Creating change, some would argue, is the essence of marketing. And in the Health and Wellness category, the role of marketing in affecting change goes well beyond a discussion of product differentiation. Healthcare marketing codifies how outcomes can be affected. Efficacy belongs to products but outcomes belong to patients.

The goal of your RC team is not to put up insurmountable roadblocks to getting a social media program off the ground. Dealing with RC should not be akin to a root canal. Their goal is to help you. More importantly, their goal is to protect you.

First, because of regulatory restrictions, pharma brands generally don't provide much value on their pages or a reason to "like" them. But the second, bigger issue is that people simply don't want to declare public support for a medication.

To help you figure out the answer to this question, I put together a little checklist. This is most definitely not scientific but it should help you get started.

It is one thing to purchase software, and it is another thing to actually integrate that software into daily routines. Although it's nice to know how many doctors have an Electronic Health Record system, it is a lot nicer to know the number of doctors actually using the software in a meaningful way.

Right or wrong, "traditional" has become a dirty word in the Clinical Development world. But the reality is that traditional is not a dirty word. I n fact, TV audiences are growing! TV ratings for all major events (Olympics, Grammy's, NCAA Tournament, Super Bowl, etc.) are up significantly.

The most successful online health programs will show more than a pulse; they'll demonstrate endurance over months, and even years, evolving and engaging readers over time. This, too, can be measured.

What is a healthcare marketer to do to continue to compete effectively as we enter into a new era of smarter consumers who have come to expect quick access to healthcare?

What will it mean for our ability as marketers to reach and motivate people if, increasingly, they get their information and insights from their friends and not by trolling the web on their own?

It is impossible to eliminate risk when engaging in social media. But to ignore that it exists during the planning process is a treacherous path. Establish your risk quotient from the outset and lay out a plan for mitigating and dealing with that risk.