Test-Tube Tweets: How Twitter is Impacting the Healthcare Industries
Posted December 26th, 2012
Twitter may have nearly 250 million users, but until very recently, not many of them represented the healthcare or biotech industries. Between the threat of litigation, patient privacy issues, regulatory demands and competitive concerns, very few healthcare professionals were willing to take the risk of being active on Twitter. As the medium has grown and the upside of tweeting has emerged, however, healthcare and related industries are finally finding their place in the Twitter universe.
@IAmBiotech is a place where biotech professionals and enthusiasts can come together and discuss the promise of biotech. The feed boasts nearly 50,000 followers, who mark their posts with the hashtag #Biotech. There’s also The Healthcare Hashtag Project, which helps Twitter users find the most popular healthcare discussions. Topics range from healthcare communications and social media (#hcsm) to health information technology (#HealthIT) to healthcare reform (#hcr and #opnhealth). Participants and followers in these discussions include respected researchers, innovative company CEOs and key industry policymakers.
So just what can be done with 140 words or less, especially when the subject matter is often so complex? As it turns out, the answer is plenty – and here is just a sampling:
- Enhance Professional Standing – With careful and deliberate tweeting over time, users can establish themselves as authorities in their health-related fields. Followers will recommend them to others, and “retweets” (repostings from a Twitter feed) of ideas that capture an audience’s fancy will add to users’ professional reach.
- Attract Investors – Companies that create and maintain a steady Twitter presence attract not only other professionals, but financial backers as well. Insightful commentary on health industry news, as well as hints about new products or research success, should garner the right type of attention.
- Aggregate Expert Viewpoints – How do you gather the opinions of multiple industry heavyweights instantly? Just tweet on a provocative topic, and watch the comments come flying in. What used to take days of calls, emails and research has turned into a rapid cycle of news that is quickly given context and independent commentary.
- Find Employment Opportunities – Scientists and venture capitalists aren’t the only ones tweeting about or following the healthcare industries. So are recruiters who specialize in scientific staffing – and they are always on the lookout for top talent.
As BioBeat blogger Luke Timmeran puts it, “Without being on Twitter, you basically would have no idea what people are saying in real-time about your company, your competitors, your partners, and trends in your industry. Richard Pops, CEO of biotech firm Alkermes and an early adopter of Twitter, agrees, acknowledging that Twitter is a new frontier, and that “someone has to lead”.
If you’re looking for someone who can lead your organization into fully utilizing technology to find the best candidates for your biotech, healthcare, clinical or pharmaceutical employment opportunities, talk to the scientific staffing experts at Bayside Solutions. From innovative social media efforts to more traditional mediums, we can help your company consistently attract top-notch professional talent. Contact us today!
