Shaking Up Marketing and Communications in Publicly Traded Life Science Companies

As someone who's been in the biotech/life sciences communications and marketing game for a while, I can tell you that traditional marketing and communications approaches, including traditional investor relations (IR) and public relations (PR), just aren't cutting it. The days of the Seeking Alpha writer ‘covering’ the company and sending the stock price spiking are gone. The new “influencer” and other digital tactics aren’t trusted. Many companies, especially as investors are reluctant to write checks, keep their heads in the sand. This is unfortunate, as the time to stand out is when everyone else is standing still.?

The life sciences world is all about innovation - innovation is the lifeblood of our industry. And that means we need to rethink how we engage with our targeted audiences, shareholders and other critical stakeholders. The need to develop relationships with existing shareholders, basically converting them into loyalists who will help the company through thick and thin - while finding new social investors is more critical than ever, no matter the size of the company. It’s about returning to an authentic, small-ball-style company and C-Suite communications plan that comes directly from the company.

I'm talking about CEOs and CFOs getting out there on social media, and engaging directly and appropriately with the investor community. Shareholders today want that personal connection - they want to feel heard and acknowledged. They want to understand the people steering the ship. Who can blame them?

Another key is moving beyond the standard press releases, corporate updates, and annual letters. It's about crafting and effectively distributing a narrative that really captures the company's vision, the team's passion, and the real-world impact they're having. These small companies should have authenticity and agility that resonates with savvy investors who want to feel like true partners, not just faceless shareholders. Like it or not, doing that requires the content plan and execution to develop a consistent messaging cadence in a world that has the attention of a goldfish.?

And it's not just about making noise. It's about starting that conversation early and sustaining it. It’s about employing traditional tactics smartly and staying clear of becoming too corporate too soon! Small companies need to be proactive, connecting with patient groups, tapping into awareness days, and building relationships with the right influencers. A surprising number of KOLs and potential investors actually monitor social media. A great example of a company utilizing digital channels creatively; Komodo Health has developed a functionality to extract insights from social media to help medical affairs teams identify the most influential and relevant digital KOLs. That way, when the company hits a key milestone or releases data, the awareness foundation is already there for a powerful, resonant story.(Contrary to what traditional firms and corporate experts may say: ~80% of institutional investors use social media as an investment research tool, and 30% admit that information from social media directly influences their investment decisions)

The future of public company marketing and communications in our sector is all about storytelling - weaving together the traditional IR and PR practices with a fresh, creative, multi-channel company-driven approach. It's about making those stories heard, sure, but more importantly, making them stick. Because at the end of the day, that's what's going to set these small public companies apart and keep investors engaged for the long haul.

Small companies should have a real edge. They can be nimble, they can listen closely to the market, and they can pivot and innovate at lightning speed. Compare that to the lumbering bureaucracies of the big industry players, and you've got a recipe for some truly compelling stories to tell and effective tactics to utilize. Best of all, you’re starting small, keeping it real, and making your marketing milestones count.?