Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

Introduction
Social networking continues to transform the future of Life Sciences.
Traditional channels in which employees interact and engage with each other, clients and partners have forever changed. Due to todays social climate, each customer-facing employee must act as an independent representative of the company by expanding professional networks and continuously engaging in the online Life Sciences community. A recent poll shows that nearly everyone is listening in, as 1 out of every 5 minutes spent online is devoted to social networking sites. This industry shift revolutionizes commercial interactions. Face-to-face connections are no longer the driving force behind delivering a companys core message. Healthcare professionals (HCPs), key decision makers and patients are now employing their social expertise to gain in-depth knowledge as a direct result of trusted social media sites. Further, according to a recent study, companies who interact via social media saw a 56% increase in customer connection and satisfaction. The expert knowledge once held only by sales representatives now exists in an open information community that requires a companys constant upkeep to maintain consistent messaging and gain new relationships. The same industry shift that educates stakeholders and customers is also optimizing sales intelligence as well as providing representatives with the critical tools to deepen their connections with key decision makers. And the survey shows that sales representatives who implement social media strategies derive enhanced reach of prospects, increased productivity, more meaningful relationships, and most importantly, an increased market share for their company. Further, mindsets must respectively change. Being a productive member of an online community is not about pushing the hard sell. Through LinkedIn, Twitter and the use the new age of online etiquette, Cegedim Relationship Management can grow its social presence through robust idea-sharing while also growing its market share. The Life Sciences industry can drive game-changing benets from the current social sales and marketing initiatives and guidelines that are dynamically shaping the ways in which companies connect with customers and stakeholders. In the following analysis, Cegedim Relationship Management highlights best practices in driving holistic benets from social media strategies by specically leveraging LinkedIn and Twitter in order to achieve breakthrough social sales and marketing techniques.

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

Socializing and the Life Sciences:

A Vital Trend and Tool
Social media is the new community and business center. Both targets and customers gather at interactive forums to build their personal and professional relationships. And due to the intuitive design of todays trusted social sites, the pursuit is fun and compelling. Therefore, the successful deployment of sales and marketing initiatives is dependent on companies occupying the space where people enjoy meeting. Social network focus continues to rise as this year saw a 35% increase in social media usage in every corner of the world. Furthermore, social networking is the single most popular online activity worldwide. These trends assert that virtual communities transcend boundaries and, as a result, are redening business models throughout every industry. Cegedim Relationship Managements leadership position in pharma-specific CRM, data and compliance solutions allows for initiatives to collectively contribute to the advancement of the Life Sciences and a broad range of societal issues. In todays evolving market, one of Cegedims pivotal objectives is to enable employees to independently share the companys highvalue innovation and industry-proven expertise throughout the virtual world. Cegedim aims to empower each commercial representative and key account manager with the tools to foster innovative public dialogue on the future of business and technology. By initiating in-depth discourse through robust social networking campaigns, Cegedim can further develop its human-centered approach throughout the Life Science industry. This industry analysis represents a call to action for each of Cegedims customer-facing employees to commit to the suite of social networking resources in order to advance our industry and the interests of our customers. Together, we can also drastically increase brand awareness and shape perceptions by driving dynamic discussions via social networking. And through this increased engagement with pharma, biotech and medical device stakeholders, Cegedim can collectively build stronger relationships and provide industry contributions through simple, user-friendly and costeffective online models.

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

LinkedIn, Life Sciences and You

As the 4th largest global social network and 2nd fastest growing site in regards to audience size, LinkedIn represents Cegedims primary focus of expansion in social media channels. LinkedIn is a native forum for pharma, biotech and medical device companies with almost 3 million users within the medical eld. The innovative professional network enables Cegedim to specically reach prospects, customers and potential new employees. LinkedIn reects the human structure of each company. In the recent past, commercial teams would have had to rie through old emails and contact lists just to discover the tip of the iceberg of a companys employee network. Today, Life Sciences professionals at all levels of the business structure volunteer their corporate information easing the administrative burden of connecting with good targets. As a tool already ingrained in medical and pharmaceutical elds, LinkedIn allows users to rapidly gain diverse benets. By enabling users to quickly expand targets and business network connections, promoting unique job opportunities in-network and reducing companies overall marketing and sales cost, LinkedIn delivers key advantages to Life Sciences personnel and organizations.

Cegedim Relationship Management must collectively leverage these benets at the individual employee level in order to derive the greatest value from social networking resources. Yet, orchestrating an effective social media campaign requires wholesale changes to commercial strategies, communications and marketing etiquette.

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

LinkedIn Best Practices and How You Can Achieve Them:

Leveraging Sales Intelligence Following Cegedim Relationship Management

Leveraging the LinkedIn professional network promotes seamless alignment between you and your targets without making a single cold-call. Instead of searching through a list of old leads to deliver a general sales pitch, you can easily generate leads by identifying key decision makers across targeted companies and deliver tailored proposals that speak to their exact business needs. In combination with the integrated suite of available tools to analyze prospects, you can anticipate which companies are farthest along in the solution purchasing process. And by developing your eye for spotting companies in the position to buy and consistently recognizing that pattern, you can directly optimize commercial productivity. Join us! Following Cegedim Relationship Managements own group instantly puts you in direct contact with a network of the most relevant Life Sciences professionals and executives. Our group is the perfect launching point whether you need to initiate, develop or increase your desired customer network. Explore the range of groups available to grow your business connections. Examine customer groups, from alumni and corporate associations, to networking and general interest groups. Join groups that you would anticipate your target audience to follow. Put yourself in their shoes. Which products, services, organizations and topics would a prospective target nd interesting and useful to their distinct business model? In order to achieve a more holistic understanding of your customers, investigate which groups your key contacts or key inuencers are following in the buying process, and monitor their commentary. Leverage group following in order to better understand your customers extended networks and how they inuence their purchasing decisions.

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

LinkedIn Best Practices and How You Can Achieve Them:

Share and Like Updates Within Your Target Networks

Make yourself stand out. Establish a dynamic professional personality. Engage clients and peers by initiating thought-provoking discussions that focus on a unique niche of the pharmaceutical or biotech industry. Aim to consistently deliver expert discourse and support valid idea-sharing within your selected target groups. Trigger reactions from current and prospective clients by delivering messages that focus on key solution benets rather than driving a one-sided sales pitch. Give yourself a posting schedule and try to stick with it. For example, twice a week post articles on best practices and current industry trends in technology, products or compliance. Share a variety of media including videos, infographics and reports. Supply each post with insights that spur lasting conversation within your respective groups. Consistently reciprocate with others by liking wall posts, helping to drive their own conversations and offering your own unique insights. Keep an eye on what your colleagues, with access to the same key contacts, have already posted. Try to always offer new insights rather than recycling old information in order to keep customers engaged and not bored, or even annoyed, from repeated messages. Spread the word about Cegedim Relationship Management by Sharing, Liking or Commenting on company updates. For instance, the company posts updates on

all new press releases and press coverage. When a new Cegedim Relationship Management update appears on your LinkedIn page, click Share to disseminate it to your own network, Comment to insert your perspective on the topic, or Like as an indication to your network that its worth reading.

Actively Participating and Driving Key Groups

Proactively visit your key groups and keep your commentary fresh and innovative to demonstrate your commitment to these target groups. Examine how and who is driving the conversation in each group. Usually, attractive posts consist of a call to action, system inefciencies or revolutionary best practices. Find the pulse of each group and tailor your posts accordingly. Always follow up with your discussions. Engage your connections after they respond to your initial posting with additional commentary and insights. Consider sending InMail to develop a stronger relationship with interested parties. And when actively participating in groups, remain conscientious and sensitive to the idea-sharing community by not selling our solutions. Be very selective as to where you post discussions versus promotions. Use your social position to educate customers with Cegedims legacy of Life Sciences-specic solution innovation. As a result of becoming a more active and thoughtful group member, you will provide social opportunities that enable you to maximize your time and effectiveness with customers while expanding to your business connection network.

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

Twitter: Create Your Own Life Sciences News Pulse

Life Sciences industry was one of the rst to leverage the benets of the micro-blogging tool, Twitter. When used properly, Twitter quickly generates company interest and succinctly communicates a companys key messaging initiatives. Yet, it is very easy to overload target groups with information due to the current multitude of organizations vying for the attention of their followers with low quality message tactics. Twitter best practices rely on high frequency customer engagement and well-planned, thoughtful campaigns. Instead of bombarding followers with recycled advertising, give them an opportunity to comment on the current state of the Life Sciences and establish yourself as a go-to source for real time updates on products, trends and strategies that are specically tailored to your Twitter followers.

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

Twitter Best Practices:

Twitter Targeting
Once you are established, make every tweet count. As many users currently misunderstand, Twitter is not a gloried advertisement board but a forum to discuss and promote industry trends and innovations. In order to keep followers in tune with your message, provide insights that help you gain traction and keep followers coming back. Include newly developing industry events and projects; key gures from pivotal reports and surveys; and discussion topics that create an instantaneous and memorable reaction.

Leadership Tweeting
Strive to transcend sales and marketing based tweets. Appeal to the broader scope of the Life Sciences and the advancement of global health. Stay focused but increase follower interest by not only sharing your companys objectives but also expressing hopes for a better future of an industry, a business model or an economy.

Stop, Look and Listen

Join us! A common mistake of many novice Twitter users is to produce an information ood in order to gain as many followers as possible and then glean any resultant leads. Stop yourself. A majority of Twitter activity should be devoted to paying close attention to followers and groups. For every post, pose questions that directly address your followers in order to broaden market knowledge and also show them that you are listening. As with many professional social resources, making relationships mutual is everything. Although it is time consuming to listen to all followers and target groups, many industries have developed successful and continuous leads by keeping their ear to the ground of social networks.

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

The New Age of Etiquette: Online Grace and Guidelines

Whether advancing your network of business connections or acquiring new followers, successful Twitter and LinkedIn users persistently observe the following online etiquette, operation and style guidelines: Be genuine, be honest and always be yourself Attempt to correct disinformation in discussions Be proud of your participation and your role Seek opportunities to help followers and connections Select an appropriate, relevant username Include a professional prole photo When adding new target contacts on LinkedIn that you have not met, make sure to ask for an introduction Use security features to control the visibility of posts and tweets Be aware of security concerns, i.e posting your location Manage your online reputation by being polite Tweet, post or participate in discussions frequently Pace and schedule your posts and tweets Share useful and pertinent content with your network Follow prospects or join relevant groups Share diverse media videos, infographics, reports, etc. Always reply to comments or tweets promptly Engage customers in a conversation: ask questions! Retweet others and give credit Personalize your retweets Thank people who tweet you and reciprocate when there is an opportunity

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

The New Age of Etiquette: Online Grace and Guidelines

Social Media is a vital tool but it is not intended for the following:
Substitution for a communications strategy Success without the assistance of senior buy-in Shortening the length of a project Producing meaningful, measurable results quickly Acting as a reputation quick-x Guaranteeing sales or inuence

Many go without saying, but here is a guideline of exactly what not to do on either Twitter or LinkedIn:
Blatantly advertise on Social Media SPAM your audience Keep repeating the same content Share inappropriate photos or pictures Post offensive or controversial material or comments Post personal information that may compromise your security Disclose condential material or prices over social media Rant about your customer Start a cyber war with your customers Expect immediate gratication. Social Media is not direct response marketing Do Nothing!

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

Conclusion:

The outlook of fully leveraging social networks is completely dependent on the participation of company employees who maintain direct contact with customers. The days of companies devoting only a handful of employees to maintain their social presence are a thing of past. LinkedIn empowers each representative to act as a microcosm of the sales and marketing department. By increasing connections, driving thought leadership and promoting the companys portfolio and events, users can effectively generate leads while developing their own personal spheres of inuence. The dynamic communication tool, Twitter, when well executed, enables customers and stakeholders to follow Cegedim Relationship Management as our innovations and market insights develop. It is also critical to maintain strict online etiquette and guidelines in order to develop long-term growth through social media resources.

The social identity of each company representative is the driving force behind maximizing brand awareness and market share in the transforming Life Sciences environment. Remember to interact frequently, effectively and professionally. Through in-depth participation and collective commitment in todays professional networking sites, Cegedim Relationship Management can drive continued innovation by leveraging the resource of social media.

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition

Creating Social Networking Best Practices:

A Collective Ambition
COMPANY WEBSITE crm.cegedim.com LINKEDIN linkedin.com/company/cegedim-relationship-management TWITTER twitter.com/CegedimRM YOUTUBE youtube.com/CegedimRM

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Cegedim Relationship Management 2012, Creating Social Networking Best Practices: A Collective Ambition