In our work with life science and research-focused organisations, we often find that many have good intentions but are missing one key ingredient: a solid, well-thought-out communications strategy.
A communications strategy is the roadmap that aligns your comms activities with your organisation’s overall goals.
It answers fundamental questions such as who are you talking to? Why? What do you want them to do? What message do you want to deliver? And through which channels?
All organisations need a communications strategy otherwise your efforts may miss the mark entirely.
To put it bluntly, if your comms aren’t working toward your organisation’s goals, you might as well just post about cats.
Why don’t you have a communications strategy?
There are common reasons we hear as to why some organisations don’t have a communications strategy in place.
In smaller organisations or teams comms professionals are often overwhelmed with day to day activities such as copywriting, content creation or social media. This leaves little time to step back and think strategically.
For others, they might not have the right strategic skills in-house, or could benefit from an external perspective to help them clearly see what they should (and shouldn’t) be focusing on.
The symptoms of not having a communications strategy
When you’re in the thick of marketing and content creation, it can be hard to see that there’s no overarching strategy in place.
If you recognise some of the following issues creeping in, it suggests you’re not taking a strategic approach to your comms.
Ad-hoc content creation: If your team is constantly reacting to the latest trends or internal demands without a clear, overarching plan, chances are your communications aren’t cohesive. Without a plan for the next 6–12 months, it’s hard to stay ahead of the curve.
Unclear contribution to business goals: If you can’t connect your comms activities to tangible outcomes— such as attracting funding, partnerships, or lead generation—it’s likely because you don’t have a strategic framework that ties your communications directly to your organisational goals.
Isolated comms teams: In the worst cases, comms teams feel disconnected from leadership and the organisation’s big picture, leaving them to interpret and communicate the company’s vision on their own. This can happen when comms isn’t seen as a strategic priority by senior leadership.
How to start thinking strategically about communications
So, where do you start when you know you need a communications strategy but don’t have one yet? Here are some tips to get the ball rolling:
1. Carve out time
Start small—set aside regular time to step back and think strategically. Even an hour a week can make a big difference. Big-picture thinking doesn’t mean you stop your day-to-day tasks, but it does require you to make space for it.
2. Find internal champions
Identify people within your organisation who can support and advocate for strategic communications. Having a supportive colleague can help make sure comms are valued at the top, as well as act as a sounding board to help ensure that your ideas align with the company’s broader goals.
3. Align communications with your organisation’s mission
Your communications should reflect your organisation’s core mission. Dig into your company’s strategic goals—whether published on the website or buried in a board paper—and understand what’s most important over the next few years.
4. Identify your key audiences
Ask yourself: Who are we trying to reach, and how can they help us meet our objectives?
Narrow your focus to specific personas rather than vague groups. For example, instead of “investors,” think in terms of “biotech VC firms interested in early-stage oncology research.”
Don’t get carried away, slicing and dicing your audience into ever more segments – start by prioritising 3-5 key personas that are most important to your business goals.
Never made a persona before? Here’s a free tool to guide you through it.
5. The elevator pitch
If you were in an elevator with one of your key audience personas, what would be the one thing you’d want them to hear and remember before the doors open?
This exercise will help you refine your message. It’s tempting to share everything, but clear, focused messaging is always more effective.
6. Understand the barriers
Don’t forget to consider what’s standing in the way of your organisation’s goals.
Do you need to work across a sector that’s fractured into silos? Is there persistent misinformation or misperception about what you do? Or maybe there’s a general lack of awareness about the importance and impact of your work?
Understanding context helps set the scene for your activities and ensures your communications land well with your audiences despite the messy world.
7. Set priorities and establish a timeline
You can’t tackle everything at once—nor should you try. Ruthless prioritisation is the key to success when it comes to effective communications.
Start by determining which objectives to focus on now, which to address next, and what can come later. This will help you create a realistic timeline for your communications strategy and identify when additional support might be needed.
Final thoughts
As we always like to say, boring comms waste your audience’s time, and if they aren’t aligned with your organisation’s goals, they can also slow down progress.
Building a communications strategy ensures that all your efforts—whether it’s content creation, PR, or social media—are pulling in the same direction, helping you meet your long-term objectives.
Need help creating a communications strategy for your life science organisation? As a communications agency focusing on the life sciences, we’re experts at making sure your comms hit the mark.
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Find out how we helped the Research On Research Institute (RoRI) develop a strategic communications approach to align their messaging with their organisational strategy.