5 common mistakes to avoid when creating clinical content marketing  

Content marketing is central to an effective marketing strategy and a top priority for many organizations. It’s a strategic approach that uses relevant content to educate and entertain your audience without directly selling to them. According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), 73% of B2B marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy.  

By creating a positive association with your brand, content marketing will help you build trust and loyalty to generate sales over the long term. Done well, it’ll galvanize your business, paving the way to a strong and lasting relationship with your customers. Done wrong, it could seriously backfire, not only wasting resources and opportunities, but doing your brand serious damage. Take for example Malaysia Airlines’ disastrous campaign when they asked customers to send in their bucket lists… shortly after two of their flights had crashed.  

At Springer Nature, we can help you get it right with the help of our Clinical Custom Content team. We create compelling original content tailored to your storytelling needs. This ranges from accessible articles based on your technical documents to thought-provoking trend pieces that involve original research and interviews.   

In this blog, we’ll share 5 common mistakes that we’ve uncovered in our years of experience creating clinical content. Helping you avoid these mistakes is part of the service we offer. 

Mistake #1: Lack of proper strategy

Only 40% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy, says the CMI. Of the rest, 33% have an undocumented strategy while 27% have no strategy at all. The CMI also found that B2B marketers cite a lack of clear goals as the cause of ineffective strategy.

Strategy is important! A good strategy will focus goal-orientated content for your audience and publish it consistently across the relevant channels. And define your goals – whether that’s driving brand awareness or nurturing your audience.

Our Clinical Custom Content solutions support many different objectives. We provide strategic help, tailoring your content for the best chance of achieving your goals. Choose from our range of content types, each with differing promotion and distribution options, to suit your needs and goals. 

Mistake #2: Failing to understand branded vs unbranded clinical content

If you’re fully informed and know the role that both branded and unbranded clinical content have to play in your overall content strategy, you’re heading in the right direction. Failing to understand the difference between the two can lead you into hot water. 

• Branded content promotes your company’s products or services, featuring their brand names. It’s a chance to talk directly about the challenges they solve and their results. 
• Unbranded content talks to your customers’ needs in a broader, more industry-focused context. Designed to build trust, the focus here is on telling a story that resonates with your readers, giving them valuable information on the latest industry trends and cutting–edge achievements.

Our Clinical Custom Content offers both branded and unbranded content, tightly tailored to the strategic outcome required.

• Branded articles are highly targeted to HCP audiences, carrying specific messages about approved drugs and devices. This type of content is directly relevant to their patients and practices, set in an authoritative tone and accompanied by results from peer-reviewed, published clinical trials.
• Our unbranded articles raise awareness while demonstrating thought leadership in specific disease areas. We understand the challenges your customers face. Journalistic in style, these articles build an association between your research and a developing area of biomedicine.

Mistake #3: Failing to engage with your audience

Don’t fall into the trap of creating one-size-fits-all content. Your readers will be diverse. Without a proper understanding of their needs and goals, your content will be shallow and unhelpful. So you need to identify who you’re addressing, and tailor your content accordingly. 

Don’t forget to tell a story, and focus on the science. If your content appears too promotional, you’ll lose your audience. Clinicians, policy makers, journalists and the general public all recognize sales copy when they see it and will tune out.  

Know your audience… 

Who are you writing for, and what might they want to learn? Then tailor your tone and content accordingly. Speak to them in their own language, make it interesting, and tell a story that they’re compelled to read. 

The expert writers and editors in our Clinical Custom Content team have the skills to create articles that truly resonate with health–care professionals. As Andy May, Head of Promotion Solutions, says, “We know how crucial it is to reach the right clinical audience with the right message. Share your goals and target audience with us and we’ll deliver compliant, custom content that makes an impact—whether you’re raising awareness of an approved treatment or building thought leadership in your therapeutic area.” 

Mistake #4: Too much jargon

Technical terms are of course necessary when you’re writing scientific content. But it’s easy to forget that not all your readers will have the same familiarity with the content as you do. Non-specialists such as policy makers and journalists are likely to disengage if the content is too hard to follow. Aim for clarity and accessibility: use complex terms sparingly, be sure to define them, and create straightforward ideas that convey your message simply and effectively.  

 Keep it simple and accurate… 

Our Clinical Digests do exactly this. We take long, technical clinical content and create highly accessible summary articles that also provide context and meaning. We can work with research articles, clinical trial peer-reviewed papers, technical manuals, webcasts or ebooks – anything already published. Your readers are time poor, so with a succinct article you’ll grab their attention and interest them in what you do. 

Mistake #5: Poor planning and promotion 

It’s no use writing your copy and expecting readers to flock to read it. Content marketing is bigger than just content – without a well-thought-out promotional campaigns, your efforts will go in vain. 

A lack of promotion means your message won’t reach its desired audience. Once your content is ready, communicate it across multiple channels so you reach as many of your potential readers as possible. Know the channels they frequent and build on this by forming collaborations with appropriate experts, whether in industry or in the media. 

 At Springer Nature, our marketing campaigns ensure you reach your target audience with precision and impact. Utilize our platform, which includes titles such as Nature, Scientific American and over 1,000 further clinical journals, to raise awareness of your brand among our broad customer base of scientists and healthcare professionals. You’ll be building your brand alongside quality, award-winning content. 

Engage and connect with clinical audiences 

For better guidance on how to avoid these common mistakes, download our clinical storytelling media kit. 

Join us in engaging the global healthcare community precisely at the point when they seek knowledge in your field. Contact us to discover the benefits of the extensive healthcare network that Nature Clinical Custom Content has to offer.