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It’s time to start life science marketing planning for the next year, and we’d like to help you get the most out of your budget with this guide. We’ll assume that the Mayans are wrong and that the world won’t end, at least not before Q4. We’ve updated our life science event planning calendar which has 2012 conference and relevant due dates to help you get abstracts and other items in on time, especially if you add the google calendar to yours so you’ll get reminders. In addition, we’ve added the official Twitter hashtag for each event (where available) so you can track them (see our guide to life science hashtags to learn more).

Life Science Event Listings

Below is our list of life science media kits and editorial calendars. Marketers use them to plan their tactical schedules, see our life science marketing plan series for more details. We’d hoped to find more of the 2012 versions of these schedules, but several are from 2011. We’ll try to update them as they become available, try poking around the websites and contacting the publications yourself to find them.

Our 2011 survey of life science marketers indicated an increase in spending on social media, we’ll repeat the survey for 2012 soon. What are your thoughts on the trends for spending and success in 2012?

Life Science Media Kits, Editorial Calendars & Contacts

To share this post easily, cut and paste: 2012 Life Science Marketing Planning Guide: Events, Media Kits & Contacts http://bit.ly/oVQ8e7

There have been reports that have been coming out lately showing that multitasking, an activity often exacerbated by the internet and social media, can be less effective, shorten our attention spans and even affect our relationships. Recently I went to some conference presentations and noticed a difference in my attention span–that nagging feeling that I’m missing information, having to tell myself “you can only check your phone once every 15 minutes.” I decided to go cold turkey for a day–no internet, period. Granted, it was a Sunday, but I gained some insights relevant to life science business planning that i’d like to share.

I started at 7 p.m. Saturday, announcing to the Twitterverse that they should expect to not hear from me for 24 hours. Shortly after I signed off I realized I promised to make a dish the next morning for which I did not have the recipe…get out the old cookbooks! Lesson one was that I rediscovered the usefulness of browsing. I have about 40 cookbooks, several I have forgotten about, and I reacquainted myself with some of them and some recipes I would never have found via a Google search. When we rely on what we think we want, we limit ourselves. I actually found my first Seth Godin book in the ‘new books’ section at my local library. My point? Find ways to ‘browse’ for ideas for your life science business, whether it be books, magazines, or events where you’ll meet people with backgrounds and ideas that may differ from yours. Yes, we have too many meetings, but what about starting a few creative brainstorming meetings over lunch with pizza? Things just happen IRL (in real life) that don’t happen over email–in effect, you’re ‘browsing’ others’ ideas.

The next morning was tough, as I normally begin the day with my smart phone or computer. I was left alone with my thoughts! Lesson two is that time to gain perspective is important. From a business perspective, this is incredibly important. With marketers moving towards social media, with its daily need for content and curation, there is a tendency towards implementing tactics without having a strategy. To combat this, we suggest creating more living documents, such as a Social Media Charter, which can change more frequently than a yearly marketing plan. This way, you’ll have a plan, but be able to make changes on the more rapid scale that social media requires. Additionally, you need to allow your team time to develop and implement social media strategies–don’t just have them incorporate them into their daily tasks. Studies have shown that multitasking takes longer than doing tasks serially. We’ve provided a guide to implement social media in 10 minutes a day to help.

My next challenge came when I was driving to my friends’ new house–no GPS allowed! I found that my road map was still in my car and used it to guide me. Additionally, I discovered that I looked more carefully for landmarks and felt as though I now have more skills to find the house even if I make a wrong turn. Lesson three and parallels to life science business here? Many of us have gotten into the business side of life science because we have natural abilities and instincts in marketing, sales, or management. Today, we can get sidetracked by the many metrics available, for example website analytics, brand monitoring, and key performance indicators. Are you being driven by any of these metrics unnecessarily? Take a step back and talk to your colleagues or customers about what’s important to your business and what direction you think the business should take.

I made it (just barely) to 7 p.m. that Sunday with no internet, it actually was very refreshing. The number of emails that accumulated were minimal, and checking hourly really would have been a waste of time–I really don’t need to be so tied to it! I’ve decided to ‘unplug’ for a half day every week, and to multitask less. Many of my tasks require the internet, so going without it is tough (I can simply switch the wifi off on my laptop if needed), but I can shut off Twitter and email easily enough. I love my Moleskine journal and will continue to have it handy for jotting down notes or drafting blog posts. Off site planning meetings are also in the works for us. Time to gain perspective is rarely wasted, I suggest you do the same. I’ve also heard some companies ban smart phones from meetings. What are your ideas for unplugging?

To share this post easily, cut and paste: My 24 Hours Unplugged: What We Can Learn About Life Science Business Planning http://bit.ly/lnfPJg

Are you a life scientist or marketer planning for 2011? Below, we list resources for you, including a Google calendar which you can add to yours with reminders for major conferences and their due dates for abstracts, etc. We’ve also included editorial calendars and media kits for traditional publications. We’d also like to help marketers learn how to support ’2.0′ publications like blogs and wikis, and we’re working on that, stay tuned!

Life Science Conferences

Here is our list of life science media kits and editorial calendars. Marketers use them to plan their tactical schedules.

Life Science Media Kits, Editorial Calendars & Contacts

To share this post easily cut and paste: Everything You Need For 2011 Life Science Planning http://bit.ly/lifesciplanning

We talk a lot about social media on this blog, and are of course strong proponents of its utilization for life science and biotech companies. One of the aspects we like about it is that the basics of traditional marketing planning are also the cornerstones of social media planning. For this series of posts, we’ll go back to basics and explore traditional marketing plans–beginning with their ‘raison d’etre’ to the details of developing one. We see marketing plans as a journey in which you learn along the way, and we’ll provide one ‘piece’ of the map in each of these posts, helping you to see the big picture by the end of this series.

What is a marketing plan? Marketing plans can be centered around a product, product line, brand, or small company. My experience has been that they are developed early in the fourth quarter preceding the fiscal year they describe. While they can be discussed by a team, normally I’ve seen one person taking the lead in writing the document–of course this is dependent on the scope of the plan. Input can come from anywhere, but the marketing group and the management should own them and have the research to back up the marketing plan’s claims. They can take the form of a text document with figures (e.g., Microsoft Word) and usually include a summary presentation (e.g., Microsoft PowerPoint). In theory, they should be considered living documents which can be modified by the owners (in practice this often proves too difficult for the busy marketing professional).

What are the components? Of course you can find marketing plan templates online, and you can certainly customize them to fit your needs. Here are what we consider to be the basics:

1. Executive Summary
2. Situational Analysis
3. Sales History & Forecast
4. Market Research
5. Competitive Analysis
6. Strategy
1. Messaging & Positioning
2. Overall Plan
7. Tactical Plan
1. Events (Conferences, Ad planning, Product Launches)
2. Budget

You’ll often hear the components referred to more generally as strategic and tactical marketing. Overall strategy is determined by the careful analysis of components 2-5 above, and it guides the tactical plan. We’ll go through each of these in detail in subsequent posts.

Why do I need a marketing plan? We all understand that having a plan makes everything work better, but I’ve worked in smaller companies in which it has been very difficult to justify taking time off to write a formal document. Let me give you a few examples for why it is so important, and why it will actually make your work easier.

Consistency. Working through a marketing plan will help you to see your path clearly for your product or product line and to quickly communicate it to others. For example, let’s say your objective is to be the leading provider of fast, high performance protein chromatography, and your target customers work mostly in pharma companies. This is all part of defining your positioning in the market, and will guide all of your marketing materials and actions. Every time you or your colleagues communicate with a customer, write a marketing piece, etc. you’ll be guided by this principle. This will result in a consistent message which will improve your brand perception.

Better product development. Successful companies are driven by the market. In a smaller biotech or life science company, the products (at least initially) are by nature driven by the market, because the company was likely founded based on strong need. However, as companies grow, there is a tendency for scientific companies to produce what they ‘can’ rather than what they ‘should.’ Developing a yearly marketing plan is a great way to get a reality check and to define your product line’s direction and be ready to give solid reasons to back your decisions. Additionally, having a document that can be forwarded to the R&D team is a powerful way to help everyone brainstorm about product development.

Time savings. Your colleague comes to you with a great conference at Cold Spring Harbor which he says is PERFECT for your company to attend. Your answer? Thank him, but point to the marketing plan and indicate that your target market won’t be in attendance, so it doesn’t make sense. Quick decision, no feelings hurt (hopefully), and you’ve pointed him in the right direction as to what conferences he should be looking for.

More bang for your buck. The strength of a good marketing plan is in the power to see how tactics can work together to be more powerful than they are individually. The tactical plan normally takes the form of a spreadsheet or table which list the months of the year and every major planned event, such as product launches and conferences. These can also be cross-referenced with editorial calendars (see our 2010 planning guide). Example? Let’s say your big product is launching in August, but you see that a relevant conference and editorial piece are available in July. By planning ahead, you may be able to work with R&D for an earlier launch, and come out with a bang in month of July with news about your product at the conference and in the editorial.

A marketing plan is a journey in which you step back and look at things more broadly, and spend the year prepared, making smarter decisions and being less reactionary. Of course, a marketing plan can be written any part of the year–there’s no time like the present. Next in our series will be The Elements of a Life Science Marketing Plan. Sign up for updates so you won’t miss anything, and see the whole series here.

To share this post easily, cut and paste: The Life Science Marketing Plan, Part 1: What Is It And Why Do I Need One? http://bit.ly/bX4Tok

It’s December and 2010 is within reach! We thought we’d provide some resources for life scientists and marketers. We’ve listed conferences on our calendar, be sure to bookmark it. Are we missing your favorite conference? Let us know and we’ll add it. Also, we’ve listed some uber life science event calendars, including the Cell Press calendar where you can let them know you’re attending and connect with others who’ll be there! Great idea. Below that, we’ve got listings for media kits for life science marketers. Again, let us know if we’re missing any information, and have fun planning for 2010!

Life Science Conferences

Here is our list of life science media kits. Marketers use them to plan their tactical schedules. Unfortunately, many are 2009 versions, and don’t list prices, but we’ve included contacts for you to get the most up to date information.

Life Science Media Kits & Contacts

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