Archives

Common Marketing Errors, Vol. 2, No. 7, 8/16/2010
Part One of Two: Five Strategic Errors. Summary: Having worked in the life sciences for quite a while, we have seen a number of common marketing errors made by life science companies. This month we will address some common strategic errors – next month we’ll cover tactical errors.  Note: to help you identify your own marketing errors, we have created a short marketing self-assessment. This will provide some insight on how your marketing efforts compare to those that are considered “best in class.” At the end of the assessment, you’ll be given your score and a link to a video that will help you interpret your results. There are only nine multiple-choice questions in this assessment. The assessment and the answers are free. You can take it here.  Read more >

The Content Marketing Life Cycle, Vol. 2, No. 6, 6/17/2010
Summary: Content marketing is an effective way to drive your life science brand’s positioning and engage your audiences and prospects. In this issue we’ll introduce the idea of a content life cycle, known as P7. Managing the P7 life cycle from Step 1, People all the way through Step 7, Promotion will allow you to harvest the greatest possible benefit from your content. Read more >

Creating Compelling Content., Vol. 2, No. 5, 5/14/2010
Summary: Content marketing can establish your life science brand’s positioning and engage your audiences, but attaining these benefits depends upon having compelling content. To create this content, you need the right focus, the right form, the proper filters and the optimum frequency. In this issue, I discuss these factors and provide some tips for creating compelling content.Read more >

Planning Your Life Science Company’s Content Marketing Initiative., Vol. 2, No. 4, 4/12/2010
Summary: Content marketing is an effective way to drive your life science brand’s positioning and engage your audiences and prospects. In past issues we covered the attitudes and behaviors that must accompany a content marketing initiative; we now focus on planning this initiative. Planning should be based upon an intimate understanding of the six factors for content marketing success. They are known by the acronym S-T-R-E-A-M: your Strategy, Topics, Resources, Environment, Audience and Measurement. We’ll start this issue with a real-world example of the results that content marketing can achieve.Read more >

The Benefits of Content Marketing Strategies to Life Science Companies, Vol. 2, No. 3, 3/12/2010
Summary: Content marketing is all the rage in some marketing circles. But many life science companies use surprisingly little content marketing. We’ll start this issue by continuing the comparison between content marketing and peer-review publishing begun in the last issue. A diagram will make the comparison clearer. We’ll look at how fundamental changes in the way people access information has driven an increase in choice, which in turn is driving the importance of content marketing. We’ll conclude with a list of changes in attitudes and behaviors that accompany a content marketing initiative. In our next issue, we’ll provide a series of “How to” suggestions for beginning a content marketing initiative. Read more >

Life Science Marketing - Comparing Content Marketing and Peer Review Publishing, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2/11/2010
Summary: Content marketing is all the rage in some marketing circles. But many life science companies do not use content marketing – particularly on their web sites. This is surprising because the scientific community has been practicing a form of content marketing for years. In this issue, we’ll look at the similarities and the differences between content marketing and peer-review publishing. In the next issue, we’ll examine both the benefits of content marketing and the attitudes that must change for content marketing to be successful. And in the subsequent issue, we’ll look at how to create and execute an effective, focused, content marketing strategy for your life science business. Read more >

Methods to inspire change among life science buyers (Part 2 of 2), Vol. 2, No. 1, 1/11/2010
Summary: The Transtheoretical Model of Change describes the buying process via six stages through which buyers progress. There are nine methods for facilitating the transition from one stage of buying behavior to the next. In the previous issue we described four of these methods. This issue, we’ll describe the remaining five methods and provide examples from the life science sector. We’ll complete our examination by providing a diagram relating the stages of buying behavior to each of the nine methods for instigating change from one stage to the other. Read more >

Methods to inspire change among life science buyers., Vol. 1, No. 11, 11/18/2009
Summary: Last month we examined a “blueprint for buying behavior” and detailed the six stages of change through which buyers progress. This issue describes some of the methods that assist individuals in making the transition from one stage to the next. The methods are explained, and illuminated through life science examples. Part 1 of 2. Read more >

How to understand buying behavior in the life sciences sector, Vol. 1, No. 10, 10/19/2009
Summary: The goal of science is often a complete description of particular phenomena. This trend to “completeness” is one explanation why scientists so often want to “say it all” when developing life sciences sector marketing. But “saying it all” can actually impede prospects’ willingness to buy. To shed some light on this issue we explore a validated model of how people change their behavior as they progress through the buying cycle. The model provides pointers on successful marketing tactics that can be used at each stage of the life science buying cycle and provides specific advice on when “saying it all” is appropriate. Read more >

Whatever it is, it isn’t life science marketing., Vol. 1, No. 9, 9/18/2009
Summary: Many scientists think they are ‘immune’ to marketing. Even so, companies in the life sciences sectors often resort to standard clichés when it comes to making marketing claims. In many sectors of the life science space companies shout and scream on their web sites and in their brochures – making lots of noise. Unfortunately these efforts are completely ineffective at helping prospects choose their organization. What’s going on? Read more >

Maximizing your life science trade show experience: Part 2, Vol. 1, No. 8, 8/25/2009
Summary: The previous issue covered the general topic of marketing at life science trade shows. This issue extends that line of thinking to examine how you can maximize your effectiveness at the show, building on the differences between it and a normal selling environment.Read more >

Maximizing your life science trade show experience: Part 1, Vol. 1, No. 7, 7/28/2009
Summary: Trade shows are a unique opportunity to connect with others in your industry. Yet all too often, companies waste these opportunities. This article (the first of two), covers trade show trends, and how to prepare for a trade show. The next in the series will cover the design of your booth itself and your behavior at the show. Read more >

Crafting a clear, effective Positioning Statement for your life science brand, Vol. 1, No. 6, 5/15/2009
Summary: Positioning is your brand’s DNA. It is private language that acts as a decision-making filter for your public communications. Given the fundamental importance of positioning, how do you go about creating an accurate and useful statement for your life science brand? This article will address the key attributes of such a statement and provide a template for creating your brand’s own positioning statement. Read more >

10 Things You Need to Know about Touchpoints in Life Science Marketing, Vol. 1, No. 5, 3/27/2009
Summary: For life science companies, positioning is the DNA of marketing. Just as DNA guides protein expression and thereby controls much, if not all, cell activity, so positioning should guide marketing activities. But how is this positioning expressed? How does your brand convey its characteristics to your many audiences? This article explores the different touchpoints that consumers and others use to learn your brand’s positioning, brand promise, personality and values.  Clear understanding of these touchpoints will allow you to create more effective marketing. Read more >

The Importance of Positioning for Life Science Companies, Vol. 1, No. 4, 2/13/2009
Summary: For life science companies, positioning is the DNA of marketing. Just as DNA guides protein expression and thereby controls much, if not all cell activity, so positioning should guide marketing activities. Just as DNA is tucked inside the nucleus, and therefore ‘invisible’ to the rest of the cell, the definition of a company’s positioning is internal and private. For this reason, positioning is widely misunderstood. This article explores the four components of positioning and provides a framework for understanding positioning’s role in marketing. Read more >

Competing during an earthquake, Vol. 1, No. 3, 12/22/2008
Summary: For life science and biotech companies selling products or services to the drug development chain, the market is in tremendous flux. The patent cliff, the contraction of ‘Big Pharma’ and increased regulatory scrutiny are causing huge seismic shifts – a.k.a., earthquakes. How do you compete effectively in this type of marketplace? This article looks at similar shifts in another industry to point the way to an effective competitive strategy for life science and biotech service companies.Read more >

Research proves: Scientists are not immune to marketing, Vol. 1, No. 2, 11/1/2008
Summary: Scientists often believe that they are immune to the efforts of marketers. They are not alone; many of us believe that we make decisions from a purely rational perspective and can therefore filter marketing messages out of our decision-making process. Scientists are particularly prone to subscribe to this belief, as their discipline and world-view places a premium on rational thought. Recent research proves that no one is immune; marketing can affect our behavior, even if the messages are only received subliminally. This article examines this research, and looks at its implication for the marketing of life science companies. Read more >

Marketing is not a 'hard' science. Why do scientists treat it like one?, Vol. 1, No. 1, 7/1/2008
Summary: Scientific disciplines are often concerned with a complete description of an issue, while marketing is typically concerned with communication. When scientists engage in marketing, their training can lead them to over-communicate, which can be detrimental to their marketing goals. This article explores this phenomenon, identifies the ‘big mistake’ that most companies make, and provides guidance to avoid that mistake in marketing efforts.  Read more >