How to Leverage Facebook to Engage with doctors

In continuation of my last article on how to use social media platforms to engage with doctors.?To understand how to use Twitter to engage with doctors, please refer to this article - Click here

This week, I will focus on Facebook. Facebook is one of the oldest platforms in social media now; hence, a lot of doctors from different age groups are present on Facebook. The interesting part is that a lot of older doctors are still on Facebook, while newer doctors have moved to Instagram lately.?

But you would wonder why most Gen Zers have created their Facebook profiles?

Younger doctors who want mentoring sessions and advice from top KOLs or older doctors join Facebook groups. Incidentally, doctors also figured out that a lot of patients are present on Facebook and launched their Facebook pages to disseminate patient information. This also helps them to drive reviews for clinics and appointments. Interestingly for each specialty, you will come across more than 20 to 30 groups.

What is surprising is that some young doctors don't use their complete credentials to join Facebook. And while joining these close groups, they would share a copy of their ID card for approval.

Even when most graduate doctors start studying for the NEET for post graduation selection, they join Facebook and join specific closed groups to get their doubts solved.

In case any brand manager is looking to engage with doctors on Facebook, here are my suggestions:

1. Addressing Knowledge Gaps: As we know, most doctors are on Facebook to get doubts solved. Pharmaceutical companies may promote themselves as reliable sources of expertise and support in the medical community by sponsoring instructional content or running forums dedicated to answering doctors' questions.?
2. Targeted Advertising: As a brand manager, you have access to the KOL email addresses. Now upload this to Meta Business and identify KOLs on Facebook using those email ids using a custom audience. Now launch your campaign to engage that audience.?
3. Lookalike Audiences: Building on the foundation of identified KOLs in point number 2, marketers can use Facebook's lookalike audience tool to locate and target people who share similar qualities and interests.?

While there are many more opportunities to engage with doctors as a brand manager, what is important is what initiative you are going to launch. Just advertising your webinar or CTA on your online learning portal won't help. Your initiative needs to be focused and specific to help them in their practice.?

Here are a couple of initiatives a brand manager can launch. These should focus on helping doctors drive more patients to adherence programs.?

• Patient Counselling Programs: Pharmaceutical companies can collaborate with KOLs to offer patient counselling programmes that cover a variety of aspects of treatment, including diet, physiotherapy, and mental health. By assisting doctors in providing complete care to their patients, these programmes encourage patient loyalty and improve health outcomes.?
• Patient adherence programs: Encouraging patients to adhere to treatment regimens is critical for improving therapeutic outcomes. Marketers can help with adherence programmes that use technology, like WhatsApp chatbots or SMS reminders, to improve patient compliance and prescription adherence.?
• Mentoring session: Facilitating mentorship opportunities with recognised specialists allows doctors to broaden their knowledge and clinical skills. Pharmaceutical companies facilitate online mentoring sessions to help healthcare professionals develop in their field and deliver high-quality treatment to their patients. These sessions also help the specialist doctors get referrals from their peer groups.
• Facebook Live sessions: Hosting live sessions within closed Facebook groups enables doctors to interact with their peers while staying up to date on the latest advancements in their professions.
• Facebook messenger / Threads: This can be a peer - to - peer discussion group where multiple doctors can discuss and suggest to their members how to manage specific patients' disease therapy.?

Facebook provides numerous chances for pharmaceutical marketers to communicate with doctors and improve patient care. Marketers who use a strategic and patient-centric approach can develop meaningful relationships, create great health outcomes, and establish themselves as valuable partners in the medical community. Embracing Facebook's transformational potential allows pharmaceutical companies to set a roadmap for success in the dynamic field of healthcare marketing.