Podcast: Overcoming Barriers to Pharma's Engagement in Social Networks
An ePharma Pioneer Club roundtable discussion on what it's going to take to enable pharmaceutical marketers to engage in social networks without fear of adverse event reporting and other regulatory, corporate, and cultural roadblocks. Podcast available to ePharma Pioneer Club members beginning 12-APR-2009 via Facebook.

Pharma Marketing Network's ePharma Pioneer Club™ is an EXCLUSIVE, members-only Facebook Group through which pharmaceutical eMarketing experts "meet" to discuss and exchange views on how to advance the use of the Internet and other technologies in pharmaceutical marketing, sales, and communications.

The Club's "badge" is shown on the left. It is meant to depict the situation ePharma Pioneers generally have found themselves in for many years -- a hardy band of people sharing the same goal, but still wandering in the wilderness. The bleak, gray landscape represents the paucity of resources the pharmaceutical industry has devoted to Internet marketing and communications com-pared to other industries. ePharma Pioneers are looking for the ePromised land of greener pharma marketing pastures.

In the old days -- the 1990s, not the 1820s -- the Internet was often referred to as the Wild Wild West. Modern day ePharma Pioneers, like the pioneers who settled in the American West, persisted in their quest despite hardships. The original pioneers faced tremendous hardships and some never made it. ePharma Pioneers also have faced hardships. They have been laid off, outsourced, and marginalized within the pharmaceutical indus-try or have been rewarded with nothing more than a mere sliver of the pharma marketing pie.

This is not to say that ePharma Pioneers are unsuccessful in their careers. On the contrary, most if not all the members of the Club are highly successful individuals who have founded their own digital businesses or are executives in larger corporations. It takes more than luck to survive in pharma these days -- you must be a profit center for the company as well.

ePharma Pioneers, however, are likely to see the glass half-empty because they believe that despite all their successes, it's been a difficult trek and they still are faced with tremendous obstacles. They believe fervently that with more resources they could do much more to make pharma health communications more effective and more useful.

The most pressing goal of ePhanma Pioneers, whether or not they are members of a club, is to convince pharmaceutical marketers to increase the share of "e" in the marketing mix. We need a new strategy to accomplish this, because the old "golly, it's just great" strategy hasn't worked.

There are four simple criteria for being a member of the ePharma Pioneer Club:

1. A passion to engage, educate, and entertain through digital media,
2. Long-standing involvement in the field of pharmaceutical e-Marketing or e-Communication,
3. Specific experience developing or using innovative digital media, and
4. A need to help pharmaceutical marketers achieve success in the "e" realm.

Every member of the ePharma Pioneer Club should satisfy one or more of these criteria or demonstrate a willingness to take them on as goals.

Want to Join the Club?
The first rule of ePharma Pioneer Club is: prove it! Why do you think you are an ePharma Pioneer? Use this online form to tell us your story.

For more information about the Club, download this article:
http://www.news.pharma-mkting.com/pmn81-article02.pdf