Tuesday, November 23, 2010

U.S. Consumers seeking medical advice from social websites

Last week, Accenture released a report indicating that "More Than Two-Thirds of U.S. Consumers Seek Medical Advice Via the Internet and Social Media." In the press release, they say:

The survey of more than 850 consumers suggests that pharmaceutical companies that are not fully leveraging multiple online channels are missing a real opportunity to address this captive audience.

It should be interesting to see how pharmaceutical companies react to this data. Perhaps they already realize that social media websites are underutilized in this modern age where many people spend more time virtually "living" in these social communities. People are spending so much time on websites like Facebook. You can play games there, you can build imaginary kingdoms, and you can stay connected with real people.

Perhaps this also points to opportunities for physicians and hospitals to reach these consumers on social media websites. Medical centers that have spent the time to develop social media policies and strategies seem to have found some effective and creative marketing strategies to reach patients who require medical services.

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