Pharma companies need to get over the mindset that social media is too difficult to do in the regulated industry, Gregg Fisher, founder and managing partner at healthcare engagement consultancy the Stem, told FiercePharma. The way he sees it, they should look to the airline industry, where companies like JetBlue respond to customer complaint Tweets within an average of 5.5 minutes.

“It’s a bit of hyperbole, … but the concept is the same. You have a social media manager who is actively monitoring public forums for complaints and seeking to address those complaints as quickly as possible,” Fisher said.

Some life sciences companies are on their way there. Fisher pointed to Medtronic, which is not one of his clients, as a good example of a quick, effective and responsive social media user--especially when it comes to its Facebook page. One reason? The medical device company has a social media community manager whose job is to monitor and respond to patient posts in real time.

Most pharma companies, though, still don’t have full- or even part-time social media managers, he said.

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