Scientists Using Social Media to Inform Lab Purchasing Decisions
Life scientists are highly engaged users of a variety of social media, according to preliminary results of a worldwide study of more than 1,500 scientists released today by bioinformatics, LLC. The survey, co-sponsored by BioInformatics, LLC and PJA Advertising + Marketing found that 77 percent of life scientists participate in some type of social media.
The leading reasons for this participation are to find application and troubleshooting tips, protocols, and product reviews. In fact, company websites were identified as the most trusted source of product information, with 54 percent of respondents indicating that their purchasing decisions are influenced by social media.
Social media refers to blogs, podcasts, online communities, Wikis, and social networking sites that are increasingly being used by professionals to share experiences, opinions and advice. While scientists still consider their suppliers to be the most trusted source of product information, 45 percent of those surveyed find "access to objective feedback on products and services from multiple sources" to be the most valuable aspect of social media.
"Life scientists were among the first to use the Internet to communicate, collaborate and contribute to a common body of knowledge," says Bill Kelly, President of BioInformatics, LLC. "But a new generation of Web applications is making this process easier and faster, which presents both opportunities and challenges for our corporate clients attempting to influence life scientists' purchasing behavior."
Hugh Kennedy, Executive Vice President and Partner at PJA concurred: "Scientists aren't laggards to the IT crowd in social media-they've been right there all along. It's only recently, however, that life science suppliers have begun to grasp social media's potential as a way to bond with their customers in a way that really drives loyalty."
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