Why tracking HCP online conversations during medical congress matters — and how to do it right

When healthcare professionals (HCPs) gather at medical congresses, the conversation doesn’t stop in the auditorium — it explodes online. Social media becomes a powerful channel for sharing insights, debating data, and spotlighting standout sessions in real time. For example, at ADA 2024 we tracked almost 1,000 HCPs posting just under 3,000 times throughout the event. 

Daniel Ghinn, our CEO, recently interviewed Dr. Beg, a medical oncologist based in the US, about his use of social media at congress meetings. Dr. Beg explained that it is impossible to attend all sessions during a congress and social media provides some help with the access and consumption of information he might miss out on.

With such a high volume of HCP chatter, pharmaceutical companies cannot afford to miss out. Listening in reveals powerful insights. In this article I explore some key reasons clients work with us on specialised HCP social media listening over congress.

Track HCP Reaction to Data and Drug Approvals

One thing that gets HCPs talking at congress is the release of new data and the approval of new drugs. Whether it’s your data or your competitor’s, you’ll want to understand how it’s being received — and how it’s shaping the conversation. Tracking HCP conversations at congress can help you discover:

• How data is being discussed and disseminated and any misunderstandings.
• HCP questions or concerns you may need to address.
• HCPs who are amplifying your data.
• HCPs who are advocates or detractors towards your drug or data.

Spot and engage influential digital HCP voices

Is it important for you to understand which HCPs are having the most impact on their peers online over congress? Would you want to know what they are saying? Perhaps they are raising concerns about your data or they are advocating for your drug. Or maybe they are talking about an unmet need which you could help address. 

By understanding who is influential online during medical congress you can:

• Look for potential collaboration opportunities at future congresses.
• Find advocates for your drug and explore ways you can amplify their voice.
• Create specific engagement plans, for example via reps or by creating content you know key HCPs would be likely to appreciate and share.

Use insights to refine your future congress strategy

By understanding HCP responses to your and your competitors’ congress tactics, you can support the planning of initiatives for future events. Key questions you might want to discover include: In what ways can I improve engagement at congress, both online and in person? What did HCPs like or not like? What content can we create that HCPs really want to see and in what format are they most likely to share it? Do HCPs understand our messaging?

HCP social listening at congress can also give you an immediate sense of the impact of your work by discovering: How has HCP conversation shifted throughout the event? Is there an increase in positive sentiment towards your company, data or product? What is your share of the HCP voice compared to others?

Feed congress insights back into your post-event strategy

Insights from the online voice of HCPs during the congress can also help shape your engagement post-congress. By better understanding the needs, concerns and responses of your key HCP role types, you can plan how to better serve them. Identifying any hot topics being discussed can signpost you to ways to really serve your HCPs by creating content that matters to them. 

You can also see whether your messaging is being understood by your HCPs. For example, we supported a client to track HCP response to phase III data being released at congress. One discovery was the terminology they were using did not resonate with their HCPs. By understanding this they were able to improve their messaging and ensure it was received well at launch.

As you can see, tracking HCPs online at congress can provide powerful insights and learning. Would you like to learn more about how we can support you with in-depth HCP social media congress tracking? Then contact us to talk to the team. Or check out our top 8 resources on tracking HCP conversations over congress.