Thermo Fisher Scientific prides itself on sophisticated marketing
that not only sells, but supports its customers throughout their
engagement. Video is a key component of the company’s omnichannel
marketing strategy because it has applications from raising
awareness and increasing mindshare all the way to helping users
get the most out of its solutions.
“For us, marketing is all about involvement with our audience,” says
Kurt Kemling, Global Marketing Communication Manager for
vertical markets from life science research and biopharma to
clinical and environment food and safety. He cites the familiar
Confucius saying: “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may
remember. Involve me, and I will understand.”
Video, he says, helps Thermo Fisher Scientific support its customers
“so they have a better experience using our products.” Video
augments the company’s digital strategy and extends its communications
with prospects and customers.
Kemling and his team have increased their use of video over the
past few years after an “overwhelming customer response” to the
videos they had been creating. This ranges from interviews with key
opinion leaders discussing novel scientific breakthroughs, to
product testimonials, to application videos and more.
Depending on the target audience and marketing goal, videos can
focus on peer-to-peer influence through a recorded poster presentation,
local seminar, or global webinar, to a product user describing
increased throughput or reduced costs from using Thermo
Fisher Scientific solutions in their lab.
Make It Relevant
Kemling has discovered that the right topic, delivered to the right
audience, at the right time is the best recipe for a successful video.
“I have found that most people who consume video care more
about it being interesting and compelling,” he says. “We live in an
age when people are having to scan and we don’t have the luxury
of more than a few minutes of their attention.”
The videos he produces with CompareNetworks, which appear on
Biocompare.com as well as Thermo Fisher Scientific web pages
and channels, meet his criteria for success. Most often, it’s because
“it’s a real scientific conversation.”
As industry leaders, CompareNetworks and Biocompare “are authorities
in terms of topics and trends, and they have strong credibility,”
says Kemling. “It’s not enough for us to hire a vendor for high-production
value video. It’s important for someone like CompareNetworks
to host it and promote it to their audience in an unbiased way.
They stand out as a leader in this regard because they’re scientists
first, not just camera operators. To really engage with influencers
requires an ability to carefully and skillfully craft that interview and
produce video of high quality.”
What Works
While Kemling did not share statistics on Thermo Fisher Scientific
video performance, he says it is in line with industry benchmarks. He
cited general stats around the growing importance of video:
- YouTube video consumption is growing 100 percent each year
- 90 percent of mobile video consumers are sharing video
- Lead conversion can increase as much as 80 percent when
video is included on landing pages
“It is measurable and repeatable and underscores the value of video
in our campaigns,” he says. “Put it this way, we plan to continue using
video in our marketing strategy.”
Kemling continues to innovate and learn when it comes to video
production and deployment. He offers four suggestions to make
video work successfully in a marketing campaign:
1. Make sure the content is something your audience wants to hear.
People would rather watch a video of poor production quality but the
right content than a high-production value piece that “just brags.”
2. Target your audience at the right time. Do your due diligence to
reach customers at the right time, on the right channel, with the right
content.
3. Respect people’s time. By understanding your audience and your
goals, you can better determine how much time people are willing to
give. Break content into digestible chunks.
4. Test. Try different things and see what works, always striving to
improve and give customers what they want, what helps them the
most, and that makes engaging with – and sharing – your video
easiest.