By Luke Wilson 
With the number of healthcare professionals (HCPs) joining social media growing every year, and more of the conversations on these channels being health related, there is a huge opportunity for healthcare companies to discover what really matters to them by analysing this online conversation.
At CREATION.co, when scoping out an HCP Insights study, we always start with identifying the key business challenges and opportunities. From there, we query our online database of verified HCPs to help inform practical next steps and ultimately create meaningful change.
Some years ago we created a list of the top 30 questions that we are asked to answer when we run a study for a client. It has been a useful resource to those exploring this type of business intelligence for the first time and those more experienced in this area. We have taken a fresh look at these questions to create a new and updated list for 2020.
If you would like answers to any of the questions below, please do get in touch.
MARKET RESEARCH
- What are the unmet needs of HCPs in my therapy area?
- What questions do HCPs have about my product?
- Is any misinformation being shared relating to my therapy area or product?
- What are the key concerns of each of my HCP customer roles?
- How are HCPs responding to my latest campaign?
- What effect is my congress activity having on the online conversation?
- How have HCP views around products changed over time, and what caused this?
- What are the conversation drivers in the HCP conversation?
- Is there a lack of education in any discussion around my product which I need to provide information on?
- How does my product fit in the treatment pathway?
DIGITAL BEHAVIOURS
- What terminology are HCPs using? How can we connect with HCPs using the most relevant language?
- Do each of my customer roles (doctors, nurses, pharmacists etc.) behave differently online and how?
- Which channels are each of my HCP customer roles using?
- What type of resources or online sources are HCPs sharing?
- How do HCP behaviours differ from country to country?
- How are HCPs engaging at congress?
- Which kinds of pharmaceutical campaigns do HCPs engage with most actively?
- How are HCPs responding to changing policies, data releases and studies around my product and competitor products?
COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE
- How is the launch of a competitive product perceived by HCPs online?
- Are known HCP advocates of my brand showing an interest in competitor or comparative products?
- How are HCPs responding to competitor tactics, both digital and offline?
- Why do HCPs prefer my competitor’s products?
- What concerns do HCPs have about products in my therapy area?
- Which of my competitors’ digital tactics are resonating with HCPs?
DIGITAL OPINION LEADER PROFILING
- Who are the digital opinion leaders (DOLs) in my therapy area?
- Which DOLs are advocates of my brand and why?
- What is the network of influence of my DOLs and which HCP roles are they connected with?
- What, or who, influences DOLs’ attitudes towards treatments?
- How influential are my DOLs, what are their online and offline activities?
- Are my Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) also DOLs?
Get in touch with us now, to find out how CREATION.co can change your understanding of HCPs online
This article was first published in 2016 and has been updated to include the top 30 questions pharmaceutical companies are using HCP social media research to answer in 2020.
