Using Altmetric’s data, pharmaceutical brands can see how these communities are using their research, what they’re saying about it and how that compares to competitor offerings. It’s at once a means to measure and maximize influence and a way to manage your reputation.

Practical benefits

By incorporating altmetrics with traditional analysis methods, medical affairs teams can improve their publication planning efforts with ease, ensuring that key scientific statements reach a diverse audience. Immediate insights into the degree and type of engagement in both the scientific community and wider public sphere facilitate better refinement of upcoming strategies.

Data-led insights

Previous applications of altmetrics have helped shed light on how organizations can enhance their publication planning strategies to maximize reach, increase influence in their therapeutic area and attract greater public attention. 

Leading authors do not always have a strong influence online. Those researchers who publish highly-cited papers often have little authority with broader, non-academic audiences who use social media and other online platforms to learn about a disease state or therapeutic area. With altmetrics, it’s possible to find out exactly who’s saying what – and where – making it easy to find DOLS who are talking about your specific area of influence and including them in your communications strategy.

Strategic plans built on engagement

Effective publication planning requires an understanding of not only who has seen your work, but also those who are actively engaged with it. Citation analysis provides a limited perspective which ignores the subtleties found in wider digital discourse. 

To gain a more accurate measure of influence, publication planners and medical affairs teams should explore both qualitative and quantitative data. Altmetrics can show which companies and what drugs are dominating online discussion – this also has important implications when it comes to Share of Voice (SOV) and attention from physicians.

Ensuring maximum return on investment

Altmetrics data has uncovered that, surprisingly, industry-sponsored research doesn’t necessarily correlate with the overall volume of attention that it receives online. Moreover, that the sponsorship status of research doesn’t negatively affect the degree of attention that research receives. This is reassuring for medical publication professionals, as it may demonstrate an increase in public trust in industry-sponsored research. This demonstrates the benefits of following good publication practices when communicating sponsored medical research. By promoting transparency and staying accountable, pharmaceutical organizations can protect their integrity and improve public perception of their brand, using altmetrics to stay on track. 

To sum up, there’s hard proof that altmetrics can help pharmaceutical brands to find unique DOLs, illuminate the growth of therapeutic areas, measure influence and test assumptions about industry-sponsored research. An essential counterpart to citation counts and other quantitative measures, altmetrics are an invaluable source of insights for organizations to measure value and maximize reach.

Read our report ‘Building a bigger picture to’ to learn more about how you can measure value and maximise reach.

The post Measure value and maximize reach with altmetrics appeared first on Altmetric.

‘KOLs play a vital role in the development and successful launch of novel products and, due to their interaction with both medical specialists and patients, they can also help companies identify needs and gaps.’

What is a DOL?

Like KOLs, Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs) are experts in their fields and exert significant influence in the sector. It’s their digital-first mentality that sets them apart. DOLs have mastered the use of online channels and can quickly share or amplify information, sparking conversation amongst their followers and reaching a wider audience in the digital sphere.

DOLs are actively engaged on social media and well-connected to researchers, doctors and other Healthcare Professionals (HCPs). They build strong online communities through relevant knowledge sharing and by starting and facilitating topical discussions that involve their followers. When new information becomes available, DOLs are the first to communicate this. They catch the attention of HCPs, cutting through the noise with the most relevant updates in a therapeutic area.

DOLs are also distinct from KOLs in another key way. In the past, only certain people could become KOLs, those whose voices resonated in the scientific community. They established themselves as trustworthy experts with publications in respected medical journals and by presenting clinical data at conferences. DOLs, however, can make their voices heard through the sheer power of their digital communication. By cutting through the digital noise and conveying key points in an impactful way, DOLs make the lives of HCPs easier. They take the facts and turn them into a compelling story that resonates with diverse audiences.

‘DOLs can help pharmaceutical companies achieve communication objectives, particularly in terms of product perception.’

Engaging with DOLs

DOLs help pharmaceutical companies achieve communication objectives, particularly in terms of product perception, right from highlighting early research findings through to commercialization on both the medical and patient sides. DOLs also provide key input to clinical trial recruitment and shape perspectives on particular conditions that will, in turn, influence which treatments are chosen. Moreover, DOLs influence the work of advisory boards as well as patient advocate groups, and they can provide insightful feedback on marketing messages. The fact that DOLs operate so effectively online also means they are able to reach a far more diverse range of people than those using more traditional platforms and means of communication.

Read our report ‘Building a bigger picture to’ to learn more about DOLs and how you can engage with them.

The post The rise of the Digital Opinion Leader appeared first on Altmetric.