Launching a Scientific Product: A Clear and Concise Guide

Bringing a new scientific product to market is an exciting endeavour, but it’s not without its challenges. Unlike typical consumer goods, scientific products often require rigorous validation, precise targeting, and a nuanced approach to market entry. In this blog, we’ll break down the essentials to help you navigate the plan smoothly and lead your product launch to a success.

0. Ask yourself, do you even want to launch?

This might seem obvious to many, but launching the product is not the only answer for your technology innovation. More often than thought, technologies are accessed through service providers, technology transfer or partnerships. On the other side of the spectrum, there are new scientific products that get to a market with a “silent” launch where customers come to know about them by chance, during development and the sales still build from there.

Know where you are and where you want to go are the foundation of all launch plans.

1. Understand Your Market

Before anything else, go out and get to know your market inside out. Who are the researchers, labs, or institutions that will benefit from your product? What specific needs does your product address? Conduct thorough market research to identify your target audience, understand their pain points, and study the competitive landscape. This research will form the foundation of your entire launch strategy.

Do:

• Conduct thorough market research to answer all questions about your target audience and their pain points. Sometimes, it’s good to start with one target customer in mind and make sure you understand their goals, their struggles, their daily tasks… It will help you frame their problems correctly.
• Study the competitive landscape to position your product effectively.

Don’t:

• Assume that what worked in a previous launch will work for this one.
• Overlook niche segments that could benefit significantly from your product.

2. Develop a Clear Value Proposition

For a scientific product, your value proposition needs to be crystal clear. Why should scientists or researchers choose your product over others? Highlight the unique benefits and scientific advantages your product offers, such as increased accuracy, efficiency, or cost-effectiveness. Some products enable science to be done that simply couldn’t be done at all before. This value proposition should be integrated into all your marketing materials, ensuring it resonates with your target audience. Often, the benefits are overlooked during development as it becomes a built-in of the product, but to new users, every detail is a feature and can well be benefits (or disadvantages) to their work.

Do:

• Highlight the unique benefits and scientific advantages your product offers.
• Use data and case studies to support your claims.

Don’t:

• Rely solely on general benefits; specificity is key
• Overlook the importance of demonstrating robustness alongside innovation.

3. Develop Use Cases

For scientific products, it’s crucial to demonstrate how your product can be applied in real-world scenarios. Engage with beta testers, conduct peer reviews, and gather feedback from experts in the field to develop specific use cases. These use cases should illustrate the precision and reliability of your product in various scientific applications. By focusing on real-world use cases, you ensure that your product is optimized for its intended use and builds credibility among potential users.

Do:

• Collaborate with industry experts and early adopters to create detailed use cases with application notes.
• Make the applications known to a broader scientific audience and be ready to receive feedback

Don’t:

• Limit your use cases to only one type of application, one type of sample, one type of customers – unless that market is big enough; still having all eggs in one basket could be risky so versatility is key.
• Ignore feedback that could lead to significant product improvements.

4. Create a Go-To-Market Strategy

A well-thought-out go-to-market strategy is key to a successful product launch. This includes defining your sales channels, pricing strategy, and promotional plan. Define the most effective marketing channels to reach your target audience, whether through academic journals, conferences, or specialized online platforms. Set a clear pricing strategy that reflects the value of your product while being competitive in the market. Have a concerted plan between internal team and external through partners can make great differences to how customer perceive the brand and the products. Additionally, it’s important to remember that branding your company plays a critical role in how effectively you reach your audience, especially for startups. We’ll cover company branding in detail in an upcoming blog.

Do:

• Customize your go-to-market strategy to suit the specific needs of your audience – catered to the field of research, type of organization and also geography.
• Utilize a combination of traditional and digital marketing channels to maximize reach.

Don’t:

• Assume one-size-fits-all in your approach to sales channels.
• Neglect the role of compliance and regulatory in positioning your product in the market.

5. Prepare Your Sales Team

Your sales team should be well-versed in the technical aspects of your product and the market landscape. Provide them with comprehensive training on the product’s scientific applications, competitive advantages, and common objections they may encounter. Equip them with detailed sales scripts, technical data sheets, and case studies that demonstrate the product’s effectiveness in scientific settings.

Do:

• Invest in specialized training and make sure your sales team can confidently discuss both technical and commercial details.
• Use case studies and real-world examples to strengthen sales pitches.

Don’t:

• Assume that technical knowledge alone will close deals; communication skills are equally important.
• Neglect ongoing support and updates for your sales team.

6. Be strategic with your Marketing campaign

Your marketing campaign should generate excitement and credibility within the scientific community while remains under budget. Utilize channels that resonate with your audience, such as research forums, academic publications, webinars, and targeted social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. Ensure that your messaging is tailored to emphasize the scientific rigor and innovation behind your product and never forget the people element in your messages

Do:

• If possible, collaborate with academic institutions and industry influencers to build credibility.
• Host webinars and live demos (e.g., at exhibitions) to showcase your product’s capabilities and allow potential customers to ask questions in real-time.

Don’t:

• Ignore the power of word-of-mouth within the scientific community.
• Rely solely on digital marketing; consider in-person events and demonstrations as well.

8. Post-Launch Evaluation

Once your product is launched, take the time to evaluate its performance. Track metrics such as adoption rates, customer feedback, and overall market penetration. Use this data to refine your approach, whether it’s adjusting your marketing tactics or making further product improvements. Continuous evaluation ensures that your product not only launches successfully but continues to grow in the market. A critical difference between successful and struggling teams lies in the thorough documentation and review of every stage of the launch process. Thorough documentation at every stage ensures everyone is aligned, helps catch issues early, and clarifies what’s not part of the plan to prevent misunderstandings.

Do:

• Set clear, measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) before launch to track success effectively.
• Act on feedback swiftly to resolve any issues and improve the product.

Don’t:

• Assume that a successful launch guarantees long-term success.
• Overlook the importance of post-launch support and product updates.

And that’s not all…

The step-by-step might seem long but all will go by before you realize it once you get on the journey. Hence, it’s even more important to be mindful of all the steps from day one. Launching a scientific product requires a careful balance of precision, strategy, and market understanding. It could be critical at some points to have a second opinion or some extra help on execution. Whether it’s assistance with market research, value proposition refinement, or developing a comprehensive go-to-market strategy, Blacksheep Power is here to support you.

We don’t just offer ideas; what we offer are hands-on experiences from working directly in life science product development and manufacturing over two decades. This means we understand the challenges from multiple angles – whether it’s the technical, commercial, or regulatory side.

We can help guide you through the complexities, so you can focus on what you do best: innovating. Learn more about our service: Commercial Consultation.