Speaking Your Customer's Language: A Growth Strategy for Life Science Companies
Who it's for: Biotech marketers looking to connect better with their audiences.
What you'll learn: How to adjust your messaging to reflect what your customers truly care about, and why that can unlock growth. This blog explains how to shift from inside-out technical language to audience-first communication that builds trust and drives action.
If you're in biotech, you already know this truth: brilliant science alone doesn't win markets.
I've watched too many innovative life science companies struggle to gain traction, not because their technology isn't revolutionary, but because potential customers simply don't understand what they do or why it matters.
As a BD Lead or Marketing Manager in this space, you're caught in the middle: translating complex science into compelling messaging that results in actual business. Let's see why language matters more than you might think, and what practical steps you can take to turn communication into a competitive advantage.
Why Clear Language Beats Technical Jargon Every Time
The hard reality? Your potential customers are drowning in technical content from every biotech vendor vying for their attention.
When everyone's claiming to be "innovative" and "cutting-edge," speaking plainly becomes your superpower. Here's why clarity wins:
Different stakeholders have different priorities. Your audience includes scientists, procurement teams, C-suite executives, clinicians, etc. your value proposition on their own terms.
Decisions aren't made on scientific merit alone. Even highly technical purchases are influenced by how easily someone can explain your value to others in their organization.
You have seconds, not minutes. In 10-15 seconds, the majority of page visitors decide whether to continue. Complex language extends that decision timeline, and not in your favor.
You are not "dumbing down" your science here. It all comes down to strategic communication that preserves scientific credibility while removing unnecessary complexity. Stated differently, describe your work in terms of client results rather than merely technology.
The Multilingual Advantage: How Translation Drives Lead Generation
If international markets are part of your growth strategy, a multilingual website isn't just nice to have—it's essential. Here's the business case.
Case Study
A US-based laboratory reagents company found that one-third of their website traffic came from South America, despite having no physical presence there. More importantly, 25% of their qualified leads originated from Portuguese and Spanish versions of their website.
The numbers tell the story:
The keyword “ELISA Kit” in English for the U.S. costs $4.84 per click.
In contrast, the same keyword in Spanish (Mexico), “Kit de ELISA”, the costs drop to $0.86.
In Portuguese (Brazil), “Kit ELISA”, costs $0.81.
The impact goes beyond just cost savings.
Search visibility. Even technical audiences search in their native language first. Without localized content, you're invisible in these markets.
Trust is tied to familiarity. The use of culturally relevant language can also mitigate perceived risks associated with online transactions, enhancing consumer trust and satisfaction (Alcántara-Pilar et al., 2016).
Global partnerships depend on accessibility. Your ability to localize content reflects your commitment to collaboration.
The result? Lower customer acquisition costs and higher conversion rates in markets your competitors might be overlooking.
Click to learn more about multilingual strategy for biotech companies
Four Steps to Align Your Messaging with Customer Expectations
Ready to make your messaging work harder? Here's a practical framework.
1. Map Your Audiences First
Before writing a single word of copy, segment your audiences by:
Role (scientific, clinical, business, investor)
Region (languages, cultural context)
Buying stage (awareness, evaluation, decision)
This mapping exercise reveals which pain points matter most to each group—and what language they use to describe them.
2. Reframe Feature as Outcomes
Instead of:
“We supply high-purity endotoxin testing reagents for QC workflows.”
Try:
"We help QC teams detect endotoxins faster and with greater accuracy—so they can release products with confidence and meet regulatory deadlines without delays."
3. Invest in Professional Localization
Google Translate might work for your vacation, but not for your business. Work with translators who understand life sciences to:
Correctly translate technical terminology
Maintain your brand voice across languages
Adapt to regional regulatory contexts
The cost of professional translation is far lower than the cost of misunderstanding in international markets.
4. Test and Refine Based on Data
Use website analytics, heatmaps, and engagement metrics to see how different audiences interact with your content. Pay special attention to:
Where visitors drop off
Which messages drive the most engagement
How behavior differs across regions
Then adjust your messaging based on evidence, not assumptions.
How to Align Your Messaging with Customer Expectations
The Bottom Line: Language as a Strategic Asset
In a field where everyone claims scientific excellence, how you communicate that excellence becomes a key differentiator.
The most successful biotech companies don't just explain their science, they connect it to customer outcomes in language that resonates, whether that's in English, German, Mandarin, or Spanish.
If you're ready to turn language into a strategic asset for your company's growth, start by asking: "Would our ideal customer immediately understand what we do and why it matters to them?" If the answer isn't a confident "yes," there's work to be done—and competitive advantage to be gained.
References:
Alcántara-Pilar, J. M., del Barrio-García, S., Porcu, L., & Crespo-Almendros, E. (2016). The Moderating Role of Language in the Relationship Between Perceived Risk, Perceived Usability, and Satisfaction Online (pp. 177–181). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29877-1_39