Sneak Peek: Marketing to Life Scientists Report
The following is an excerpt from the introduction of our upcoming report, 2018 Trends in Marketing to Life Scientists – Connecting, Influencing, and Sharing
Generational Marketing
One of the fundamental tenets of marketing is to know one’s audience in order to fully understand their needs and communicate effectively. Generational marketing seeks to deliver a consistent brand message to the right cohort using the most appropriate media. It is based on the concept that every generation has distinct experiences, shared memories and values that shape their expectations and influence their buying behavior.
In the US, the life science workforce is aging – a reflection of overall population trend. As older scientists retire, they make room for newly trained scientist workers who bring updated skills to the lab and new approaches to problem solving. Europe and Japan, still strongholds of life science instrument and service development, are also being challenged by influxes of fresh talent present in newer, quickly growing life science markets, such as China.
No matter their country of origin, scientists are consumers first. They go home and have a life outside of the lab.
They watch television, leaf through magazines, and browse Facebook. However, every media channel they consume inside the lab, during their commute, or sitting at home can be a potential touchpoint to interact with your brand. And every interaction with your brand has the potential to leave a lasting impression.
Life science marketers, who understand the different traits and behaviors of different generations, have the opportunity to demonstrate credibility, establish trust and build brand loyalty across this wide variety of touchpoints.
Where generational marketing applies to the life sciences is in experience with technology, the acceptance of different forms of marketing, and the media used to consume it. This report examines the marketing preferences of different generations and some emerging trends in marketing that have implications for the life sciences.
Redefining Customer Experience
Providing an exceptional customer experience (CX) across all touchpoints is essential in the life science tools market, where opportunities for technological differentiation are often hard to find. Traditionally, customer-facing departments such as sales, customer support and technical service carried the burden of ensuring a customer’s experience with the purchase and use of a product. Interactions with these departments were, at the very least, satisfactory.
But as the customer’s interactions with a company become increasingly digital, it is the marketing department that is managing a growing number of digital touchpoints from the beginning of customer awareness, to a successful purchase and use of a product.
Advances in technology to support marketing efforts are both a driver and a result of the need to identify and reach a tech-savvy customer base that searches for information in constantly changing ways. Some technologies even harvest data on customer behavior to generate predictive insights.
Brands have always strived to deliver a seamless customer experience across multiple channels and these technologies are making it possible for customers to interact with their suppliers through the channel of their choice, at their convenience and while using a variety of devices. Marketing is taking the lead in effectively communicating value using a variety of media, such as optimizing website design, selecting the appropriate supporting technologies, and coordinating with internal sales, service and IT departments. Now more than ever, marketing is also responsible for using data analytics to anticipate customer needs and influence their behavior to the purchase decision and beyond.
In 2018, the CX challenge for life science vendors is not just to stay competitive with their peers but also compete against sophisticated consumer companies who are constantly rolling out new features to improve the overall quality of their customers’ brand interactions. To stay relevant, attract potential customers, and increase customer loyalty, we recommend focusing on the key areas analyzed by this report.
You can pre-purchase the full report here for a 10% discount up through October 31.
