tech transfer marketing metrics in the digital age: what’s working and what’s wasting time and...
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Tech Transfer Marketing Metrics in the Digital Age: What’s Working and What’s Wasting Time and Money?Thursday, November 8, 2012
Teresa Fazio, PhDPortfolio AnalystColumbia Technology Ventures
Cara MichaliszynMarketing ManagerUniversity of New Mexico-STC
Margaret Elliott, MPHMarketing & Communications ManagerColumbia Technology Ventures
Outline• Branding:
• Why a brand is important• E-Marketing Mix• General Metrics for Tracking Brand Marketing• Marketing Videos
• Email marketing• Using student interns to prepare & launch marketing documents• Company lists and resources for targeted marketing• Email templates• Using e-Marketing for Faculty Outreach
• Keys to writing an Effective Web Brief • Optimizing Content for Search Engine Visibility• Leveraging Social Media • Lessons learned
Using the power of the Digital Age to Build your Brand
• Why is brand important?• Brand increases awareness and recall – your technology transfer office
(TTO) is the source of technology• University inventions are generally not developed in response to
market need
• Brand increases familiarity/comfort level with TTO
• Brand motivates licensee diligence/ respect
• Brand creates the opportunity for pull marketing rather than push
• Brand expands outreach efforts locally, nationally and internationally for TTO’s technologies and the organization
E-marketing Mix• Website
– Flintbox (or other technology showcase site) contains technology briefs• Inquiries/established companies directly contact TTO
– Press releases/newsletters– Communication– Promotion
• Subscribe to profile alerts – (i.e. LifeSciencesLink, CommNexus, etc.)
• Webinars to entrepreneurs & investors• Utilize GoToMeeting, AdobeConnect, etc.
• Direct Marketing via Email– Solicit commercial interest and corporate relationships
• Social Media– Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Vimeo, Pinterest, Blog
Track Brand Marketing• TTO Website and Technology Portfolio (Flintbox,
iBridge, Nouvant, etc.)– Analytics
• Daily visitors• Pageviews• Social Media shares• Domain names
• Press releases – Create awareness that TTO is a source of innovative
technology– Create buzz around technology– Track inquiries based on press releases
• Newsletter E-mag– Track views, technology inquiries
• Blog – focused on all activities not just technology – Creating awareness– Track followers
Marketing Videos• Educate your constituencies about the research happening at your University and that
your TTO is the source of technology/patents• Use marketing videos to:
• Educate university researchers about TTO and inform them of how to disclose to the TTO• General outreach• Create additional promotional material that can be used in email marketing• Highlights prolific inventors and their success stories• Create awareness
• Start off with a cheap camera and do minimal editing. If see increased interest or a direct licensing deal as a result of videos, invest more.
Email Marketing Program• Average success rate with 400 campaigns sent 2008-2012:
• 21% click-through rate• 10% reply rate
• Reasons for doing email marketing:• Extend the reach of our licensing officers• Even if a technology isn’t licensed, the program can be helpful:• Get market feedback before a major patent decision• The PI knows we are putting the invention out there.
• Launches & responses monitored through a central Outlook mailbox• Salesforce can also be used• Metrics: Clicks, Bounces, Opens, Replies
Using Student Interns to Prepare E-Marketing
• One intern completes entire “marketing package” per technology• Launched from central mailbox
• 3 parts to a typical marketing assignment: 1. “Company List” of Potential Licensees (4 hours, $80)
- Compilation of email addresses using internal & external sources
2. Email Template (1 hour, $20)- Sent to companies with links to a Tech Brief
3. Tech Brief (4 hours, $80)- Posted on websites, both ours & external- Nonconfidential technology description- Use SEO best practices
•
Company Lists – Resources• Student interns search business databases to find
relevant companies • We maintain an internal contacts database• Full-text searchable by company names, keywords,
positions, etc. • “Constant gardening” is key!
• We include a section to note contacts’ specific fields of interest
• Database tips & tricks:
• Jigsaw & mailtester.com can help confirm
email addresses
Email Templates
Brief, non-confidential overview of the invention• Do not disclose anything that would enable someone
knowledgeable in the field to practice the invention• Just a sentence or two to distill the technology &
pique interest• Must align with corporate strategy
Needs to be compelling to a diverse audience• Initial reader may lack technical background• Come up with a memorable “tweet”• Enable auto-forward of replies to specific licensing
officer through centralized email inbox
Needs to make a quick and lasting impression • May be the only impression a company gets of
an invention
Show target how the invention can help a company and / or its products, e.g.
• Improve R&D efficiency / effectiveness• Save time• Decrease costs
Purely non-confidential information
Description and Objectives Key Lessons
Using Email Marketing for Faculty Outreach
• Scheduled email blasts :– Recently Issued Patent Notices: Congratulatory e-mail to all named inventors
who are active employees, sent to relevant faculty weekly– Publications: E-mail to authors of publications, with a reminder to file an invention
report, sent to relevant faculty, monthly– Initial Commercial Assessment: Sent to all named potential inventors on the
invention disclosure form one week after invention report submission– New Faculty & Research Staff Welcome: A welcome/introductory e-mail to all
new faculty and research staff who have been hired within the preceding four-month term.
– Grant Proposals and Awards: An email to faculty who have submitted or been awarded a grant proposal, sent to relevant faculty monthly
• Effort to improve internal branding • Metrics tracked: Opens, bounces, responses
Technology Briefs: Posted on our website• Must be:
•Scientifically accurate•Detailed enough to elicit interest•Consistent with patent claims; don’t oversell!
• We implement search engine optimization• May be published in PR newsletter or on blog• One-page flyer can be shared with companies• Outline of sections:
• Headings• Descriptions• Inventor bio• Applications & Advantages• Patent Information• Publication Information
Write your Story: Ask “The Big Questions”
– What’s the technology? What does it do?– How does it do that? – How can we prove it does that? – Why would a licensee want it? – What are some similar products or technologies? – What makes it better or different from these? – How would you describe it to someone who doesn’t
know what it is ? – What do I get if I license it?
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: What is it? • The process of making a webpage easily consumable for both humans and search engine
robots.• The SEO elements will draw potential customers to the technology page when they
search online (Google) for terms relevant to the technology.• The well-written content and information on the technology page will grab their interest
and hopefully compel them to license the technology.• SEO is not magic!• *Tell a great story*, then worry about optimization.
Source: SEOmoz: The Beginners’ Guide to SEO
SEO MechanicsBefore You Start Optimizing: Search the internet as you would for the technology you’re describing.
• Choose non-specific identifiers (i.e. NOT a proprietary name)
• Continue searching until your search yields pages that very closely resemble your topic
• Google highlights matching words
This gives hints on how to best describe your technology so it can be found by others ON THE WEB.
Where to use Keywords:
• Title, URL, Browser Tab• Headings• Early in the content (preferably in the first sentence)• Links • Bulleted lists• Image file names, "Alt text“ labels, and captions • Attachment file names
• Remember: Humans are your primary audience!.
• SEO can draw a potential customer to the page. But only clear, understandable writing about the technology’s value will keep them reading and lead to a license!
Leveraging Social MediaSelect Platforms
Follow, Like, Engage
Track Metrics
• Interactions per number of fans/followers by month or week • Clicks to website via social media platforms• Integrating other resources:
Lessons Learned
– Digital marketing is only a tool– Use technology to drive services with greater
efficiency– Social media tools can help but don’t overly rely
on them– Track and analyze your metrics, use them to
inform how you direct your efforts– Keep learning, trying new platforms and engaging
with new audiences
Not everything has to be digital
• Other aspects of marketing just as important in the mix and just as important to track– Leads from Inventors– Research sponsorships– Mailing via USPS to industries not familiar with University TTOs– Events– Printed materials– Plus, too many email blasts can lead to TTO messages turning into spam
QUESTIONS?
Utilize the public chat at the bottom left of your screen to submit your
question. The panel will address them in the order they are received.
Thank You!
Thank you!• Any questions about the content of this talk?
Reach out to us:
Teresa Fazio, PhDPortfolio AnalystColumbia Technology [email protected]
Cara MichaliszynMarketing ManagerUniversity of New [email protected]
Margaret Elliott, MPHMarketing & Communications ManagerColumbia Technology [email protected]