The Importance of a Solid Life Science Growth Strategy

While marketing is widely considered to be an art, it’s also a science. We hypothesize new strategies, test them, rework them, and test them again. And again. And again. You get the idea. But instead of working with medical devices or beakers, we work with targeted audiences and keyword research.

Understanding where the two specialties overlap is your key to crafting a life sciences growth strategy that works. One that shortens your sales cycle and drives sustainable revenue growth. But, in order to effectively reach and sell to your target audience, you need to have a solid online strategy. Whether that means building a new website or jumpstarting a monthly newsletter, the time to start is now (or right after reading this blog).

Why is this so important? According to a Salesforce survey, 85% of consumers conduct research before they make a purchase online. Two of the most popular channels for research are websites (74%) and social media platforms (38%). If you’re not active on either of these channels, chances are your prospects will never know you exist.

 

Make Marketing Part of Your Brand’s DNA

We know that it’s challenging to take time away from your daily tasks to think about B2B growth marketing. You’re busy and it’s nice to think that if you just keep building amazing products, customers will keep buying them. But, no matter how durable and high-quality your products are, your competition with better growth plan will always win.

BNP Engage can help make sure your scientific company’s digital strategy is faultless. Read on for our 4 proven growth strategies for life sciences companies.

 

1. Modernize & Optimize Your Website

When was the last time you updated your website? If it’s been several years or you aren’t sure, it’s probably time for a website redesign. Life sciences companies that we’ve worked with often struggle with keeping their website updated. This can simply be because they may not know exactly what makes a good website in the first place.

Some qualities of a truly great website include:

• Easy to use
• Accessible
• Intuitive navigation
• Optimized for search engines
• Compatible across devices
• Secure using SSL encryption
• Reflective of your overall brand
• Fast loading speeds

Your website should function well, inform visitors, and be consistent with your brand’s messaging and appearance. Ensure your website is designed for your audience and uses the language they use. Within your website content, answer their questions like “What does this mean for me?” and “How does this help me/my company?”

Remember that your website will likely be the first impression your prospects have of your business. As a scientific company, there’s no reason for your website to be flashy. In fact, bright colors and over-the-top animations could likely confuse your audience and drive them away.

 

 

As I briefly mentioned, your website should be optimized for your audience with SEO. Think about what they may type into Google that would lead them to your brand. Conduct keyword research to help you craft a B2B SEO strategy that places your website content in front of the right eyes.

However, it’s important to think about both search engines and your audience when writing. If you are drafting content with the sole purpose of ranking well on search engines, you’ll sound like a robot. As a result, your visitors will quickly abandon your website for one with clearer language written for humans.

Give your content the best of both worlds! Write copy that’s both valuable to your audience and uses the right search intents.

 

2. Inform & Convert with Quality Content

Do you create original content such as blogs, white papers, or videos? If not, we’d highly recommend doing so. Scientific companies can benefit from adding content to their website in many ways:

• Boosts website traffic from visitors at all stages of the customer journey
• Builds trust with prospects and customers
• Increases SEO rankings
• Establishes a brand voice and personality

Publish both gated and ungated resources to get the best results from your B2B content strategy. Since gated content requires that visitors fill out a contact form to receive the resource, it’s perfect for generating qualified leads that you can nurture into prospects. On the other hand, ungated content (or content that’s readily accessible without form submission) serves to increase website traffic and build trust with your audience.

It may be tempting to gate all of your content, but this will likely have the opposite effect that you want. Your audience may get frustrated at your lack of on-demand content and leave. Remember: the primary purpose of writing content on your life sciences site is to provide value. Value builds trust and trust leads to conversions and conversions leads to customers.

Before opening that Google doc to start writing, take some time to research what topics your audience is searching for. Then, build your content strategy around it. Don’t forget to promote your products or services naturally within the content to increase lead generation.

 

3. Engage Your Prospects & Partners with Social Media

Whether you’re trying to drive additional revenue or simply build brand awareness, posting on social media is a must. But don’t worry – you do not need to be on every single social media platform to get results. If you’re just getting started, set up one account to test the waters. For a B2B social media strategy, we’d recommend LinkedIn.

According to Octopost, Linkedin drives almost 80% of all B2B Leads. HubSpot conducted a study as well and found that Linkedin generated a lead conversion rate 3x more than Twitter or Facebook. If you’re looking to generate qualified leads through social media, LinkedIn may be your best bet.

Social media is also a great way to keep tabs on what content your audience wants to see. You can do this by keeping tabs on your top competitors’ LinkedIn posts. What content from your competitors is getting the best engagement? What topics get the most responses? You can use this information to build a highly engaging, targeted social media content strategy that resonates with your audience.

When you’re first starting out, try posting 2-3 times per week. Take advantage of LinkedIn’s analytics to track your audience’s behavior along the way. At what time of day do they typically interact with your posts? Do they respond best to videos, polls, images, or a different post type? Use this information to consistently tweak and improve your posting.

Remember to post whenever you release a new blog, host an upcoming event, or reach an exciting milestone. Posting a variety of content will help keep your audience engaged and give them a reason to interact. The more that they interact with your posts, the broader your reach will be. So, whether you’re trying to increase brand visibility or convert more qualified leads, social media is the place to be.

 

4. Monitor & Maintain Your Online Reputation

When growing your life sciences company, think about how people find your business in the first place. In the scientific industry, quality is everything. Damaged or poorly made materials could have serious consequences for your customers. Your audience will want to be certain that the products or services you’re delivering will suit their needs. Your reputation online matters.

According to G2, 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase from a brand after reading a trusted review. Think about your own experiences. When was the last time you tried a new restaurant or bought a product from a business without looking at a few reviews first? I can’t remember, either. Nobody wants to spend money on a product or service that may not meet their expectations. And that includes your audience.

 

 

Take a moment to type your business into Google search. I’ll wait.

Did you do it? Now, take a look at your reviews. Businesses have the best luck at attracting leads when their business has at least a 4.2 – 4.5 star rating. You’d think that having a 5-star rating is the holy grail, but that isn’t the case. With a perfect rating, customers might assume that your business is writing or buying fake reviews.

If you’re in need of more (or any) positive reviews, there are ways you can collect them:

• Ask for a review directly after a purchase
• Use an automated testimonial request software
• Build a testimonial request email template
• Offer an incentive to employees who collect the most reviews
• Send an SMS survey

Customers read a minimum of ten reviews before feeling confident about making a purchase. Try getting up to ten quality reviews as a short-term goal. This will both improve your audience’s trust and boost your scientific website’s SEO results – particularly if the review mentions the specific product or service you provided.

 

Partner with a Life Sciences Growth Agency

Our team of experienced growth marketers has worked with businesses in the healthcare, biotech and medical device industries for 15+ years. Our knowledge of scientific growth marketing strategies runs deep and we’re passionate about helping your business achieve sustainable growth. Ready to start a conversation? Reach out to BNP Engage today to learn more about how we can work together. We can’t wait to hear from you!