Social Media Business Intelligence: A Pharmaceutical Domain Analysis Study

Social media tools are increasingly used for relationships management among marketplace actors (e.g. organisations, suppliers and individuals). As markets become ever more global and dynamic, new entrants find themselves struggling to fully understand the marketplace, companies operating with it and changes that occur. The authors discuss Social Media Network (SMN) tools and outline a methodology and procedure that supports the identification of domain specific networks within particular global business-to-business environments. Research is carried out using SMN data about firms in the pharmaceutical industry. The authors use their own methodology to uncover market participants, linkages and prominent issues that may help new firms to position themselves effectively within a new marketplace. SMNs provide a sizable source of information and new approaches are required to fully leverage their considerable value. This paper explores how SMNs can be used as an effective source of business intelligence by utilising two popular SMN platforms.