Social media applications which track users’ locations are big news recently since Facebook Places launched, competing with Foursquare which has three million users. Many businesses are learning to leverage these applications, allowing users to learn about discounts and gain benefits for ‘checking in’ to their establishments online while they are visiting them. Even though life science companies do most of their business via the internet and mail, there are ways they could leverage these location-based applications. Below are our ideas for life science companies to use tools like Foursquare, and we hope it sparks some ideas for building their brands and obtaining leads and sales in new ways.

Account Managers. Getting the sales team using location-based applications is perhaps the most straightforward way to take advantage of them. Account managers could check in while visiting large institutions or hot spots, offering prizes for customers who see their check ins online and find them. More generally, account managers could give prizes to those who check into institutions in their territory–the implications for lead generation are fantastic! What’s great about Foursquare is that from the login perspective, it’s an isolated application. In other words, employees don’t have to worry about mixing their personal and business personas as they must do on Facebook. They can create a Foursquare persona for work and upload their email contacts (and check in only when working).

Events. Perhaps vying for first spot with the sales team, events are a terrific opportunity for life science companies to use location-based applications. At conferences, companies could offer benefits for ‘checking in’ to their exhibit (anyone can create a venue on Foursquare). Attendance at seminars and workshops could also be tracked, rewarding the first to check in. While it’s true that currently these applications can be ‘fooled’ and users can check in without actually visiting, really it’s more about engaging with them and building your brand through their sharing. As with most social media applications, Foursquare ‘plays well’ with the other tools such as Facebook, allowing each check in to be shared with hundreds of people on other applications. A nice side benefit is that customers may make connections with each other while participating, helping everyone.

Supply Centers. Many institutions allow companies to stock popular products on site, making it more convenient for customers. These supply centers are usually fairly low profile–usually a freezer in the hall or shelves in a small room. They are the perfect opportunity to use Foursquare. Companies could allow users to check in and perhaps give discounts or prizes for the mayor (the person who checks in the most frequently). The perhaps little-known supply center will also be seen by all Foursquare users in the vicinity, as cell phones’ GPS is used in the application, allowing them to pick from nearby venues to check in to. Our local Scripps Research Institute has 156 checkins from 23 people, and this number will likely grow.

Activities and Virtual Events. An interesting take on the location-based applications is Miso, which allows users to check in while they are watching TV shows. In San Diego, we’ve even ‘checked in’ after earthquakes, treating them as an activity. Now, this could make many life science brands salivate, as you could imagine researchers checking into such activities as ‘doing PCR with Company X Polymerase.’ While I don’t envision these activity-based check ins going this far, I do think researchers would check in for webinars, product launches, promotions, or even scientific discoveries. Wouldn’t it have been cool to ‘check in’ when the structure of DNA was discovered, or the human genome sequenced?

As we cover in our Life Science and Biotech Social Media Training and Workshops, many companies in our industry are just getting their feet wet with these new ways to connect with their customers. So, these ideas may not be adopted soon, but we think that it’s never too early to start thinking of ways to leverage the massive networks that researchers have already created. The changes that Facebook have made recently will likely herald a new era of the web, where these networks, and standardization of its content, will rule. The ‘virtual world’ of online places can be seen as the ‘wild wild west’ (www, get it?) in which life science companies should stake their claims now.

To share this post easily, cut and paste: Four Ways Life Science Companies Can Leverage Foursquare for Branding, Leads, and Sales http://bit.ly/bggljD

You may know I was trained as a scientist and realized about ten years ago that combining this knowledge with marketing know-how could help me make what I hope are significant contributions to life science. Marketing gets a bad rap because it is used incorrectly by some, but its tenets are designed to help provide customers with items they need and want, and in the process advancing technology in many areas. One of the most basic ideas is that of value–professionally and personally, it is an excellent guideline for success.

The picture for this post is from the Art Institute in Chicago–I knew immediately when I saw it that I wanted to write this post about it, as I think about the concept a lot. What is value? It is the simple answer to the question ‘what’s in it for me?’ that we’re programmed from birth to ask ourselves during many of the decisions we’re faced with. For life scientists, this often relates to saving time or achieving more meaningful results. Successful life science companies provide value to their customers, and also build a brand that has a very positive image.

For product development, I think many life science companies do a great job of identifying what is valuable for their customers and developing new technologies to meet needs. However, I currently see a disconnect in some of the online marketing strategies being used, especially in the social media area. Some life science companies have put significant resources into creating games and contests, perhaps with the thought that they will ‘go viral.’ While it’s true that some amusing life science videos have gone viral, and some games on Facebook spread like wildfire, consider our target demographic: they are highly educated, busy, and under a lot of stress to publish. Do they have time for games? Not likely.

Social media is unlike broadcast advertising, where a funny Ad can get a chuckle but requires little interaction from scientists. Consider that games and contests require significant participation from researchers, so they must provide a lot of value to be successful. Now, more than ever, people are short on time, and there are myriad games that are likely more sophisticated and fun that they could spend their time with. Contests are similar, as they require participation–if you’re asking your customers to upload videos, be sure that they are comfortable with this medium.

Instead, as we will cover in our Social Media for Life Science and Biotechnology Workshop 3, life science companies should focus on developing online tools and resources that provide value to researchers, addressing pain points that their products do as well. As we’ve covered earlier, use what has worked in the past as a start and produce ’2.0′ versions of them. I suggest leaving the games and contests to the larger brands, as there is much value we could be providing to life science researchers.

I’m also a fan of marketing because its ideals help me personally, and the value theme is important here as well. With many interactions I make, whether it be a simple email or a proposal for work, I try to ensure that I provide significant value to the other party. Of course, a positive response is much more likely when the recipient sees the value of continuing a relationship with you.

What is the best way you’ve found to provide value to your customers and/or colleagues?

To share this post easily, cut and paste: Why Providing Value to Life Scientists is Now More Important Than Ever http://bit.ly/cTsnHc

It seems these days there are many ‘social media experts’ claiming that they can help you tweet, blog, or web 2.0 your way to success. How do you know who to believe? Here are some guidelines to help you determine whether your ‘expert’ is an aficionado, or just ‘tweeting Dixie.’

Practices what they preach. Does the consultant or agency use social media for their own business? As we cover in our social media workshops and training, to know it, you must do it. If they are using social media, it should be clear from their website, they should be involved in at least two aspects of the following: a blog, Twitter account, a LinkedIn presence, or a Facebook page. This is the first step, and look for the qualities below to make sure they’re really involved with it.

Has a history, not just accounts and followers. Sure, the ‘expert’ has a blog and a twitter account, but for how long, and how often do they update it? Look for someone who’s been active in several forms of social media for a minimum of one year. For a blog, check the archives, which should be listed in the sidebar, and for Twitter, check out howlonghaveyoubeentweeting.com. Number of Twitter followers can be deceiving, as there are ways you can grow this number artificially–look at age instead.

Is a part of the community. This aspect may be a little harder to gauge, but you should make sure your consultant is a part of the community you want to reach. It’s possible to set up an account, participate, and still not really ‘get it’ if tweets, etc. are just a way to broadcast news. Look for things like engagement on Twitter (@[user] text in tweets) or comments on their blog. There are tools which measure Twitter influence, such as WeFollow or Twitter Grader, and also look to see how many Twitter lists they’re mentioned on (as an example, @Comprendia is on 138 lists, which is a reasonable number). You can check their blog traffic on compete.com–I’d say anything over 500 visitors a month is reasonable. You can also ask around or ask them for a social media recommendation from someone who can speak about their influence and contributions to the community.

Knows YOUR customers. It is easy for an agency to claim they know social media, as there are myriad resources and books on the subject, and it does not take expertise to carry out tactics. Social media campaigns require that your customers participate, some describe it as the need to get into their heads. It is crucial that you understand if your customers are using social media, and how. For example, some groups may be more open to blogging, others to video. Ask your consultant for case studies with YOUR customers. Also look for evidence that they interact with them personally, which may take extra effort for them, as they aren’t technically THEIR customers. Ask them verbally about some of the key social media influencers in your field, and if they can’t name any, that’s a bad sign.

Does not describe themselves as a ‘guru.’ We laugh a little at people who describe themselves as an expert or guru, because we know that it is obvious when someone truly is one, there is no need for self-proclaiming. Check out social media giant Robert Scoble’s LinkedIn profile–it is very modest, yet a quick Google search shows you he’s got an impressive resume. This is another way to determine whether your consultant is experienced–do Google searches for them, as well as for the proficiencies you desire, and see how they fare.

I hope you find this list useful, and feel free to contact us if you have questions, or feel free to leave them below.

To share this post easily, cut and paste: Will the REAL Social Media Expert Please Stand Up? http://bit.ly/aPsDda

You’ve put together your overall life science social media strategy (if not, see Workshop 1 and our other social media training) and it includes third party applications such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. How do you use these applications to reach out to your customers effectively? The applications are all different, requiring individual strategies, tactics, and methods for determining metrics. Join us August 31st in San Diego or via the web to learn the ‘Rule of 3′s’ for third party social media, and you’ll start reaching out to your customers like never before (almost like a 3D movie, you could say).

In this four hour interactive workshop, offered in San Diego and via webinar, you will learn everything you need to know to implement campaigns on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube, including:

• Strategies
  • What strategies and themes work with life scientists?
  • Which third party social media applications are my customers using, and how do I target them there?
  • How do I fulfill corporate goals and provide value at the same time?
• Tactics
  • How can I get the most out of my time spent on 3rd party social media?
  • What are the best tips and tools for each application?
  • Where can I find the content I need?
  • How do I get direct leads from 3rd party applications?
  • How can I quickly understand the etiquette for each application?
• Metrics & ROI
  • How do I measure success using external and internal metrics?
  • My management still doesn’t understand the value of third party social media applications–how can I convince them?

As always, we’ll give you plenty of examples specific to life science to help you see things in context. As a Participant You Will Receive:

1. Printed workshop materials
2. A highly interactive presentation session from Mary Canady, customized to your needs and using real examples from life science and biotechnology
3. Worksheets designed to help you get social media launched at your company
4. Hands-on, online training and feedback from Comprendia during the session
5. Free follow-on session with Comprendia
   1. Review of workshop ‘homework’
   2. Guidance for next steps

This workshop is now available as an on demand webinar lasting 3.5 hours, see the workshops and training page for more details. Printed materials will be mailed to you, so there may be up to a one week waiting period. Register here and contact us with any questions.