Tweeting Inside the Lines 5 Social Marketing Solutions for Regulated Industries By Hugh Kennedy, Partner, EVP Planning, Healthcare Practice Lead The natural conservatism of marketing in regulated industries – healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and financial services – can suck the life out of social media and dull its original intent—to promote direct interaction. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Social media in regulated industries can solve three unique problems. And some brands have caught on. They see that an early mover advantage is still out there for regulated industries, and they are creating thought-provoking content that elevates their brands but doesn’t land them on the wrong side of regulations. Find out how to join the social media party in a regulated industry from PJA Advertising + Marketing, named a 2013 top midsize agency by B2B Magazine. …and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Tweeting Inside the Lines:
5 Social Marketing Solutions for Regulated Industries

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Legal/Regulatory and
Marketing commonly go
at it over social media in
regulated industries.
Healthcare, financial services
and pharma continue to be
the last holdouts.

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In regulated
industries, every
Tweet often needs
Corporate and Legal
approval.
Even in straight-ahead BtoB
markets, Twitter sites can keep
banker’s hours.

4. 4
All this conservatism
can suck the life out
of social media and
dull its original
intent—to promote
direct interaction.
But the walls are starting to
come down even in regulated
industries.

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3 PROBLEMS SOCIAL MEDIA CAN SOLVE IN REGULATED INDUSTRIES
It can improve your image in a market where leaders
often look like the bad guys, even if they create and distribute
life-saving therapies
It can keep lines of communication open when there is
a shortage of new product introductions—often a chronic
problem in pharma and biotech markets
It can demonstrate transparency, an essential quality for any
brand’s success today—but one that regulated companies
never instinctively offer
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So what are Five Social Marketing
Solutions for regulated industries?

7. You can demonstrate
that your brand has a
consistent and important
role to play in the
community—without
triggering an extensive
legal review.
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Although Amex works in a highly regulated
industry, it has had a field day with Small
Business Saturday, a social media-driven effort
that generated $5.7 billion for independent
merchants on one Saturday in 2013.
Source: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-
business/shop-small/

8. You can free doctors to
tweet and blog and let
information-hungry
patients connect by
condition area—without
violating HIPAA laws.
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Mayo Clinic has generated more than 500,000
likes by acting as a social media connector,
despite the prevalence of privacy laws in
U.S. healthcare.
Source: http://www.facebook.com/mayoclinic

9. You can post thought-
provoking, educational
content that elevates your
brand and gets people
blogging about it.
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Bank of America recently partnered with
Khan Academy to provide educational online
content that didn’t require paragraphs of financial
investment disclaimers.
Source: http://www.bettermoneyhabits.com/

10. You can do primary
research on your
customers’ aspirations
without requiring them to
sign non-disclosure or
privacy agreements—
and use it to improve
their experience.
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By inviting women with breast cancer to share
their stories online and complete
surveys, Novartis Oncology can mine insights
about the treatment regimens and information
needs of its patients.
Source: http://www.pinterest.com/countus/

11. Social media is a great
place to highlight and
test out cause-based
marketing—no 510K
approval required.
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Medical device maker Boston Scientific
used social media to spread the word
about the global diabetes epidemic and promote
their support of its foundation.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXEwfUK6a1Q

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Early adopters have advantage in
any market. Social media may be
mainstream for non-regulated
companies, but first mover advantage
is still available
across regulated industries.
Don’t let regulations keep you from the party!

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