Finding and analyzing content can be challenging. Many teams start with searching Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other digital sources. Having more sophisticated methods for gathering and analyzing digital insights is important.

There are three keys to effective KOL digital listening:

1: Look Beyond Social Media

There are millions of digital sources world-wide. Social media is an important source, but for a holistic view it is important to capture other sources. News is one of the largest sources and ranges from therapeutic area specific news like Oncology Today to consumer news like CNN. There are also video sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. Or, podcasts hosted by digital thought leaders, industry partners, or third parties. Finally, blogs are also found on a variety websites.

Monitoring across numerous sources lends to the necessity of a tool that will pull data into a single view filtered down to only relevant scientific content. In Acceleration Point’s study, 60% of KOLs’ contributions are about a disease or treatment. It is important to quickly and easily filter out the remaining 40% of content that is not relevant.

2: Earned Versus Owned Content

Many KOLs don’t post content themselves. They don’t always have Twitter, YouTube, or blogs. The thoughts of many KOLs are found on sources owned by others. When someone’s digital influence comes from sources owned by others, it is called earned content.

A news interview is an example of earned content. The thoughts expressed are those of the KOL but the owner of the content is the news outlet. Another example is article publication — a KOL writes the article, but their institution posts it on the company website. One last example is a recorded lecture that is posted on a third-party YouTube channel rather than on the KOLs channel.

Acceleration Point’s study found a 500% increase in content when both owned and earned content are searched.

3: Artificial Intelligence

Scanning through thousands of individual posts, articles, and videos is not practical. A good artificial intelligence engine, trained specifically for medical, saves time and streamlines finding trends in data.

AI identifies discussions about specific diseases, related treatments, and relevant medical topics. It reveals new topics that have been mentioned, how these topics have changed over time, and quickly identifies which experts have been talking about the topics.

With modern tools built specifically for medical affairs, it is easy to capture what KOLs are saying in the digital space. These new sources quickly uncover new insights and allow for more effective engagement with KOLs.

Read the full showcase in the PharmaVOICE Digital Edition.