Although they provide the necessary foundation for the future of medicine, clinical trials aren’t just a driving force for medical advancements: They can also radically change a person’s world and give them a new lease on life. Yet, despite the potential to deliver such drastic patient improvements, clinical trial patient recruitment is notoriously fraught with challenges.

Twenty percent of clinical trials fail due to inadequate patient enrollment, and a quarter of volunteer patients experience exclusion due to rigorous eligibility criteria. Efforts to make target patient populations aware of clinical trials may be rife with difficulties, and this is compounded by the fact that clinical trials are mired in myths and misconceptions.

This is where effective clinical trial marketing becomes imperative. Gaining access to qualified candidates every trial depends on necessitates implementing a comprehensive plan.

But what does a powerful clinical trial advertising campaign look like, exactly? 

The article below explores what comprises savvy outreach, from formulating a strong digital marketing campaign to nurturing bonds within the medical community. 

Understanding Your Target Audience

The phrase target audience might immediately evoke marketing talk geared toward brands and corporations. But nowhere is speaking—and resonating with—a target patient community more vital than in clinical trial recruitment. 

This has its own set of issues. As mentioned, eligibility requirements must be absolutely stringent, which may immediately narrow lists of potential participants. Further, life sciences and contract research organizations have long struggled to properly diversify their candidate base. 

Before launch, a clinical trial marketing campaign must comply with robust regulations set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs).

Nonetheless, designing a valuable advertising strategy starts with pinpointing exactly which patients will help test treatments accurately. This entails identifying ideal patient profiles and then tailoring messaging to them.

Identifying the Ideal Patient Profile

An ideal patient profile describes the person who would benefit most from a given drug, device, or other form of treatment. Typically, inclusion criteria, as it’s often called, involves identifying (and characterizing) target patient populations by:

• Age
• Gender
• Health status 
• Medical history 
• Type and stage of disease
• Geographic location

Creating “exclusion criteria” is equally critical for the study’s purpose and the safety of participating volunteers.

Dedicated technologies and techniques can improve processes for identifying target audiences and creating outreach materials that propel them into action. These include (but aren’t limited to) machine learning/EHR, social media advertising, mobile apps, and multimedia presentations.

Tailoring Messaging to Patient Needs

Gaining patient trust is essential to every phase of clinical trial recruitment, particularly considering the average 15-40% dropout rate. Empathy is at the core of this, but it also involves using clear, honest language that appeals to your target audience’s age, personality, and preferences. 

Additionally, customized messages ought to:

• State eligibility requirements and outline the patient recruitment screening process
• Explain the aim of the study
• Illustrate the potential advantages and drawbacks
• Describe the importance of participant involvement

Leveraging Digital Marketing Channels

Today, clinical trial marketing doesn’t rely solely on pre-established relationships with healthcare professionals and word-of-mouth referrals (topics explored below). Clinical trial marketing efforts have a substantially greater chance of reaching potential participants between social media advertising, SEO, and digital advertising. 

Website Optimization for Patient Recruitment

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps fuel targeted traffic to clinical trial sites, but webpages must also compel potential participants via:

• A patient-centric, patient-friendly, and easily navigable landing page
• Clear calls to action (CTAs)
• Engaging articles related to your clinical trial
• Testimonials from previous participants (if applicable)

Utilizing Social Media Platforms

Data indicates that social media may boost clinical trial patient recruitment rates. 

How so?

A large part of social media’s power comes from its ability to target difficult-to-reach groups and zero in on those who might be interested.

The platforms that best suit a given clinical trial will depend on its target audience and their online habits and preferences. That said, the most common (and impactful) include:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• X (formerly Twitter)

When crafting posts (and other marketing materials), remember the criticality of customized, straightforward, and compassionate messaging. 

Email Marketing Strategies

With an average open rate of 46-50%, email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective (and plain effective) ways to reach potential participants. Unlike traditional marketing strategies (such as running a print ad in a newspaper or magazine), email marketing allows for crafting tailored content and creating compelling follow-ups. 

Building Partnerships With Healthcare Providers

Digital marketing campaigns are a bona fide necessity in today’s landscape. However, no clinical trial marketing campaign would be complete without turning to healthcare personnel for more traditional advertising. Consider partnerships with the following.

Collaboration With Physicians and Clinics

Connecting with physicians and clinics is a win-win for both parties: Medical professionals can help their patients obtain potentially life-saving education, guidance, and treatment, while life sciences organizations may receive important referrals to qualified patients. 

This may:

• Expedite the patient recruitment process
• Increase patient engagement by being directed toward eligible, interested potential participants
• Expand access to underserved/rural patient communities

Establish bonds with physicians and clinics by creating informative marketing materials (such as brochures and flyers), visiting healthcare professionals in their offices, and maintaining connections through calls, emails, and texts.

Community Outreach Programs

Adopting a community-centric approach to a clinical trial marketing strategy may help broaden the base of candidates. Leveraging relationships with patient advocacy groups and local communities (such as at a health fair) may help: 

• Elevate minority patient recruitment (and diversify your list of potential participants) 
• Equalize patient demographics
• Increase overall enrollment rates

Once again, efficacy depends on creating persuasive marketing materials; in this case, outreach materials should demonstrate how the treatment may benefit a community and meet its current needs. 

Tracking and Analyzing Recruitment Metrics

Constructive, potent clinical trial marketing involves monitoring performance to meet goals and improve metrics.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Key performance indicators provide a realistic perspective on the effects of marketing efforts. Every organization may have different KPIs for participant recruitment and patient enrollment, but a few of the most telling include:

• Enrollment progress
• Cost per potential patient
• Time between marketing strategies (like clinical trial ads), pre-screening, and consent
• Participant demographics

KPIs will help clinical trials identify where and why their marketing efforts aren’t meeting goals and how to adjust accordingly.

Continuous Improvement Through Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence

Data analytics is a cornerstone of clinical trial marketing. It enables clinical trials to research participation details and identify the demographics of target patient populations. The tool can also assist with spotting areas of marketing campaigns that need improvement. 

Moreover, generative AI can accelerate patient recruitment by:

• Automating eligibility criteria evaluations
• Curbing screening times
• Fostering communication with potential participants
• Predicting dropouts
• Promoting interventions to improve patient engagement
• Enrich diversity and inclusion

Here’s the good news: These technologies and all of the strategies mapped out above don’t need to be tackled alone. Clinical trial advertising companies offer best-in-class tools, tried-and-true techniques for speeding up the recruitment process, campaign management, and the consistent support you need for a successful clinical trial.

Amplify Your Clinical Trial Marketing Efforts With AutoCruitment

As one of the leading clinical trial recruitment companies at work today, AutoCruitment leverages a unique combination of end-to-end technology and professional offerings, including patient recruitment services and project management.

This distinctive blend helps organizations bolster randomization and enrollment while cutting down on enrollment times and helping trials launch faster. Pair this with insightful data and transparent reporting, and clinical trial marketing efforts may just reach new heights.

Contact us to discover how a refined, targeted approach to advertising can make all the difference in patient recruitment and engagement.