It’s hard to write a great corporate blog if you’re in the pharmaceutical industry. There is so much you can’t say… So much of what’s going on in the industry is, well, not very interesting to outsiders…. And – let’s be honest – the inside gossip in your company isn’t going to gain much traction either.
So how can you still provide material that is of true value to your audience? Here are three examples of excellence!
1. Roche uses a blog to help with its recruitment, regularly running profiles of some of its employees from around the world. They get to talk about their jobs, their personal background, and their experiences working at Roche.
Not only do potential employees get an idea of the wide range of jobs that are available, the employees talk about the aspects of working there that really matter to them – and most importantly, the company is given a human face (many, actually!).
Our only criticism: It could be updated more often!
2. Eli Lilly’s blog, LillyPad – available in US, EU, Canadian and Mexican editions – focuses mainly on healthcare policy, providing a serious look at legal initiatives and trends. For example, in recent month it has analysed healthcare spending, the impact of President Obama’s Alzheimer’s legislation, and the G8 summit on dementia.
What’s great about the LillyPad blog is that it both takes a position – so it’s provocative – and is written in a way that is completely approachable to the layman (the US site more than the EU site, whose style is heavier). Obviously, this does not appeal to everyone, but the company is showing that it is a thought-leader in the industry whilst making itself indispensable to those with an interest in healthcare issues.
At the same time, its blog has a section showcasing its charity work and activism in the third world – and another called ‘Life At Lilly’, which takes a closer look at developments, programmes and positions taken by the company itself.
The overall result is that Eli Lilly reinforces its brand as socially conscious and with a sense of global responsibility.
3. This one’s not just a blog but an entire website. Bayer has created a space for Multiple Sclerosis patients to get information about their illness, the diagnosis process and treatment, access other resources and get tips on how to live with MS.
A central part of the website is a monthly blog by an MS patient, giving a personal perspective on his daily challenges, feelings and thoughts – anything from how to travel with MS and how to interact with your physician to “How MS has made me a better person”.
Visitors to the blog get the chance to sign up to an email alerting them every time the blog is updated.
In this way, without at any point selling its drugs directly, Bayer has made itself a central part of the lives of its potential customers.
What’s your favourite pharma blog? Let us know in the comments!
Danny Bermant is Director of Brainstorm Digital
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