2. MAKE IT CREDIBLE. In marketing, sometimes the most expensive thing to do is nothing. Great companies view marketing as an investment, not an expense. Credibility is king and strategic branding and public relations are the engine that drives credibility.

1. BACK TO THE BASICS. A proven formula for success is to apply the basics of marketing with relentless repetition—create the ideal brand image or positioning, reach the right target audience, and use the best mix of communication venues and vehicles.

We're Wonderful, Buy from Us. Basing your brand position solely on your technology without focusing on the needs of the target market. If you get too close to your products, it can blind you to the facts. You need to look honestly at your products through the eyes of group purchasing organizations, physicians, and patients who buy, prescribe, and use your products.

We Are the World. Unwilling to focus your efforts because you are trying to be all things to all people. When you try to meet all of the needs of too many diverse target markets, you invariably spread your resources too thin. A strong marketing strategy requires a focused effort and a willingness to let go of all but the best market segments.

Bells & Whistles Syndrome. Forgetting that your technological bells and whistles may differentiate you from your competitors, but may not be of primary importance to your target market. After years of R&D, it's easy to understand why some people become emotionally attached to the features of a product and how they are better than the competition, rather than real benefits for defined customers. If the feature is not critical to enough customers, it might actually be a sales deterrent, or not worth the resources it took to develop. This is why your product development folks and R&D need to be on the same page.

Box Syndrome. Refusing to consider a new brand strategy that is out of the box. Everyone says they like to think "out of the box," but often people don't feel safe doing something that may "rock the boat." Define the strategy based on what is best for the target market, or you'll probably end up tipping the boat anyway.

We are the Recognized Leader. Imitating the brand position of the market leader rather than identifying a unique brand position that is credible, actionable, and clearly differentiated from your competitors. Everyone loves a winner and it is natural to think that if you are more like them, you will succeed. In strategic brand marketing you must create a unique brand position that is important to the target market, then "own" that position in their minds, hearts and egos.

If Only Syndrome. Believing that you cannot possibly win market share from a formidable competitor because you do not have something that they have. Your competition has a large, well-established sales force and their products are faster, cheaper and more sensitive. Get over it. Smart marketers look for the target market's hot buttons and never forget that they are selling to humans. The target market may appear to be very analytical and price conscious, but they also have been known to buy emotionally—such as all types of shiny, fast cars.

Knee-Jerk Marketing. Being reactive to competitive tactics rather than staying committed to a proactive brand strategy. It's human nature to get bored with your marketing message and want to try something different. We can also overreact to anything our competitors do, sending us scrambling around to develop a response. Your brand communications need the frequency and reach necessary to sink into the minds of your decision makers and key influencers.

This is a great time for biomedical companies that know how to leverage strategic marketing and brand positioning to gain market share. It takes guts to focus your efforts, empathy with your customers to differentiate your products, and patience to stay committed to your brand position. Carefully choose your path to the top by avoiding the most common barriers to success.

I was hiking up the hill at Torrey Pines with a friend the other day. We were talking about all the hurdles a company faces bringing a medical product to market. It really is like climbing a mountain. After years of R&D, clinical trials and regulatory reviews, you finally reach the summit—FDA approval for market release. The rest of the journey should be easy, right? Unfortunately, FDA approval is just one in a series of mountains you have to climb to succeed in today's marketplace.

My friend and I agreed that many of the hurdles companies face are self-induced problems—because they simply can't get out of their own way. This is especially true when you begin making important marketing decisions. What needs of the target market should be addressed? How do you communicate the product benefits? What are the competition's true strengths and weaknesses?

Everyone on the team knows these questions need to be resolved before launch. So why is it so difficult to identify a clearly defined strategic brand position and marketing plan that everybody in the company will understand and support? The answer is that when a group of people work long and hard on developing a product, it's natural to become passionately involved with every aspect of it. Often everyone's opinion differs on which is the best path to success.

I'll be posting a few of the common ways that a product team can "get in its own way" when developing marketing strategies. Here's a good one:

Analysis Paralysis. Unwilling to commit to a strategic direction because of the overpowering need for more information and market research. Engineers, scientists, and marketing managers with MBAs tend to crave more data. Information is empowering, but there comes a time when choices must be made or the window of opportunity will close.