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Unable to meet recruitment goals, many clinical trials are delayed, terminated early, or result in inconclusive findings. The irony behind this situation is that while patients are taking a more active role in the management of their health by researching symptoms, treatment options, and providers, they remain unaware that clinical trials may be a treatment option available to them.

According to eMarketer, 63.7% of people over the age of 66 are active internet users. And, even though younger people are the most digitally active, the aging community – with a plethora of health concerns, are very active online and a reachable target market.

Advisory Board tells us that 62% of Baby Boomers have at least one chronic health condition related to obesity. The obese patient will have the greatest need for treatments in areas like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer – an important demographic to the successful completion of clinical trials.

Coupling this increase in health-related internet research by Baby Boomers and the unfortunate widespread obesity condition of the same group, we can apply Search Engine Marketing tools to reach large numbers of potential participants. When marketing a clinical trial through PPC advertising, we need to simply tailor the campaign with condition and symptom related information that leads the health information seeker to our clinical trial information.

(Of course, ad copy and website content must clear IRB screening prior to publication, so it is imperative that copy is clean. Once IRB approval is obtained, content cannot be edited.)

• Keywords should be tailored to condition, symptoms, currently available treatments.
• Use Search Ads that contain a call to action, “Click or Call for more information”
• Landing page should not only explain the nature of the trial, it must provide clear contact information, phone numbers and/or a contact form.

Targeting those searching relevant terms establishes interest and perhaps a loose prescreen resulting in more potential patients arriving directly to your trial website.

Search Engine Marketing can help overcome the patient recruitment barrier. Filling clinical trials with eligible participants assists with timely delivery of new medications and treatments.