Scale


Categories:	Medical devices, data visualization, personal healthcare

What it is:	A wi-fi body scale that graphs your weight, BMI, lean and fat mass so you can access it from your smartphone or web browser at any time. And, you can share your progress through your social media circles.

Why it Matters:	Again, what we are witnessing is a shift of passive avoidance in healthcare to a more proactive stance on the part of the patient. The bigger question for us in healthcare marketing will be how can we better align our clients to this mind set. Not viewing devices as a channel by which to deliver a message, but instead as a means by which our clients can become more active participants in affecting a positive change in patient’s lives. Shifting our clients from a product oriented mindset to a partnership mindset within our target audience’s healthcare lifestyle.

04. FitBit Tracker


Categories:	Medical devices, data visualization, personal healthcare

What it is:	According to the FitBit site: The Fitbit Tracker shows your real-time activity stats so you know how close you are to your goals. It’s with you every step of the day, motivating you to make small changes that add up to big results.

Why it Matters:	Are you starting to see a trend here? This is another device that allows patients to track various datapoints in their lives. Steps taken, hours slept, calories burned. What’s exciting about this device is that they have added a gaming level in the form of a flower. The more active and healthy you behave, the better the flower will grow. Another interesting bit they have added is the ability to name your device. The device will also asked to be “walked” or to engage in another activity. It brings to mind the Bandai’s Tamoguci products. But now instead of pressing a few buttons to take care a virtual pet, users will take proactive measures to take care of themselves.

05. Robotic Eye Surgery Currently in beta


Categories:	Robotics, assistive technologies, medical devices

What it is:	According to the website: Researcher Thijs Meenink at TU/e has developed a smart eye-surgery robot that allows eye surgeons to operate with increased ease and greater precision on the retina and the vitreous humor of the eye. The system also extends the effective period during which ophthalmologists can carry out these intricate procedures.

Why it Matters:	Okay, this is something that is definitely not for the “do-it-yourselfer.” Kidding aside, this is an important device to note because it amplifies the value of the technologies mentioned before in this article. Why? As the mundane part of medical care is taken over by patients, doctors will be able to more clearly focus on true healthcare, allowing them to be able to put their energies into doing what patients themselves can’t: expand the data, analyze the patient and make more effective diagnoses. They will be able to make use of far more advanced technologies that are beyond the reach of the patient. They will move from the role of “health monitors” and “mechanics” to highly specializes practitioners of the medical arts.

Happy exploring.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Filed Under: Advertising, Creative, Industry Trends, Social Media, Technology Tagged With: diabetes

How Can We Learn this Social Media Stuff?

November 11, 2011 By lgoodale Leave a Comment

Meleik Goodwill, Medical Director, Palio

Here’s something we get asked all the time: “How can we learn this social media stuff?”

This question comes everywhere – at family barbecues and school functions, hissed in work hallways and mumbled shamefacedly in the back of conferences.

What if you’re not 16? What if you’re not a nerd? What if you’re not growing up with this social media stuff in your blood? What if you don’t work with a bunch of tech geeks? What if you don’t even know where to begin?

What if you blew it off, thought it was a fad, but have seen the light and now honestly DO want to learn more about social media? Are you too late? Is there no hope for you?

Relax, question-askers of the world, and follow our quick and easy five-step plan to becoming a successful social media enthusiast.

Slideshare. This repository of Powerpoint presentations has more devoted to social media explanation than you can imagine. Go visit and search for “social media,” and you’ll be inundated with well-written, basic, informational presentations. I’m particularly fond of this one, salty langugage and all: “What the F*** Is Social Media?”
Mashable. Arguably the preeminent social media blog, Mashable is a fire hose of social media news. It will be a good source for you to learn a lot, if you

A. Accept that it’s going to overwhelm you with news, and therefore
B. Do not try to read all of it, and
C. Do not get frustrated when you don’t understand every article.

Social Media Examiner. Another team blog on social media, it’s a bit higher-level and definitely lower-volume than Mashable.
Google. It sounds obvious, but it’s one that people forget quite often. Anytime you see a social media term that you don’t understand, let me reassure you: at least half a dozen people have written blog posts defining it. RSS? Follow Friday? SEO? Hashtag? Just ask.
Ask. Whoever you are in life, at this point in time a safe bet is that most every person who reads this post knows someone who is well versed in social media. They got that way by finding it interesting, and as such, are going to enjoy talking about it. Never be afraid to ask. (This is also a great way to sort out the people who actually do know a lot from the people who just like to use popular buzzwords.)

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Filed Under: Advertising, Career, Medical Strategy, Social Media Tagged With: Google, RSS, YouTube

3 Simple Things Pharma Marketing Can Learn From The Consumer Space

November 7, 2011 By lgoodale Leave a Comment

Sean O’Donnell, Group Copy Supervisor, Palio

Consumer marketing may seem like the Wild West compared to pharma marketing which must live in the confines of regulatory requirements and an indecisive FDA when it comes to social media guidelines. Still, the two disciplines have much in common. Both require understanding the target audience and creating effective communications that address a consumer’s need or desire.

However, just because pharma marketing has more restraints doesn’t mean there aren’t lessons to be learned from the consumer space.

It’s about how you roll. People want to associate with a brand that resonates with their own values. And, they’re interested in more than having their current needs met; they want someone to help them envision something better.

Different brand personalities appeal to different audience segments, but if Apple has taught us anything, it’s that cool rules. They’ve successfully managed to tap into that persona by letting it shine in everything they do from developing cool products to providing super friendly customer service. They also never come out and say they’re a cool company – they let their brand ambassadors do that for them. They have an army of fans who genuinely love their products and use social media to share their experience.

People are doing more research. When it comes to shopping decisions, consumers are relying on the internet more than ever prior to making a purchase. The same is true for health care consumers. They’re researching physicians, treatment options, drug choices and networking with patients – often before they ever step foot into the doctor’s office.

Empowered patients are the new normal and they’re influencing sales and prescribing behavior. Use social media to provide credible and accessible information to support patient decisions, encourage brand advocacy and foster better communication with doctors.

Provide an experience. Getting a sale is only half the battle; building customer loyalty and repeat business is the other half. It’s no longer enough to just deliver a quality product. People want an outstanding customer experience and if they don’t get it from you, they’re going to look elsewhere.

That means getting employees to “live the brand.” At Starbucks, they’ve instilled a “Just Say Yes” company culture. They provided employees with a mantra – not a manual – to guide their actions. If a customer wants his caramel macchiato with skim milk, he’s going to get it.

For pharma marketers, it’s about taking time to listen to patients and practitioners to determine what they need and then exceed expectations with every interaction. Providing an experience also means staying in touch, whether that’s sending valuable information via an email newsletter or letting people know how to contact your company on Facebook, Twitter or the company website.

The consumer space has embraced the shift of the digital frontier from the Web to apps. Communication is changing; people want to feel like they’re part of the process and have achieved something. It’s shared, evolving and organic from the people around them.

Ultimately, marketers like it both ways: Everyone wants to talk about integration and being brilliant at the basics while at the same time touting the game-changing value of deep industry expertise. But if there’s value in such specific experience, there are also insights to be found by looking outside of your own industry for how other sectors grow their businesses. Go ahead – take a page from the consumer playbook!

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Filed Under: Advertising, Career, Creative, Industry Trends, Media, Social Media, Technology, Uncategorized Tagged With: Apple, consumer advertising

Are Your Social Media Eggs All In One Basket?

November 4, 2011 By lgoodale Leave a Comment

Andy Smith, EVP, General Manager, Director of Global Operations, Palio

The only constant is change, and that couldn’t be truer for how business gets done. Last year, on Pixels and Pills, I discussed the value of a multifaceted strategy. Reduced travel budgets, fewer in-person meetings and less spending on traditional media is giving way to the social media boon where marketers are increasingly replacing traditional marketing activities with social initiatives.

Social media is undoubtedly an increasingly important part of a coordinated and integrated marketing campaign, but participation should not forsake other marketing initiatives. Ignoring social media is as much a mistake as putting all your eggs into the social basket. The trick is to find the right blend that enables you to reach the buying audience across a multitude of traditional and social platforms.

While social media meets the goal of increased frequency of message, having a strategy that complements online activity with offline tactics allows you to share more details than allowed by a 140-character tweet or Facebook status. In addition to driving traffic to your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile and Twitter account, consider the following:

Get personal: eMarketer notes that 95 percent of Americans use email and 83 percent check it at least once per day. Email is a great conversation starter (or extender!) and makes it easy to present information without interruption. For pharmaceutical sales reps, in-person office calls are getting harder to secure. Inviting doctors to speak at dinner programs and other out-of-office gatherings provide educational value and remain popular to strengthen connections.

Show your stuff at industry conferences: Whether you speak or exhibit, the conference circuit is a great vehicle for connecting with customers and prospects to create deeper connections and put personality behind your brand. Participating in speaking opportunities can help establish credibility in your field, put you in front of a “warm” audience and get some recognition for your company.

Create a customized app: With more people toting iPads and other tablet devices, consider presentation apps to highlight new drug developments or treatment therapies. Combining the power of the written word with interactive, visually stimulating content enables you to deliver consistent and compliant messages while enabling the viewer to learn more at their own convenience.

Go beyond the name brands: Facebook, Twitter and Google+ aren’t the only places for online socializing. Brand sponsored communities, patient portals and other interest-specific groups can be useful to develop clinical trial awareness, find patients for enrollment or help people connect with others who share similar concerns. Also, many health care organizations serve to bring communities together, either by offering educational courses or networking events at their facilities. Use social media to raise awareness of these offline events to keep people informed and engaged with happenings at your organization.

There’s no denying the online and offline worlds are converging. To succeed, understand your business goals and create an integrated campaign with consistent messaging across all platforms.

Opportunities to build relationships, brand equity, and customer loyalty are everywhere. While social media may be the hottest thing since the dawn of the Internet age, an integrated, multifaceted strategy yields the best results.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: iPad

Expanding the Potential of e-Detailing

October 28, 2011 By lgoodale 1 Comment

Jon Fisher, Technology Manager, Palio

According to recent Manhattan Research findings, 38% of ePharma Physicians have seen sales reps with iPads or other tablets during face-to-face meetings – However the study suggests marketers are not leveraging these devices to their full potential.

- A new ePharma Physician® v11.0 study explores the evolving pharma service model and digital opportunities for marketers – Webinar August 11^th 11am ET

It’s not surprising that there are studies in the pharma industry pointing to a lukewarm reception rate among physicians who are being detailed from an iPad. The introduction of the iPad as a platform for e-detailing is no longer just about selling a drug. It’s about the doctor relating to the iPad itself as a world of interactivity and connectivity that can bring medicine to life. For many docs who do not own iPads, being detailed on this device could seem like a well orchestrated show on a beefed up e-reader, especially if the functionally of the e-detail application involves little more than squinting at oceans of tiny text, watching a basic gant chart’s graph rising and falling, or suffering through poorly composed footage of talking heads describing efficacy through a video player window. The question isn’t how much will it cost me to get a print detail aid reformatted for an iPad with some videos thrown in? The question should be how could my content be experienced in a fresh way on touchpad technology for full user engagement. The real time metrics collection, the CRM modules that plug into robust marketing software packages, even the ability to get an e-signature, will not come into play within the first critical 60 seconds the rep has to capture a physician’s attention with valuable information they can use.

Technology, like all successful physical product attributes, eventually becomes copied and commoditized. And while we might see significant gains from the initial excitement and buzz of the “wow effect,” it eventually wears off and what remains is the content and how it is experienced. So many companies cut and paste traditional media solutions into new media platforms creating “brochure-ware” that fails to take advantage of the technology. Unfortunately, what is happening is that print materials are being delivered in a digital medium. It takes more than adding a video to make something “digital.” The question isn’t “How much will it cost me to get a print detail aid reformatted for an iPad?” The question should be “How could my content be experienced in a fresh way on this new tool for user engagement?”

The iPad is not going away. It’s here to stay. Although its growth may have not taken off as initially anticipated within the health industry, as more reps and doctors understand the technology and its extensive ability to produce a dynamic learning environment with real time information – clickable charts, images, video and extensive interactive usability – we will see more and more companies in the marketplace competing to provide the best functionality in their e-detailing apps. When the technology is not being used to its full capability, it can be seen as being little more than an old school “push” selling tactic as opposed to fully exploiting the technology to bring the physician into the story of the brand. The iPad is more than an interactive e-reader or a seductive technology gimmick. It is a portable library that can connect instantly to new data and, if used as it was designed, it can become a synergistic connection that can truly create the multi-dimensional dynamic experience used not only for detailing but also for teaching and interacting with patients.

To hear more of Palio’s point of view on ways to better maximize this medium, view our SlideShare: Palio 360° solutions, The Seven Tips to IVA Development.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Filed Under: Advertising, Creative, Industry Trends, Media, Social Media, Technology Tagged With: iPad, Manhattan Research

Palio Tech Watch | 10.24.11

October 24, 2011 By lgoodale Leave a Comment

Marty Hardin, SVP Director of Emerging Media and Technology

01. Maker of cognitive training game seeks FDA approval


Categories:	Gaming, devices, FDA

What it is:	A video game that its manufacturer is claiming improves the deficits in attention and memory that are often associated with schizophrenia

Why it Matters:	This would blur the lines between medication, modalities, devices and what defines a “dose.” It’s also an important milestone in defining when and where the FDA will have authority in regulating claims made by products. It will also break new ground in dispensing. This is definitely “one to watch.”

02. Nanosensor detects toxic airborne chemicals, uses iPhone to alert authorities
Photo Credit: Dominic Hart/NASA

Categories:	Mobile devices, environmental analysis, AI technology

What it is:	A device that works in conjunction with a mobile device (an iPhone) to alert authorities in the event of detection of toxic chemicals.

Why it Matters:	Too often we limit our thinking to in regard to mobile devices. We often forget that mobile devices can work in tandem with specialized hardware to create accurate reporting that removes the element of human error by delivering hard data as opposed to anecdotal information. This means that adverse events, patient adherence and environmental factors could be accurately documented, taking the burden of proof off of our clients.

03. Amazon Brings “Cloud-Accelerated” Silk Browser To Kindle Fire


Categories:	Tablet technologies, distributed computation, cloud based technologies

What it is:	A technology that offloads some of the processing needed by web based applications and web services.

Why it Matters:	One of the inherent problems in tablet design is balancing processor power to battery life to physical space. What this technology does is share some of the processor load with the cloud based servers at Amazon. What this means is faster, more fluid performance with applications that are distributed via the web or specialized applications.The potential is to create applications that would enable realtime data visualization. Imagine being able to walk a physician through a non-linear 3D mechanism of action demonstration that shows the effect of a medication, on the molecular level, within the body. Or being able to aggregate live, flowing data from a data base in near-realtime. Suddenly, our walk-throughs have the potential to be truly interactive and engaging in ways that have been limited by tablet and mobile devices themselves.

04. Microsoft idea: Kinect body scans could estimate age, automate parental controls


Categories:	Kinect, biometrics, artificial intelligence (AI)

What it is:	A technology that by using physical dimensions can estimate age.

Why it Matters:	Biometric devices have been around for awhile. Eye scans are used by airports to grant people access to secure areas. What’s different about this is that it is already sitting in millions of homes around the world. And, while the theory is accurate, there will never be a way to be 100% accurate without input from the user. However, behaviors coupled with input data from the user can be harvested to create a profile that’s pretty close.Imagine being able to have preliminary data captured through your gaming device. Normal stats-blood pressure, pulse, weight, height, etc., could be harvested. A connection could be made to your doctor’s office and basic triage information could be sent in advance of an appointment, and waiting when you arrive. Rudimentary diagnostics could already be calculated and a treatment algorithm could be suggested to the physician. This could mean more time for the doctor to engage with the patient and could lead to a potentially better diagnosis. Building our clients products into the algorithm could help insure more accurate prescribing information and potentially reduced adverse events (AE’s).

05. Movenbank: The world’s first cardless bank launches in Alpha


Categories:	Mobile banking, Near field communication, gamification, finance, commerce

What it is:	The first bank to launch without plastic, but to launch using game psychology and social media strategies.

Why it Matters:	It matters on several levels.First: This is the first financial institution the will be totally banking (pun intended) on the adoption of near field technology for financial transactions. Paying by cell has been around in Europe and Asia for a while, but this will enable pay by device transactions. While the supporting infrastructure (NFC readers, NFC ready retail establishments) is not apparent yet, it is inevitable given the cost savings for financial institutions.Second: Gamification as applied to financial transactions to prompt people to save, give to charity and pay off bills is exciting. Using game psychology to reward positive behavior to affect financial responsibility is a great thing.Third: Using social media to align and compare spending profiles and types could yield unexpected results. While comparing and striving for better financial ratings among your peers, there could also be potentially negative results. From being disqualified for potential jobs, to being shut down socially because you can’t handle your money-this is potentially the future standard by which you will be judged.Pharma could take several cues from this application:1. Using NFC for couponing, distribution of patent education materials and tracking patient behaviors could quickly streamline how materias and information are distributed, tracked and transactions are recorded.2. Using game psychology to make patient and physician education fun or to make compliance interesting could yield huge benefits to patient health. Making mechanism of action into a game could help doctors quickly grasp the pharmacokinetics impact of a compound within the body-while having fun. 3. Leveraging social media to help the patient and physician community to better achieve adherence, safety while avoiding potentially harmful adverse events is a very good thing.

Happy exploring!

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Filed Under: Advertising, Creative, Industry Trends, Research, Social Media, Technology Tagged With: eye scan

Digital Pharma East Recap: Day 1

October 20, 2011 By lgoodale Leave a Comment

Mike Smith, Digital Strategist, Palio

Tuesday morning of the 5th annual Digital Pharma East (#digpharm) in Philadelphia made lively with over 600 of the best and brightest in the industry.

First, Shwen Gwee and Marc Monseau gave a state of healthcare and digital marketing address, reminding everyone to:

Integrate programs across channels
Know the potential ROI of programs
Always engage customers!
Develop your own guidance instead of waiting for the FDA’s
Reach healthcare professionals
Go mobile

Chad Ballentine of Takeda explained how CRM is the backbone of their multi-channel marketing for proton-pump inhibitor Dexilant. Marketers are all having to do more with less, and Dexilant has made that work by integrating data on all digital customer interactions on their website and social channels. In the tricky OTC market, building, maintaining and utilizing a strong database matters, and they’ve done it.

Todd Kolm of Pfizer used examples like mytimetoquit.com for Chantix and Sharecare for Lyrica to demonstrate ways how to understand the consumer’s path through information, and how to use that knowledge to customize the experience accordingly.

Digitas Health’s Matt McNally spoke on how to get a new marketing mindset. His five benchmarks:

You no longer need to feel threatened by technology.
You see your customers as people you can help.
You look for ways to share information.
You put a priority on becoming more responsive.
You understand in the ability to adapt quickly.

Groups who are already there, he said, included the above-mentioned Chantix’s My Time to Quit, as well as the “Pick Your Nose” campaign for Flumist, along with Arimidex for breast cancer and Group Loop for teens with cancer.

All that before lunch on the first day! You can tell why I was excited to stick around.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Filed Under: Advertising, Industry Trends, Social Media, Technology

Are You Minding your (Online) Manners?

October 19, 2011 By lgoodale Leave a Comment

Todd LaRoche, EVP, Managing Director of Creative, Palio

Social media delivers search-engine traffic – one reason why carefully managing social interactions is so important. Last year, I wrote about how offline social etiquette could be a key differentiator that delivers a competitive advantage. But, while you may think only crime busters and criminals compile dossiers on people of interest, our digital footprint says a lot about our character. And, as author Thomas Paine has said, character is much easier kept than recovered.

If you say something smart and thought-provoking, people may listen – but they’re also deciding if they like you, if your morals and values are reflective of their own and if you’re someone they’d want to partner with in business. Knowledge and expertise often trump personality, but with heavy competition and open sharing of ideas, it’s your people skills that can make or break your social media success. Proper business etiquette, even on informal social networks, can be a key differentiator that delivers a competitive advantage.

Being mindful of offline social skills can protect your personal and professional brand:

Avoid going in gangbusters. Whether you’re joining a discussion group on LinkedIn or following your prospects on Twitter, take the time to listen in on the conversation before participating. While it’s OK to highlight your knowledge, blatant promotion is considered taboo.

Stay on topic and promote sharing. To communicate effectively, know your audience’s interests and provide information of value. As you get to know your followers, be sure to respond to their comments and acknowledge their contributions. And if you read a great blog post, either leave a comment or pass it along using StumbleUpon, Delicious or via a shout out on Twitter.

Make it easy for people to learn who you are and what you do. Your “about us” section or profile is a marketing vehicle — communicate who you are interested in connecting with and the values that you hold. Make sure you include a picture to put a face to your name and personalize the relationship.

Forget about your number of followers. You’re never going to appeal to everyone. Rather than putting too much emphasis on the number of followers or friends you have, concentrate on interacting with your key audience. They’re the ones more likely to deliver the business results you want.

Confrontations can be catastrophic. What happens online stays online. That’s why it’s important to consider your actions and make sure all participation paints you in the most positive light. It is fine to address negative feedback, but being respectful is critical. When monitoring your own community or reputation, have a strategy for how you’ll respond – or not respond – to negative feedback.

KISS. Keep it simple, socializers. Channel your internal editor and avoid posting overly personal or mundane information. Some personal details adds dimension to your online persona, but constant griping or repeatedly sharing that you had the best chai latte may cause you to lose followers or irritate those that stick around.

Transparency is essential. Companies that demonstrate transparent communication are seen as credible, trustworthy and are more likely to build more meaningful relationships. Be upfront about your connection to your organization when participating on social platforms, create authentic messages, follow industry guidelines and be sure to get the tone right when communicating with others.

People interact with people, not companies. It’s prudent to define your corporate positioning and brand image, but don’t forsake the importance of being personable. Be friendly and show the human side of your company.

Online relationships can translate to real world success. Following social etiquette rules, regardless whether you operate online or office, will create better relationships and strengthen your reputation.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Filed Under: Advertising, Career, Creative, Industry Trends, Lifestyles, Social Media Tagged With: etiquette, social media, StumbleUpon, Thomas Paine

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