As I sat trying to decide what to write for my first “new” blog post it struck me that this in itself is a topic – the growing profusion of resources and issues in the digital space. I was further inspired to start with this topic by one of the myriad infographics that is doing the rounds online (http://bit.ly/mMoBWV). What would someone totally new to social media make of this (yes there are still people not using social media)? I suspect the response would be one of mild confusion and probably a degree of fear.
This response also sums up how many pharmaceutical companies react to social media. Given the additional complication of regulations for the industry this is understandable. However this is also a generalisation as there are teams within the industry doing some great work. So how come some people are managing to launch social media campaigns but others are still struggling with basic websites? There are numerous reasons including lack of experience and knowledge, insufficient senior management support as well as fear and confusion. Those that are forging ahead often face a frustrating uphill struggle to get their digital assets launched.
However the industry is slowly starting to embrace new digital technologies and the next few years promise to be very exciting with a great deal of change in this field. Leaving me with yet more dilemmas and choices around what to write about!
