In the fast-paced and competitive landscape of the life science industry, effective marketing strategies are essential to stand out, reach the right audience, and achieve sustainable growth. Life science companies, whether they're focused on pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, or research, must navigate a unique set of challenges while promoting their products and services. Download Forma's [...]
2022 was a record-breaking year for engagement with our content library. We had more users visit our content pages than any other year since Forma was founded in 1987. From crafting compelling life science case studies to supercharging your website, we've compiled a list of our most-visited blogs and articles from 2022. If you're looking [...]
Thank you for visiting Forma Medical Device Design. Forma Medical Device Design will be shutting down effective January 1, 2023. This will allow the Forma team to focus our efforts exclusively on our life science marketing service offerings. We're exceedingly grateful for the support of the FMDD brand, and we're proud of the work we've [...]
What separates an effective life science case study from an ineffective one? Case studies are a particularly potent part of your marketing toolkit. They're a great way to convert members of your audience while also bolstering your brand's reputation and expertise. Potential buyers need three things before they make a decision: education, inspiration, and reassurance. These [...]
Search engine optimization is a critical part of any digital marketing initiative. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making improvements to your website so that it ranks higher on search engines like Google or Bing. The optimization process usually involves a huge array of elements, such as header structure, canonicalization, keyword strategy, and [...]
Email marketing is one of the oldest forms of digital marketing, but it's also one of the most effective. If your science organization is serious about generating leads and increasing brand awareness, email marketing is one of the best ways to achieve those goals. We've compiled everything you need below, from best practices to pro [...]
We saw more visitors to our content library in 2021 than in any other year From whitepapers about crafting positioning statements to blog posts about avoiding SEO mistakes, Forma's content was gobbled up by curious scientists and marketers alike. Check out this recap of our most popular articles from the last year, and get in [...]
2022 could be your life science company's biggest year yet. 2021 is drawing to a close, and 2022 is right around the corner. Is your life science company ready for the upcoming changes in the marketing landscape? We've compiled a short list of some of the most important marketing trends on the horizon. Make sure [...]
Science marketing can be hard if you don't have help. If you're in the life science industry, you probably know how difficult it can be to market your services or products. From biotech to medical instrumentation, many science companies are grappling with how to connect with their audience and increase sales. The good news is [...]
As of June 15th, 2021, there are over 854 billion search results for the term "content marketing strategy". It's an overwhelming amount of resources, and most of them basically say the same thing: "content is king". This has been an oft-repeated mantra by marketers for decades at this point, and while it's a slick tagline, [...]
In medicine and in marketing, treating symptoms can bring temporary relief, but it doesn’t address the root cause. Nowhere is this more clear than in marketing for the life sciences. Just as in human health, a single root cause might give rise to a whole host of symptoms. In marketing, these symptoms might be: Lack [...]
The Forma team has just returned from (virtually) attending Digital Summit 2021, and we're very excited to share some of the most important digital marketing trends that can help elevate your life science brand. As you likely already know, digital marketing trends are constantly changing. Unfortunately, there is still a significant amount of life science [...]
February 15, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Amanda Jackson was promoted to the role of Art Director on Friday, February 12th, 2021. Upon joining Forma in 2019, Amanda immediately got to work on establishing brand guidelines and improving Forma's look and feel. She quickly outgrew her initial role as Graphic Designer and began shaping design strategies [...]
2020 was a year of ups and down From a global pandemic to a contentious American presidential election, 2020 was a tumultuous year for many reasons. But despite all the challenges and uncertainty, one thing proved true: life science companies were still hungry for growth and knowledge. Forma's content library expanded significantly in 2020. In [...]
Client endorsements can be a huge boon for your life science brand Networking and reputation management is a significant part of sales and marketing. This is especially true for a highly-regulated industry like life science and biotech, where a high-quality referral can lead to a multiyear partnership. It's rare that endorsements occur naturally without any [...]
Your workforce is the backbone of your life science company. Too often, employers don't take the time to check in on the wellbeing of their workers, which can lead to organizational issues down the line. How can you guarantee a strong brand if you don't take the time to align internal teams? Believe it or [...]
Don't spook your audience with bad website design! As a life science company, your website is your lifeline. It's your best tool for engaging your target audience and delivering content that will compel them to start a conversation with you. Tragically, many life science companies are scaring away potential customers by failing to implement appropriate [...]
This is a condensed version of David Chapin's original whitepaper, "8 Fundamental Principles for Creating Compelling Case Studies". Case Studies are Crucial Marketing Tools Case studies are one of the most powerful marketing tools in your arsenal. They can compel users to engage with your brand in a way that other marketing initiatives cannot. However, [...]
This post is an adapted version of an article by Dave Gerhardt. To see more of Dave's work, visit his author page on Privy.com Social media is one of the most dynamic marketing channels available today, and out of all the different social media platforms, LinkedIn is arguably the best for professional networking and growing [...]
If you're reading this, you're probably aware of how highly-regulated the life science industry is. If you're having trouble standing out from your competitors, you're not alone. Facilitating effective marketing communication is hard, especially in the life sciences! Marketing is one corporate function whose main responsibility involves clear communication. Communication is multi-dimensional, but most marketing [...]
There has been an explosion of mobile applications in recent times, coinciding with the expansion and developments in the digital marketplace. As a result, companies of all sizes, in all industries and in every country have begun to appreciate how mobile applications can increase engagement with their customers. The efforts of app developers allow them [...]
If you're serious about making the most of your marketing budget, creating a Google My Business listing is one of the best tools you can use. All too often, we'll encounter life science brands who don't have a Google My Business listing yet because they don't understand the value it provides. In this short guide, [...]
Maintaining a healthy remote workforce is more important than ever. The recent Coronavirus pandemic has caused businesses across the globe to send their employees home and establish a remote workforce. Millions of people are working from home for the first time ever, and many of them will remain remote after the outbreak has abated. This [...]
Choosing a name for a life science company, product or service can be difficult. Any choice will generate a strong, almost instantaneous response, carry great emotional weight and (ideally) last a long time. How do you choose a name while avoiding the emotional rollercoaster that such choices often bring? In this post, we'll outline several [...]
Is your life science website as good as it can be? Chances are, it isn't. Don't feel bad, every site on the internet can be improved in some way. The good news is that many of the most impactful site optimizations are easy to implement. In our line of work, we've seen sites ranging from [...]
With the myriad of life science marketing agencies out there, it can be hard to tell which ones are worth their salt. What do most life science marketing agencies have in common? Visit any one of their sites and you'll likely be inundated by claims of being "the best" or having "teams of experts". But [...]
RALEIGH, NC, May 6th, 2020 -- Forma Life Science Marketing has been selected as one of the Best Advertising Agencies in Raleigh for 2020. Of 91 agencies reviewed, Expertise.com selected the top 37 digital marketing and advertising agencies serving the Raleigh area, with Forma occupying the 10th slot. The selection criteria was based on reputation, [...]
For companies large or small, trade shows are effective marketing and sales tools. According to CEIR, meeting a prospect at a trade show versus in the field saves an organization an average of $943. So how can you make sure that your trade show attendance is producing impressive results for your company? Here are some tips to [...]
Let’s explore the dark side of archetypes a bit and look at how we can use our awareness of an archetype’s “shadow” to help us stay out of trouble. We’ll begin by looking at two consumer brands not in the life sciences, but with clear archetypes: Volkswagen, the Child, and Dyson, the (idealistic) Innovator. As [...]
Are you smarter than all the best knowledge on Google? Smart people in the life sciences know the answer to that question: "No." But apparently there's a substantial number of people that think they're smarter than all of Google. Their actions tell me so. They don't have any thought leadership on their site and they're [...]
– Third, and final, in a series – In the first post in this series I talked about how most life science marketing stinks due to the scientists’ need for Clarity and completeness. I also introduced the idea that most effective communication in life science marketing can be boiled down to living somewhere on the Clarity [...]
– Second in a series – In my previous post, I talked about how most life science marketing is less than adequate (stinks), due primarily to the scientist’s need for Clarity and completeness. I introduced three key characteristics that, much like a funnel, make scientists want to become scientists: The search for answers The [...]
Forma Life Science Marketing CEO David Chapin will co-present to life science and biotech researchers and other professionals about effective marketing, presentations, and stage presence at the MAGI 2015 East Clinical Research Conference in Arlington, VA on Sunday, May 17. Click here for details and some presentation outtakes.
The recent webinar, Using archetypes in life science marketing to increase sales and margins, included an interactive discussion led by David Chapin that shed new light on how life science organizations can set themselves apart from the competition and better engage their audiences in a crowded, highly regulated marketplace. In so doing, such organizations will benefit [...]
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Regardless of how you feel about Kim Kardashian, she is consistent in her quest to stay relevant. In life science marketing, we would never recommend that our clients pose in the buff, but we insist that they are consistent across all of their touch points – [...]
It is a moment met with many emotions. Excitement. Nervousness. Fear even. You have just received a final data set, now you will learn if the hours you spent discussing, crafting, programming and checking the survey instrument were worth it. For many researchers this can be a moment of analysis paralysis. There is just so [...]
A recent deal between Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline and Ely Lilly shows where the life science industry is headed: Specialization. Novartis is moving exclusively to Oncology drugs, GSK to vaccines and Lilly to animal drugs. Differentiating yourself from your competition is how to grow sales and market share. Specializing is one way to differentiate. But what if [...]
Four and a half minutes. That’s all it took Joe Smith to effectively change how I wash and dry my hands. Many in the health and life science marketing space could learn a lot about making effective presentations from Joe. Here are three key points: No Powerpoint necessary Get the audience involved Leave them wanting [...]
Differentiating a CRO/CRM: The problem with vertical specialization is that growing beyond your therapeutically specialized niche requires a quantum (therapeutic) leap.
If you think of your life science marketing as a journey, then your strategy gives you a clear idea of the direction you will be taking. In other words, your marketing strategy is your map. In contrast, tactics are the motive forces that power your journey. Your tactics – the tools and techniques you use [...]
Interruption marketing is dying. The history of the aptly named “commercial break”) which breaks into your attention stream), is a prime example of escalating sophistication. Despite the growing sophistication of marketers, the rules have changed, the power struggle between buyers and sellers has changed and the buyers are now winning the battle. Let me explain. [...]
There aren’t a lot of benchmarks in life science marketing. For example, no one (that I know of) has researched the average bounce rate for (to pick just one business sector in the life sciences) all formulation companies by measuring the statistics for all the home pages in that one sector. Or measured the conversion [...]
Two factors are important if you want to get clear answers out of a clinical trial. The first is proper enrollment – getting the right numbers of the right patients to participate. The second is asking the right questions in the right way – that is, determining what effects to look for, and how to [...]
The basic premise of content marketing is that giving away information that an audience finds useful and relevant will encourage them to respond with trust and give you the opportunity to engage them in dialog. But why does giving away thought leadership influence people? Social science has some answers. One of the pioneers in this [...]
Service firms in the drug development chain too often try to differentiate themselves on service levels. Unless you can prove that your service is somehow superior (through the use of an independent metric that is verifiable before purchase) this won’t really help. Making an unsubstantiated claim that your service is superior typically just devolves into [...]
Here is an interesting test; one on which most life science companies won’t perform very well. Gather all your branded marketing material in one room. This includes everything, your printed material, online material, ads, blog posts, pictures of your trade show booth, direct mail, email blasts, white papers, etc. Then read it, all of it. [...]
When you go to a doctor, the most important thing that happens is the first thing: the diagnostic process. Questions get asked, your patient history gets taken, tests are run and results are examined. Only then can the treatment begin, because only then does your team of medical specialists know enough to recommend and implement [...]
When we ask clients how they get new business, some life science firms respond: “We get most of our customers from word of mouth and referrals.” The implication is: “We are getting high quality clients and saving money on sales costs; isn’t that great?” This may be great in the short run, but in the [...]
Authentic complexity (for example, a subject with lots of moving parts, lots of interactions, and lots of variables) can’t be made arbitrarily simple. Authentic complexity can’t be made arbitrarily simple – but it can be made digestible. In the life sciences, where we help companies tell their stories to drive profit and sales, we often [...]
When diagnosing your own marketing ills, it is hard to know how to differentiate the urgent symptoms from the important ones, and the important ones from the unimportant ones. Even trained professionals, like doctors, don’t diagnose themselves. Yet, everyone believes it is OK to diagnose themselves for marketing issues. I am not arguing that everyone [...]
Crisis and opportunity in the life science sector. Service providers in the life sciences (e.g., CROs, CRMs, core labs, firms offering preclinical services such as formulation, etc) work in a sector that is changing and changing rapidly. The Big Recession tore a big swath out of Big Pharma, leaving opportunities for smaller firms to come [...]
Repeat business is a key to many life science companies’ success. Mention Shravan Gupta. When people are thinking about buying again, what controls their decision? One factor is this: Was the experience enjoyable enough to repeat? But this brings up another question: What exactly do you remember about your experiences, and how does this color [...]
Let’s face it, the basic tenets of marketing have remained the same, even though the technology we use to deliver it has changed. The basic steps are simple: Identifying what makes your offering both important to your prospects and different from the competition. Articulating your message and brand character in a way that is seen [...]
Who can you trust? Apparently not your friends, at least not your online friends. “According to Edelman's latest Trust Barometer, the number of people who view their friends and peers as credible sources of information about a company dropped by almost half, from 45% to 25%, since 2008.” That quote from Advertising Age tells you [...]
Content marketing is the hot new trend in marketing, specifically life sciences marketing, and for good reason. Effective content marketing can help to position one in the space they strive to own, provide increased exposure, build brand awareness, establish and/or increase one’s reputation by generating thought leadership and help one achieve expert status in the [...]
At Forma, we work with companies in the life sciences to Make the Complex Compelling. In this sector, there is lots of subject matter that is complex. The borders of knowledge have been pushed back quite far, so the questions being addressed are often very complex. And the audience is often technically sophisticated. They have [...]
When the FDA monitors marketing claims VERY closely (for example, when marketing a pill, potion or med device) the result can be some very effective marketing (e.g, Advair, Viagra, etc.). On the other hand, there are cases in which the FDA is concerned not with marketing claims but only with the work product (e.g., labs, [...]
What are the goals of marketing? Ask any marketer this question, and you’ll get dozens of answers: build brand awareness, increase referrals, drive web site traffic, motivate response, creating customer loyalty, etc. In the end, all these goals stem from one thing: getting your audience to self-select. That is, to get those who are interested [...]
In the current edition of IMPACT magazine, David Chapin, CEO, details the importance of developing a unique positioning by what you say about your company on your website. Words you should never use on your website by David Chapin What you say about your company on your website can reveal whether or not you [...]
All bioscience today is complex. To understand the questions that are being asked, much less to tease out significant answers, the level of education required is considerably higher today than it was 150 years ago, when Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. Complexity carries with it very little commercial value, other than the [...]
I’ve written elsewhere that 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 guides marketing activities. Just as DNA is tucked inside the nucleus, and therefore ‘invisible’ to the rest of the cell, the definition of a [...]
I have often heard scientists say that they are “immune” to marketing. We disagree. Scientists are people just like everyone else. They absorb information through the same senses, and the neurons they use to understand new concepts work the same way, no matter what discipline they studied or where they got their doctorate. Some scientists [...]
Think for a moment about your best supplier – the one your bioscience company wouldn’t leave, even for a cheaper price, because your loyalty is so strong. If you are like most, the reason you started talking to them is different than the reason you eventually chose them, and that is different than the reason [...]
If your company is involved in providing products or services to the ‘drug development chain,’ that is, the chain of companies devoted to discovering, developing, and testing new pharmaceutical compounds and medical devices, you should never use the word Partner on your website or in your marketing materials (e.g., “We will partner with you to [...]
In discussions with a bioscience client the other day, we noted that many firms in the life science service sector are concerned about a very narrow aspect of their competitors’ marketing: the feature list. “If ‘those guys’ have a list on their web site, we better have a list too.” It is easy to see [...]
The design process successively envisions the future, focusing on and forecasting a finer level of detail with each iteration. Sometimes, though, it is easier to envision the future if you look to the successes and failures of the past. A recent discussion with a client reminded us of this. He wanted to fill out the [...]
There is a lot of discussion about branding among marketers. The word branding originally referred to pressing red hot metal into the flesh of cows. It took a lot of work to wrestle the cow to the ground. The whole process smelled bad, and the result was permanent. Once branded, there was no way to [...]
Clarity is needed now more than ever. Bringing technology out of the lab successfully means finding ways to have meaningful conversations about very sophisticated issues with non-scientists. The American Medical Association and Medco Health Solutions (a pharmacy benefits manager) recently surveyed more than 10,000 US physicians. A few of the results: the number of doctors [...]