The Impact of Social Media on KOL Mapping
The rise of social media has drastically changed how the world communicates and consumes information. Within the last 5 to 10 years, multiple platforms have appeared from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, meaning that we now have access to a worldwide audience that once was never accessible.
One industry that is yet to fully embrace social media is the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry but with key opinion leaders (KOLs) becoming more present online, social media is beginning to have an impact on the KOL mapping process, as it can’t be ignored as a source of networking and engagement.
The Pros and Cons Of KOL Mapping On Social Media
Traditionally, Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in the healthcare sector have been mapped through conventional routes, which focus mainly on their academic achievements or medical involvements. By investigating what clinical trials they are involved in or their latest research, organisations can gain a better understanding of their influence and how this could work with their business strategy.
However, with the rise of social media and KOLs using these platforms more to engage with an audience and build their presence, does the healthcare industry need to pivot to these advances?
The Pros
The beauty of social media is it allows you to be able to map which organisations or individuals are connected to one another, essentially identifying who their network is and how impactful their reach is on the various platforms.
By using a technique called ‘Web Scraping’ you can begin to put together a complex ‘family tree’ of the different professionals and organisations that are all interlinked with each other. By doing this you can start to understand the different networks, how they exist within one another in an online setting and who is connected to who.
The Cons
As KOLs become more present on social media, legal and ethical questions can start to be raised as healthcare professionals have strict guidelines to follow. Although the guidelines are in place that help navigate this online world, sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten about when it comes to social media.
With its deep rooted traditional methods instilled in the institution, healthcare and pharma organisations typically rely on conferences for networking, creating conversations and delivering their research. However, it’s within smaller networks and private closed groups where we are beginning to see the shift in these conversations, which is ultimately found on social media platforms. An area that cannot be ignored by the industry for much longer.
Top Social Platforms Healthcare Professionals Use
With the constant development of technology, what may be the most popular platform today could be completely different in 5 years time. Arguably, the most used platforms for social media amongst healthcare and pharmaceutical professionals are:
Instagram
Twitter
Whatsapp
Back in 2019, we published a study which focused on how the aesthetics industry is using Instagram through social media analysis titled ‘Face Value: Instagram and The Aesthetics Industry.’ In this report, we investigated how Instagram has had an impact on the injectable aesthetics market, with particular focus on why brands and manufacturers need to be including this in their digital marketing strategy.
During our research, we found that practitioners and consumers used Instagram the most as a way to market to their target audience and for that audience to discover new procedures. Therefore, brands and manufacturers need to consider how the content posted on this platform promotes their brand and is influential in decision making. We can draw parallels between this and mapping KOLs through Instagram and other platforms, as KOLs become more present on social networks like Instagram, organisations can use this to reach their target audience.
Probably the most divisive platform in the social media world is Twitter, an outlet that allows the public to share their opinions in a rapidly changing arena of ‘hot’ topics. However, Twitter is a platform where engagement is key allowing KOLs to share their thoughts and interact with other professionals, academics, opinion leaders or even the public in ‘real time’, which can generate interest and even begin to trend.
We have seen a rise of professionals taking to Twitter to voice their opinions or concerns around the industry. For example Dr Rachel Clarke, who has over 186K followers is using her platform with a political standpoint (particularly around the COVID-19 pandemic), even releasing her own book.
Although WhatsApp isn’t a public social media platform like Instagram and Twitter, it does have its place within the healthcare industry. KOLs and ‘up and coming’ professionals use WhatsApp as a way of networking privately with their circle, where they will share ideas and receive feedback from their trusted peers. With end to end encryption in place, WhatsApp is a secure platform for discussion rather than promoting to a wider audience.
Future Platforms
As innovation continues and technology advances, there are new social platforms that appear which start to have an interesting effect on how we as a public communicate with one another. We can see this starting to happen with new platforms such as; Clubhouse and Stereo.
Social media creates opportunities for growth and discovery, it is a space where KOLs can share their work and create conversations with a wider audience, accessing other professionals, industry insiders or members of the public they wouldn’t have access to at a conference.
Shaping The Narrative on Social Media
Once you have identified and engaged with your KOLs, it’s important to think about the narrative and content that you will want your KOLs to post about to ensure this reflects the product / services and fits in with your organisation's brand.
As with any influencer marketing strategy, there will be contracts in place that shape how the narrative is told, the kind of content you would like to be posted and how frequently as well. Of course, this would be a partnership between you and your KOL to ensure all parties are comfortable and agree to the terms for their social use.
Measuring Impact & Influence Through Social Media
In our previous blog, How To Perform KOL Mapping, we touch upon ways to measure the impact your KOLs are having in a traditional sense, although it can be quite hard to get a true sense of the impact through these methods. However, social media offers clear data that is easily tracked from the number of comments, likes, shares, engagements and reaches a particular post generates.
When looking at a KOLs influence on social media, this can’t necessarily be judged by the number of followers they have. Although, when they have more followers that generally means they have a further reach, but it’s important to understand who those followers are and if the KOL is engaging with them regularly. A KOL may have over 100k followers but what is the credibility of those followers? Are they consumers or other healthcare professionals? If they are other professionals in the industry, it would be fair to say that they have a stronger KOL status.
It’s always important to keep in mind your business objectives and how the content that the KOLs are producing and promoting align with your organisation needs.
Final Thoughts
Social media is changing the way many industries communicate, including the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. Although there are certain specialisms that benefit more from the use of social platforms, such as the aesthetics sector, there is most certainly a rise of KOLs across all specialisms that are using social media as a way to elevate their voice and work thus increasing their influence in some form.
The way we network and engage online is a phenomenon that is here to stay and develop, as influential individuals make their way up the ladder, social media will become more prominent amongst healthcare professionals. Organisations and companies will need to embrace this way of working and build into their KOL mapping strategy and goals.
Find out more about our work in the healthcare industry by emailing us at hello@rare.consulting
