SCORE-May-2022 Slides - Social Media Recruitment on Facebook Ads

Sep 13, 2026

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Guiding principles for using social media to recruit research participants, with an emphasis on dynamic Facebook ads. Covers where potential participants can be reached online, including search, streaming, social platforms, study webpages, and email lists, and summarizes relevant Facebook usage statistics. Explains how targeting reduces wasted ad spend, contrasts paid ads with organic engagement, outlines key planning questions before launching, and states IRB requirements for using social media and approving all ad content.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Guiding principles for social media recruitment

Reach potential participants online

Facebook usage and targeting benefits

Paid ads vs organic engagement

Pre-launch planning questions

IRB approval requirements for social media ads

Guiding Principles for Social Media Recruitment and Overview of Dynamic Facebook Ads Cody Gardner, MBA Research Engagement Specialist Reach potential participants online • Search engine ads • Streaming ads • Social ads and forums (Facebook, dating apps, Reddit) • Study webpage • Email lists (CTSI Participant Registry, department registry or past volunteers, community partners) • URMC Communications channels 2016 UR RSRB Guidelines Everyone is on Facebook • About 7 in 10 Americans report using Facebook. (Unchanged since 2016) • About 7 in 10 of those that use Facebook use it daily Everyone is on Facebook Facebook is broadly popular among all demographic groups, though some adults are more likely to use it than others. • 77% of U.S. women use the platform , compared with 61% of men. • 73% of adults with a college degree use Facebook, compared with 64% of those who have a high school diploma or less. • 50% of those older than 65 use Facebook, which is the least likely age group to use the platform. But that still represents a 30 percentage point increase since August 2012, when just 20% reported using it. Data collected by the Pew Research Center, 2021 Targeting helps reduce wasted ad spend “Social media as compared to mass media is quick, cost effective and reaches a targeted audience worldwide…It allows participants to express immediate interest by completing prescreening questionnaire.” Agarwal, P. , et al. (2019) . "Strategizing Clinical Trial Recruitment in the Digital Age (P1 .9-072) ."Neurology 92(15 Supplement): P1 .9-072. Do you need a social media account? Departments, faculty members, staff members, students, or student groups that media presence that represents URMC in any way, they must agree to preserve reputation – in terms of content, tone, and visual presentation. wish to establish a social and promote URMC’s To ensure that a consistent brand and voice is presented online, all official social media accounts (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) that claim to represent URMC entities must be initiated and/or authorized by URMC Public Relations & Communications. Apply to create a URMC-associated social media account: [https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/connect/social](https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/connect/social)media-toolkit/social-media-application.aspx URMC communication channels that you can use to promote your study: • URMC Today • @ Rochester • Events calendar Research teams can use the UR Health Research Facebook account to promote their research studies, which is managed by the CTSI. Two Approaches to Facebook Recruitment Paid Ads • Using the UR Health Research page (CTSI) • Targeted by age, gender, location, some other behavior and interest categories • Receive performance metrics Organic Engagement (Non-Paid) • Using personal profile • Sharing on Facebook groups and partners Before you launch your Facebook campaign, try to answer these key questions • How do Facebook ads fit into my overall study recruitment plan? • Who am I trying to enroll with this method? • Am I able to target them on Facebook? • How much might it cost per enrollment? • Would a pilot campaign help me learn this? • What kind of support do I need in order to create myads? You must have IRB approval to recruit volunteers through social media • The recruitment plan section of your protocol must include how you will use social media to recruit participants • All ad content, including images that are used alongside ad copy, must be approved by the IRB

FAQs

What channels can be used to reach potential participants online?

The slides list search engine ads, streaming ads, social ads and forums (including Facebook and other platforms), study webpages, and email lists such as registries and community partners.

How do paid Facebook ads and organic engagement differ?

Paid ads use the UR Health Research (CTSI) page with targeting and provide performance metrics, while organic engagement uses personal profiles to share in Facebook groups and partner channels.

What approvals are required to recruit volunteers through social media?

IRB approval is required, and the protocol’s recruitment plan must describe how social media will be used. All ad content, including images used with ad copy, must be approved by the IRB.

Sep 13, 2026

Upload by Ezra