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clinical trial communication

    Clinical Trial Writing and DesignPatient EngagementPatient Recruitment and RetentionSite Materials & Logistics

    Harnessing the Power of Print and Digital Clinical Trial Materials

    by Imogen Cheese September 9, 2025
    written by Imogen Cheese

    As clinical trials become increasingly complex and personalized, we need to take a fresh look at how we engage with patients—and with the wider community. That engagement often begins offline: a poster in a physician’s office, a leaflet picked up (for themselves or a loved one) during a visit, or a brochure from an advocacy group. Once people return home, they frequently go online to learn more. And they don’t always go straight to the website listed on the recruitment materials. Therefore, a broad digital presence can be a vital component for success.

    Sometimes the journey starts in reverse: an individual sees a digital advertisement, a forum post, or a website mention, and then reaches out to the clinical trial site directly. When that happens, printed materials still matter. Literature that mirrors the digital experience and continues to capture attention plays a critical role in reinforcing trust and clarity.

    It’s not just smart to take a multi-pronged approach—it’s necessary.

    Start with the Research Participant’s Experience

    Recruitment and retention hinge on more than eligibility criteria and site selection. The materials potential or enrolled participants encounter, whether print or digital, shape their understanding, trust, expectations, and willingness to stay engaged.

    Effective clinical study materials should do more than inform. They should anticipate:

    • Where and how potential participants will encounter the study (e.g., digital channels, clinic settings, community events)
    • What cognitive and logistical barriers may arise (e.g., medical jargon, scheduling complexity, mistrust)
    • How to maintain engagement throughout the study

    When considering these touchpoints in the design of print and digital assets, they become strategic tools, not just deliverables. Sponsors and CROs that invest in participant-centered materials see stronger enrollment, lower attrition, and improved compliance thanks to clearer communication throughout the study.

    Clinical Trial Print: Tangible, Trusted, and Targeted

    Print materials are especially effective in relationship-driven channels:

    • Community-based outreach, where print provides a direct and trusted touchpoint
    • Clinical settings, where a brochure can prompt conversation with a trusted health care provider
    • Retention efforts, where physical materials like visit calendars or appointment reminders help participants understand and comply with study requirements, and stay organized and supported between visits

    Let’s not underestimate the staying power of print. A well-designed flyer doesn’t just inform, it lingers. It can be shared, posted, or tucked into a purse or pocket for later reading.

    Digital: Fast, Flexible, and Measurable

    Clinical study digital assets offer both speed and scale, making them indispensable in modern clinical trial outreach. Ads and social media posts can be tailored to reach specific demographics quickly, whilst study websites provide space for detailed information and serve as effective pre-screening tools. Perhaps most importantly, digital platforms allow for real-time adjustments, such as:

    • Refining messaging that isn’t resonating
    • Shifting regional outreach targeting as needed
    • Implementing protocol changes

    “Digital strategy isn’t just about reach, it’s about responsiveness,” said Mike Lakey, a digital strategist at Imperial. “We can adjust course as needed mid-campaign to improve engagement, and once participants are enrolled, tools like appointment reminders and compliance support tools help keep them informed and on track between visits.”

    Why the Blend is Essential

    Some of the most successful studies we support use a hybrid approach. Print flyers drive initial interest, often using QR codes that link directly to digital tools such as study websites, prescreening surveys, or educational videos. Digital ads then reinforce messaging and provide additional touchpoints.

    The key is consistency. When print and digital clinical study materials share a unified tone, look, and message, participants feel supported, and studies run more smoothly.

    Tips for Study Teams

    • Audit your materials: Are they participant-friendly? Do they reflect the study’s tone and goals?
    • Think beyond recruitment: Retention materials matter just as much. Too often, retention is an afterthought.
    • Plan for updates: Digital is easy to revise, but print needs foresight.
    • Ask for feedback: Participants often reveal what’s working (and what’s not).

    If you’re navigating recruitment or retention challenges, consider how your materials are working and whether they’re working together.

    3 Questions to Ask Before Engaging a Print and Digital Clinical Trial Materials Vendor

     Choosing the right partner for your study materials isn’t just about design. It’s about strategy, flexibility, and participant insight. Here are three questions sponsors and clinical study teams should ask before signing on with a vendor:

    1. How do you tailor clinical study materials to different populations?

    Tailoring isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about relevance. Effective study materials reflect the cultural, linguistic, and cognitive context of the intended audience. That means asking about literacy levels, cultural values, and preferred formats—not just protocol details.

    A strong vendor will assess health literacy across target populations, adapt tone and format for different age groups or regions, and engage community advisors or patient advocates to validate messaging. Visual-first materials may resonate better with lower-literacy populations, while mobile-friendly formats can improve accessibility for younger demographics. And consistency across languages matters, but so does preserving nuance and emotional resonance.

    “Designing for diversity isn’t just a creative challenge—it’s a responsibility,” said Vaughn Anthony, director of creative services and marketing at Imperial. “We tailor materials to reflect how people actually process information. That might mean simplifying language, shifting tone, or rethinking format entirely. We work to make sure the messaging feels authentic, not just translated.”

    2. How do you handle updates and version control?

    This is key! Study materials aren’t static. Protocol amendments, IRB feedback, and site-specific needs often require updates midstream. A strong vendor should offer a clear, documented process for version control, especially for digital assets that may be distributed across multiple platforms.

    Ask how they:

    • Track revisions and ensure sites are using the correct version
    • Manage updates across formats (e.g., print, PDF, web, SMS)
    • Prevent outdated materials from circulating post-amendment
    • Coordinate translations and translation updates of amended text to ensure consistency across languages
    • Provide audit trails or version logs for regulatory documentation

    Version control isn’t just a technical detail—it’s a risk management strategy. Without it, outdated materials can lead to confusion, protocol deviations, or compliance issues. The right vendor will actively treat versioning as part of quality assurance, not an afterthought.

    3. Do you offer strategic input or just execution?

    You’re best served by a vendor that acts as a thought partner—not just an order taker for your print and digital clinical trial materials. The right team will flag potential issues, suggest improvements, and help you think through the study participant experience—not just deliver files.

    Strategic input can take many forms: refining messaging to improve comprehension, anticipating regulatory feedback, or adapting materials to better fit site workflows. A proactive vendor will ask questions about the study goals, participant barriers, and the clinical trial site dynamics before jumping into production. They’ll also help you prioritize what matters most—whether it’s speed to site, clarity for participants, or consistency across formats.

    “Execution alone isn’t enough,” said Dan McDonald, vice president of business development at Imperial. “We consider every step of the participant journey, starting with the first impression and ending with the final visit. The goal is to create materials that truly support engagement, retention, and compliance. That means asking hard questions and not just checking boxes.”

    Continuity across digital and physical channels signals that extra care has gone into the campaign. It elevates the perceived importance of the clinical study and affirms the value of participation—for patients and their families alike.

    Today, individuals increasingly approach health care with the mindset of consumers. To compete, we must not only capture their interest—we must impress them. And then continue to impress them with thoughtful communication and engagement before, during, and after the clinical study.

    The Imperial Advantage

    At Imperial, we don’t just produce materials—we help study teams think strategically about how those materials function in the real world. Whether it’s a flyer handed out at a health fair or a digital ad targeting a specific postal code, we create with purpose, precision, and participant experience in mind.

    Our team brings deep expertise in both clinical operations and creative execution. We understand the regulatory nuances, the site-level realities, and the human factors that influence study recruitment and retention. We ask the right questions early—about literacy, culture, timing, and tone—so your materials resonate and connect.

    If your study needs to reach the right participants, at the right time, with the right message, we’re ready to help you make that happen. We create print and digital clinical trial materials that work together strategically, efficiently, and flexibly to meet today’s clinical study demands. We’d love to help with your clinical studies. Click the Contact Us button or visit our website for more information.

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    September 9, 2025 0 comment
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  • Clinical Trial Writing and DesignPatient Recruitment and RetentionSite Materials & Logistics

    Digital Advertising in Clinical Trials: The Real Secret Sauce

    by Mike Lakey January 21, 2025
    by Mike Lakey January 21, 2025

    I’ve spent my entire adult life immersed in media, marketing, and advertising, long enough to remember the days before digital advertising in clinical trials took over. For patient recruitment, sponsors and CROs had little more to rely on than local newspapers and radio stations. They…

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  • Ancillary Trial Supplies and EquipmentBusiness InsightsClinical Trial Writing and DesignSite Materials & Logistics

    6 Clinical Study Blogs Not to Miss

    by William McEwen December 18, 2024
    by William McEwen December 18, 2024

    Our blog team reviewed our 2024 clinical study blogs, and we selected these six worth re-reading. Check them out! 1. Sustainability in Business: Transparency and Keeping Score ESG: Environmental, social, and governance are factors that influence commercial success. Discover how Imperial achieved a sustainability rating…

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  • Clinical Trial Writing and DesignPatient EngagementPatient Recruitment and Retention

    Tips for a Patient-Friendly Clinical Trial Informed Consent Form

    by William McEwen September 25, 2024
    by William McEwen September 25, 2024

    A patient-friendly informed consent form (ICF) is a key element for prospective clinical trial participants’ understanding of a clinical research study. In this blog, we delve into tips to ensure the ICF is clear and understandable. The research ICF document provides potential participants with the…

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  • Clinical Trial Writing and DesignPatient EngagementPatient Recruitment and Retention

    Overcoming Public Skepticism In Clinical Trials

    by Heidi Pollock February 27, 2024
    by Heidi Pollock February 27, 2024

    With more than 65,000 clinical studies currently recruiting, our industry is constantly working hard to enroll participants and meet study timelines. Unfortunately, public skepticism in clinical trials can get in the way of those efforts. People enroll in studies for a variety of reasons, from…

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  • Ancillary Trial Supplies and EquipmentPatient EngagementPatient Recruitment and RetentionSite Materials & LogisticsStudy Site Management

    6 Top Picks: Clinical Trial Blogs Not to Miss

    by William McEwen December 27, 2023
    by William McEwen December 27, 2023

    The Imperial blog team took a look at our 2023 clinical trial blogs, and we’re shining the spotlight on our top six picks. So here they are, in no particular order: six clinical trial blogs worth reading (and re-reading). 1. Supply Chain: Master these key…

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  • Business InsightsPatient EngagementStudy Site Management

    Asking Why Bolsters Clinical Trial Communication and Success

    by Hope Cullen October 24, 2023
    by Hope Cullen October 24, 2023

    Explore the importance of providing context for decisions in clinical trials to foster improved communication, trust, and success. “Why” seems to be at the center of what we do. Kids are always asking, “Why, Mom?” Lean Fundamentals teaches us the 5 Whys, and Simon Sinek…

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  • Business InsightsClinical Trial Writing and Design

    Using Digital Print to Create Stellar Clinical Trial Materials: A Behind-the-Scenes Look

    by Dave Woodard March 15, 2023
    by Dave Woodard March 15, 2023

    Imperial’s digital presses support the front lines of clinical research across the globe. All the clinical trial print materials we produce for you—for example, ISF and pharmacy binders, patient recruitment materials, investigator meeting materials, and dosing diaries—are produced in the U.S. and the U.K. under…

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  • Clinical Trial Writing and DesignPatient EngagementPatient Recruitment and RetentionSite Materials & Logistics

    Printed Clinical Trial Materials: Planning for Investigator Meetings & Study Startup

    by Kirsten Friend December 12, 2022
    by Kirsten Friend December 12, 2022

    When planning to launch a new clinical study, many decisions are needed. Some of those decisions surround clinical trial materials planning as part of patient recruitment and retention plans, and site study reference and referral tools. Once the plans are in place, they are often…

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  • Patient Recruitment and RetentionSite Materials & Logistics

    5 Reasons Print for Clinical Studies is a Powerful Tool

    by Dan McDonald October 27, 2022
    by Dan McDonald October 27, 2022

    Imperial began as a business printer and evolved and broadened over four decades to fully support clinical studies in a million different ways. Today, printed materials are still popular. In our U.S. and U.K. facilities, our presses keep rolling, as the sponsors and CROs we…

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Imperial Clinical Research Services Blog

Imperial is a global leader in clinical trial solutions and support, specializing in study and site print materials, ancillary trial supplies and equipment, clinical trial translation management, and clinical trial patient engagement.

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