Social Media is the Backbone of Pharma’s Omnichannel Strategy

When Medical Marketing & Media (MM+M) reached out for my take on how pharma marketers can evolve their omnichannel strategy (you can download the eBook here to read the full interview), I was excited to offer a perspective that’s always top of mind for me in our work helping regulated brands navigate the complexity of social media. At Smarty Social, we’ve seen firsthand how healthcare brands can transform their digital impact by moving social from the periphery into the heart of their marketing approach.

In regulated industries like healthcare, omnichannel marketing is often talked about, but rarely executed well. It's not just about being present across platforms. It’s about showing up strategically, consistently, and in a way that connects with patients, providers, and caregivers at every phase of their journey.

Why Social Belongs at the Center of Omnichannel

I firmly believe that social media is the connective tissue that unites every touchpoint in a brand’s marketing ecosystem. Whether we’re talking about awareness, lead nurturing, or community-building, social can play a meaningful role when it’s fully integrated with email, CRM, paid media, events, and websites.

What makes social especially powerful in this space is its real-time feedback loop. It allows us to learn, adapt, and engage in ways traditional channels simply can’t. For pharma marketers who are trying to reach multiple audiences with different needs, social becomes a listening tool, a relationship builder, and a storytelling engine all at once.

The Challenge Pharma Marketers Face

Pharma brands face very real hurdles in bringing this kind of vision to life. Content production often stalls under compliance pressures. Internal teams operate in silos, with professional and consumer marketing strategies completely disconnected. That lack of alignment creates friction, slows down approvals, and results in disjointed customer experiences.

I also see a major gap when it comes to personalization. Marketers know they need to tailor content to different audiences, but doing that at scale across channels and journey stages is a massive undertaking. Without the right infrastructure and strategy, it's easy to fall back on safe, generic messaging that doesn’t resonate with highly targeted audiences.

Thinking Social-First, Not Social-Only

From my experience, the most successful strategies don’t treat social as an afterthought. They treat it as a driver. Social-first doesn’t mean ignoring other channels. It means using social to inform, amplify, and connect everything else. From CRM flows to offline activations, social plays a unique role in every phase of the funnel.

We’ve built social-first journeys for clients where social became the number one driver of patient demand, outperforming traditional paid media. That only works when social is built with intention, integrated with other tools, and aligned with business goals from the start.

Choosing the Right Platforms Matter

Different platforms serve different purposes, and the key is knowing where your audience is and what they need. For example, Instagram and TikTok are ideal for sharing patient stories and launching influencer campaigns that feel authentic. LinkedIn is perfect for B2B engagement and HCP education, especially with new Thought Leader Ads that let real experts become the face of your brand.

YouTube and Pinterest are often overlooked in this space, but they’re powerful discovery tools, particularly for educational content. And the rise of AI-powered features across platforms is making it easier to target by behavior, optimize content formats, and gather insights in real time.

Tools like Meta’s Advantage+ Suite, TikTok’s Lead Gen Ads, and YouTube’s Shorts integration with Connected TV are changing the game for pharma brands. They allow us to create seamless, multi-format journeys that meet users where they are and move them from awareness to action without friction.

Turning HCPs into Advocates

One of my biggest recommendations for pharma marketers is to rethink how they engage with healthcare providers. HCPs are like any other audience; they want value, not just messaging. They don’t want to be sold to. They want relevant research, digestible insights, and tools that help them show up better for their patients.

At Smarty, we created the Social Academy to provide one-on-one strategic coaching that helps HCPs find their voice on social media. We also partner with provider engagement platforms like Exfluential to make it easy for providers to access brand assets and share them compliantly. These aren’t just tactical solutions. They’re about enabling real, peer-led advocacy at scale.

Social Listening Is Underrated

Social listening isn’t just about tracking mentions. It’s about uncovering trends, concerns, and conversation gaps you won’t find in a brand study. When you pair listening tools with influencer monitoring and competitive intelligence, you can turn raw data into actionable insight that shapes campaigns before they even launch.

In pharma, where trust and timing matter, this level of agility is a major advantage.

What I Tell Every Pharma Marketer

If you’re in this space and you’re trying to make your omnichannel strategy work, here’s where I suggest you start. First, build with strategy, not speed. It’s tempting to chase channels or trends, but without alignment, you’ll spin your wheels. Second, bring legal and compliance into the process early. Don’t wait until the end. Third, know your intent. Every piece of content should have a clear purpose, whether that’s to educate, inspire, or convert.

Social is not just a content channel. It’s a bridge between people, platforms, and outcomes. When you treat it as a strategic asset, not an accessory, that’s when you start seeing real results.

Download the Full Interview

Want the full story? You can download the MM+M eBook featuring my interview, along with insights from other leaders exploring what omnichannel looks like for modern pharma marketers.

[Download the eBook here]