The latest news, tips and insights from science and marketing

Problem-solving is at the heart of many scientific disciplines, so it’s hardly surprising that scientists question new information. When it comes to their buying behaviours, the same thinking applies—scientific researchers tend to analyse their options and base their purchase decisions on data, as well as peer recommendations. To engage with these audiences, marketers need to align with their research-driven nature.

Inbound marketing uses relevant and valuable content in a structured way to naturally attract prospects to your website. Through provision of this high-quality content, you can increase website visitors, generate more leads and increase your revenue in the life sciences sector. We showcase how effective Aptuit, a contract research organisation (CRO), found this approach.

When it comes to influencing prospective customers in the life science sector, outbound marketing approaches such as cold calling, banner ads and unsolicited emails are no longer delivering a return on investment like they used to. Poorly targeted and relatively expensive, these once tried-and-tested tactics are increasingly delivering disappointing results. As marketers, if we want to continue to engage with modern scientific audiences, it’s vital that we adapt to be successful. Here, we look at how buyer behaviour has evolved, and why updating your marketing strategy using an inbound approach could deliver better results.

PRESS RELEASE: BioStrata is proud to confirm that Her Majesty The Queen has approved the Prime Minister's recommendation that the company should receive a Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise recognise achievements by businesses based in the UK with strong corporate social responsibility. BioStrata’s managing directors, Paul Avery PhD and Clare Russell PhD, will join the other 2019 winners at a Reception hosted by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace later this year.

PRESS RELEASE: Life science marketing communications agency BioStrata has announced a series of new appointments this quarter, as part of its ongoing strategy to further develop its specialist services across public relations and inbound marketing. All five new hires will be based out of BioStrata’s UK headquarters in Cambridge, although its team also spans North America and mainland Europe.

Life after university… it's a challenge every graduate has to face! And something that really sneaks up on you as you approach the end of your bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree. After all, choosing the right vocation is a big step, and a predicament we all face at the end of our studies. It’s certainly something I experienced at the end of my PhD.

At that point, all I knew was that I loved science and wanted it to be the basis of my career, but I did not see myself becoming a lab-based scientist in either industry or academia.

So, I asked myself, "what are my options? What’s out there for someone who wants to apply their scientific knowledge and skill, but perhaps not in the lab?" From a kaleidoscope of advice, thoughts and feedback, I whittled down my focus to specific areas within the commercial side of the life science industry.

At some point in their career, every scientist must decide whether to continue in academia, or to step outside the confines of the lab and make a scientific difference in another role. For me, when I finished my PhD, I knew that I'd completed my academic journey, and wanted to use the skills I had developed in another environment.

A career in science writing had always appealed to me, as learning and communicating about new and exciting science was my favourite thing about my studies. However, I had many questions about what being a science writer would actually involve, and wanted to know if I had the right skillset and experience to become one. 

Since I joined life science marketing specialists BioStrata, I’ve been lucky enough to learn about a wide range of interesting scientific topics (and I get to tell the world about it every day through my writing). This experience hopefully also puts me in a more-informed position to answer some of the questions I had before I started down this career path. So, if you’re thinking about a science writing career, I hope this blog will help clear up some queries that you may have!

As a life science graduate, I found myself facing a huge decision when it came to my future career: stay in the lab, or foray into the commercial world. After running a number of experiments in my head, and having studied the results with care, I decided to test myself in the world of life science marketing. This was a decision I will never regret.

Perhaps you’re a recent science graduate who is considering making a similar decision? In case it helps you with that process, here are four things I love about working in life science marketing.

As a life science marketing pro, you’re likely to be one of those people who love to share their industry expertise and experiences by attending networking sessions and events. Earlier this year, one of our directors, Paul, was lucky enough to be invited to speak at the Cambridge HubSpot User Group meet-up—a quarterly event for local HubSpot users to exchange ideas, discuss trends and challenges, and learn from each other’s experiences. With the recent content marketing explosion, the last HUG event was focussed on a key industry challenge: how to make your content stand out from the noise.

As a marketer that may specialise in content creation and inbound marketing, this is a challenge you are likely to have faced before. So, what’s the solution? Here are some insights from Paul’s talk at the recent HUG event.

There is little questioning the value of LinkedIn as a powerful social network for life science marketing professionals. But are you taking advantage of all that LinkedIn has to offer?

Although you can certainly use the platform to connect with colleagues, the real benefit of LinkedIn lies in the vast global networking opportunities it provides. One of the best ways to unlock the social network’s potential is by participating in groups that are highly relevant to your specific industry sector.

Networking through LinkedIn groups can help you position yourself as a thought leader, highlight your company’s expertise and obtain useful industry insights. Here, we’ve gathered a few top tips to help you make the most of the LinkedIn groups’ functionality to boost the effectiveness of your life science marketing programmes.

The best technology, product or service doesn’t necessarily win in the marketplace, and having a great product doesn't guarantee you customers or market share. This is particularly true in the life science industry—but why is this the case? There a number of reasons, but four major factors are:

• People can’t buy something they have never heard of
• People won’t buy something they do not understand
• People won’t buy something if they cannot clearly see how it benefits them
• People won't buy from a supplier they do not respect and trust.

These four challenges all have something in common—people—and unlocking the power of customer-centric marketing has huge potential to generate more awareness, demand, leads and sales. So, how do you put the customer at the centre of your life science marketing activities?