The Brief
In its first year (2017), eight start-ups were selected for the North of England Life Science Accelerator (NELSA) programme, receiving expert help worth £500,000 to become ready for investment – helping to turn their life science or healthcare idea into a business. When BioCity wanted to promote NELSA again, they decided to draw on our expertise in life science and our social media management skills.
Having been disappointed in the number of applicants in previous years, they knew they needed a solid strategy backed up with serious creative skills in order to achieve the number and standard of applicants they were after while working to very short deadlines.
The Work
The project needed a deep dive into the NELSA programme to get a clear understanding of what BioCity were offering applicants, and what sort of applicant they were looking for. From this, the strategy for the short lead-up to the closing date for applications was developed. A multi-channel approach was needed to deliver both creative and digital tasks.
An open communication process was maintained throughout the whole of the project, with content and graphics being approved by the BioCity team on a weekly basis.
With a clear plan in place, we moved on to the creation and development of both content and graphic design work.
All content produced not only adhered to current Brand Guidelines but also picked up on trending news relevant to life sciences and start-ups in order to generate buzz. This went hand in hand with bespoke social media tiles which reinforced the core messages of the campaign.
The Effect
Social Media:
The campaign achieved an increase in the number of quality followers and post engagements on the relevant social media accounts.
Programme Applicants:
There was an increase in both the quality of and number of applications for the NELSA programme.
Ongoing:
They were so impressed with the service we provided in the run up to the closing date for NELSA 2017, that we again provided support for the BioCity team in the run up to the closing date for applications for NELSA 2018.
Zool worked closely with both parties to deliver multiple social media campaigns that were highly targeted and ultimately ensured that the NELSA programmes were always run to capacity. The success of these campaigns led to our work with the Alderley Park Accelerator team in 2019.
Steven Rayner
Director, Zool