Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
Creation and Maintenance of a Living Biobank - How We Do It
Published on: April 10, 2021
'Born in Michigan? You're in the biobank': engaging population biobank participants through Facebook advertisements
1Life Sciences and Society Program, Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Mich 48109-2029, USA. jeplatt@umich.edu
Background/Aims:
Despite a broad call for biobanks to use social media, data is lacking regarding the capacity of social media tools, especially advertising, to engage large populations on this topic.
Methods:
We used Facebook advertising to engage Michigan residents about the BioTrust for Health. We conducted a low-budget (
Results:
The Facebook page was viewed 1,249 times during the month of the advertising campaign, versus once in the month prior. 779,004 Michigan residents saw ads an average of 25.8 times; 4,275 clicked ads; the average click-through-ratio was 0.021%. Interactions included 516 'likes' and 30 photo contest entries. Cost per outcome ranged from
Conclusion:
A social media strategy to build public awareness about biobanking is not likely to be effective without a promotional 'push' to distribute content. Social media advertisements have the capacity to scale-up engagement on biobanking while keeping costs manageable. Facebook advertisements provide necessary access points for unaware participants, with implications for public trust.
