Why you should follow HCPs on social media

4 reasons to monitor tweets, podcasts and more

Mar 28, 2023

With everything busy marketers and MSLs have to manage -- attending conferences, meeting KOLs, planning campaigns, scheduling ad boards (more on that in a minute) -- why bother with social media?

Today, we’ll share four reasons why you should follow HCPs on Twitter, YouTube and other platforms.

Let’s get to it.

1. Free insights

On social media, HCPs love to discuss exciting studies, treatment algorithms and more. Twitter polls can include 20+ replies from HCPs sharing their perspectives. Many of these replies represent insights.

As one medical director pointed out: "Social media gives you free insights. It's like having an extra MSL."

Dr. Ben Derman at UChicago Medicine with a popular Twitter poll (click to see replies):

Ben Derman @bdermanmd

Oh have I got a conundrum for #mmsm community. Young patient referred for second opinion. Treated with Len/dex for smoldering myeloma with no high risk cyto. Had reaction. VPd second line (no myeloma defining events). <PR after 6 cycles. What next?

2. Unbiased market research

With conventional market research, HCPs are paid to share their opinions. On Twitter, they share their opinions freely and openly.

An MSL shared: "We expected our PIs to tweet about our study, but we also saw posts from other HCPs unaffiliated with our company. HCPs were genuinely excited about our data in an unbiased way."

Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky at Valley Health System posted live video from ASCO:

Eleonora Teplinsky, MD @drteplinsky

Standing ovation 👏👏👏 for results of DESTINY-Breast04. This will change practice for 50% of patients with metastatic breast cancer. This is why we all went into this field. #bcsm #ASCO22

3. Virtual ad boards

Traditional ad boards have a start date and end date. In contrast, social media is a constant stream of information, one that ebbs and flows as new data is released.

An MSL director explained: "It's like a virtual ad board, but you don't know what the topics or questions are. With podcasts, you get the topics and comments all in one. Free guidance, with no payments."

Dr. Jack West at City of Hope and Dr. Vinay Prasad at UCSF enjoy a spirited discussion on ADAURA, KEYNOTE-189 and more:

4. Discover the unexpected

Social media can surprise us with an inspirational post or meme.

A VP medical affairs shared: "Amazing things can come from Twitter, but you can't plan for it and you don't know when it's going to come. You just have to be there."

Dr. Melisa Wong at UCSF with a heartfelt post:

Melisa Wong, MD, MAS @melisawongmd

My dad would have been 74 today. He’s the reason I’m a thoracic oncologist. Happy birthday daddy. #lcsm #gerionc (I’m the one in the giant glasses and not the frilly dress.)

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What we’re reading

Lex Fridman video, “Sam Altman: OpenAI CEO on GPT-4, ChatGPT and the future of AI,” March 25, 2023
PharmExec article, “A new era of influence: embracing the KOL-DOL dynamic in healthcare,” March 10, 2023
MAPS webinar, “How ChatGPT will disrupt Medical Affairs,” March 8, 2023
Sermo post, “Listen up! Social listening in healthcare,” February 23, 2023