Content Writing for the Life Sciences: Case Studies
Introduction
One of the best ways to convince prospects to work with you in the life sciences industry is to get an existing client to vouch for you. But no one has the time or patience to coordinate a reference call every time a hot prospective client comes along. This is where a case study comes in. It’s a beefed-up version of that valuable reference call content that can be reused time and again.
But what if you aren’t allowed to say who your client is? What if their information is proprietary? This conundrum comes up a lot. Case studies can be a powerful marketing tool to turn warm leads into new customers, even in industries where clients must remain anonymous.
What is a Case Study in the Life Sciences Industry?
A case study is a piece of long-form marketing content that tells a real-life customer success story with specific elements and data to demonstrate expertise. The client is painted as the hero of the story, and your company is the trusty guide who helps them achieve the impossible. For service or product-based life sciences companies, the purpose is to turn leads into customers. If positioned correctly, it can also be a great example of thought leadership content.
Case studies can be a valuable marketing tool whether you sell clinical research services to large pharmaceutical companies or a groundbreaking medical device to patients. However, in some instances, case studies are not meant to sell anything. In the healthcare ecosystem, certain types of case studies are drafted to explore unique clinical scenarios and identify lessons learned. These case studies might also be called case reports or clinical case studies.
For today’s blog, we’re focusing on marketing case studies that promote your services or products. The important thing to note is that the structure of a marketing case study is nearly identical to a clinical case study.
Why do case studies matter?
You might wonder why bother with a case study when you could get a simple testimonial. Wouldn’t that be less time-consuming and inconvenient for the customer? And, let’s be honest, getting a simple testimonial is cheaper than using internal or external resources to write a whole case study. But if you want a powerful marketing and sales tool, you need to take it to the next level with a case study and use an in-house writer or hire a life science copywriter or content writer.
Here are five reasons why case studies matter:
Earn customer trust: Case studies are an excellent tool for turning warm leads into customers because they provide context and tangibly demonstrate your value, unlike testimonials, which you must take at face value. According to one study, 60% of marketers feel that case studies are among the most trusted content types.
Enhance credibility and thought leadership: A case study can differentiate you as a credible expert in a world where everyone claims to be a specialist or thought leader. This is critical in the life sciences industry, where the correct expertise can make or break progress on a life-changing medical development.
Raise your digital profile: By inserting keywords and phrases into your case study, you can increase your presence on search engines. A strong case study can also boost your digital profile on social media platforms, especially ones like LinkedIn, where you can highlight certain content.
Create multi-purpose content: A case study is a very versatile tool—consider coupling it with a beautiful infographic, snipping it into social media pieces, or swiping quotes to create that ever-important testimonial. You could also turn it into a story-oriented blog or insert a short version into a sales presentation.
Promote customer loyalty: Demonstrate your loyalty to a customer by showcasing them on your website or socials in a case study. Flattery goes a long way–many customers love being asked to share their experience for a promotional opportunity.
Key elements of case studies
Before you begin writing, you want to identify these critical elements of your life sciences case study.
The problem: Every case study should open with a clearly defined problem or challenge. The problem should include all the client details and any other information that will help tell the story. If the client needs to be anonymous, use descriptors that communicate the customer’s reputation. And remember, “anonymity doesn’t put any limits on the details you can provide (as long as they don’t identify your customer).”
The solution: Once the problem has been detailed, the next step is to discuss why the client turned to you and how you worked with them to solve it. Notice we didn’t say how you solved the problem. The client is the focus–you are simply the guide. You want your audience to envision themselves in the client's shoes as the hero of the story.
Results: Then, share the measurable results, getting as nitty-gritty as possible. Include charts, data, quotes, videos, or pictures. Of course, you might not be able to share all the details or data, but the more tangible proof you can share, the better. If it’s not possible to share all data, in-depth quotes can help.
Storytelling and data: You always want to find a unique blend of storytelling and data in writing a case study. Even the most scientific documents should tell a story; otherwise, you will lose your audience.
Best practices
Before you turn those elements into an irresistible case study and become an award-winning life science copywriter, you want to keep a few things in mind. These best practices are particularly important in writing for the life sciences industry.
First off, you want to make sure you interview key stakeholders. Even if you have to keep it anonymous, even if you think you can write it without their help, and even if you already have a glowing email from them–you should prioritize interviews. Interviews will help you understand their challenge long before they met you and their experience working with you.
Another important best practice is creating a compelling title to draw in readers. In this situation, it’s OK to use a longer title that references the challenge. You also want an executive summary (or the TL;DR in digital speak), which will be especially valuable to scanners and skimmers. If your target audience is scientists, both of these components will feel familiar to them, as they are used to seeing longer titles and summaries in peer-reviewed articles.
Also, you want to strike a balance between being concise and detailed. You don’t want to lose people because you keep droning on, but you also don’t want to remove critical information for the sake of brevity. A good way to include a lot of information without being too text-heavy is to include visuals and data.
Remember that it’s OK to include industry jargon and technical information in case studies. Often, you’re told NOT to do that (even by us!), but a case study is a tool directed at a knowledgeable audience. If you include industry terms, you are demonstrating your expertise to the audience.
“Including highly specialized information in your case study is an effective way to show prospects that you’re not just trying to get their business.
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Fitting case studies into the broader content strategy
The great thing about case studies is they can easily fit into a broader content marketing strategy.
In a study of life science content writers and marketers, case studies and social media were the highest-rated digital marketing tactics. The study found that case studies were more effective than white papers, webinars, and digital advertising.
They’re a very versatile tool for both sales and marketing teams. As mentioned above, they can be repurposed across channels in various formats and offer valuable SEO benefits. A case study is also a fabulous way to showcase innovation and research in a format that doesn’t feel overly scientific or too promotional.
Examples of Life Sciences Case Studies
IQVIA offers a short overview of a healthcare case study available for download– a terrific example of using the overview element to encourage downloading the more comprehensive case study.
A ZS pharma case study shows a great use of data at the top of the page, providing a quick impact statement to readers.
At LPC, we specialize in writing for the life sciences, so we understand the importance of creating anonymous case studies. We did this for our client and turned them into shorter use cases for the applications page of their website.
Conclusion
A case study can be an influential multi-purpose marketing tool regardless of your industry. While it might be more challenging in a highly regulated and proprietary industry like life sciences, it’s still very doable and valuable.
If you’re looking for support in transforming your client success stories into compelling case studies, learn more about how LPC can help you. Let’s turn those hot leads into happy clients with the power of a case study.
