How to Create a Successful Email Marketing Campaign by Engaging the Scientific Mind

Guest Post from Shannon Weiman, Ph.D., science e-commerce writer, and student of your email tactics.

Email Marketing That Gets a Scientist’s Attention

Carlton raises some good points in his response to Lara’s blog post: “Don’t Let Your Science Email Marketing Campaign End Up in the Trash.” But rather than undermine the ideas conveyed in the post, they serve to underscore the intended message.

Yes, scientists are super-savvy about sniffing out a marketing scheme and have zero patience for email marketing B.S. They are trained to be skeptical, to doubt, to ask questions. Compelled to apply the same rigor to an overt ad campaign, scientists will immediately question the validity of your claims and send your email marketing to the trashcan (despite your best efforts highlight the value of your product).

Why should they trust you over your competitors or their current supplier? How do you get past this impenetrable wall of skepticism?

One way is to abandon the idea of traditional advertising altogether and use your audience’s savvy attitude to your advantage. Sounds crazy? Give your intended targets something to engage their intellect, and they may stick around for the punch line: purchasing your product.

Here are 2 great ways to snag your scientists’ interest through valuable email marketing:

1.  Humor is always a great hook. Every scientist needs a laugh, particularly while slogging through endless emails. Asleep in a stupor of trashcan autopilot, catch their attention with an unexpected and refreshing change of pace. I’m not talking slapstick or cheese. I’m talking about clever ways to make scientists take a step back from the intensity of their jobs to laugh at themselves, their field and science in general.

The popularity of PhD Comics speaks to the success of this approach. Nothing is funnier than the truth, if it is presented the right way. Even better if you can throw your product into the mix. Your clever and humorous campaign will make you more memorable and even prompt forwarding among friends- a free and easy way to expand your marketing power!

2.  Another way to hold scientists’ attention is to provide useful information for them to investigate. Scientists are always looking for ways to improve their work, whether designing an experiment or preparing a publication. Technical tips can be helpful, but may be just more of the same for scientists who spend most of their days obsessing about experimental details.

Instead, take a big picture approach, providing mentoring guidance that can be hard to come by in a world of over-extended PIs. Many scientists overlook the fact that these strategies can be just as important in shaping their career as the results they churn out in the lab. Enlighten them with information they can use to achieve their career goals.

Examples of information a scientist can use:

1. Informational links on how to write a grant

2. Short webinar on how to target a paper for publication

3. Q and A with a leader in academic or industry research

4. Communication strategies to deal with troublesome colleagues and bosses

Take advantage of scientists’ drive to investigate

Remember the key to using the above strategies is to minimize the advertising content of the science email, which will deter your audience. This may seem counter-intuitive, but if you simply provide the bait and resources to lead them to your product, scientists will by nature pursue the investigation on their own.

Carlton is right, compared to the average internet user, scientists have remarkable attention spans, reserves of patience, and a dogged tenacity for ferreting out answers.  You need only pique their interest to engage these qualities to your advantage- enticing them to explore on their own.

Make a habit of this novel approach and customers will be more likely to give your emails a glance in the future, rather than sending them directly to the trashcan. If done consistently, they will even look forward to your next installment!

How have you used email marketing to reach your scientists (successfully or unsuccessfully)?

Shannon

Shannon earned her PhD from the University of California, San Diego's Biomedical Sciences Program. Her specialties include Microbiology, Virology, Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine. She now uses her scientific background to write for various outlets, specializing in conference coverage, web content for pharmaceutical companies, blog posts for science networking sites, editing, and event planning.

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