With so many scientific communication studios online, and their portfolios open for you to browse, it might seem as if shopping for a studio to work with is no big deal. But in reality, that’s not really the case. Even with such a broad choice of studios available online, there are some crucial considerations to make to turn this into an excellent opportunity for medical businesses.
Many key factors play a role in forming a valuable relationship between a pharmaceutical company and its scientific communication studio.
If you’re the person at a medical company who is responsible for sourcing illustrations, information design and 3D, the largest part of the search process that leads you to understand the best options and choosing the appropriate agency falls uniquely on your shoulders. To help you structure your selection process, here is a list of aspects that need to be considered:
Is a studio right for you?
Before beginning the search, you will need to think critically about what role visualization plays in your company’s business objectives. Some successful companies rely solely on in-house talent to promote their brand. Before making a decision, consider the time you are willing to dedicate to this partnership, the budget you’re ready to invest, the skills your team already possesses and the skills your team lacks.
Write a request for proposal (RFP)
Once you’ve addressed the tough questions about whether hiring a studio is right for you, it’s time to put your story on paper. A request for proposal (RFP) is the most common way companies share a little bit about themselves and their communication objectives, as well as setting out contractual stipulations that make the request unique.
Try to be realistic in expressing your vision. The possible scope and direction of your communication stem from a clear understanding of your business model and your customers’ demographics. No one knows more about your business and your customers than you do, and it’s critical that you pass that knowledge on to any potential partner through your RFP.
Search thoroughly and make a shortlist
There are dozens of criteria with which you can narrow the field, but perhaps the most fundamental revolve around whether a small or large studio fits the needs of your company best. Did you know that two-thirds of chief marketing officers prefer small studios with fewer staff members, citing reasons such as “more consistency in account teams” and “more intimate partnership regardless of budget”?
As a small scientific communication studio, we can build strong relationships with our clients that last for years and lead to lots of referrals.
Prepare for your physical or virtual meeting
Before beginning, certain legal technicalities such as confidentiality, idea ownership, fees, and non-compete clauses need to be addressed and negotiated. You need an excellent legally-documented confidentiality agreement and conditions around the pitch process right from the start.”
Studios can do pretty much any work for any client. That’s what they do. But the truth is they shine on certain things more than others. We, for example, are very clear about what we’re strong: we’re strong at creating medical, scientific illustration that is accurate, and science information design that is informative, fresh and inspiring. We believe these skills are going to be right for you because of the capability we have to shape visually any project into something explicitly tailored to the audience for which you are designing.”
Assess the communication abilities of the agency (this is important)
When you meet a prospective partner, stress the importance of effective communication with the team who will work on your project. Determine whether they will make themselves sufficiently accountable for communicating with you, including being honest about issues and delays, because this will let you know where you stand, and make the partnership work through good times and bad.
Visual communication is a long-term investment for your healthcare brand that must be nurtured and worked to be optimized. It’s a progressive, positive force in the industry when done correctly; that starts with the search.
Looking for scientific communication studio services that can help your healthcare or biotechnology brand? If you would like information to help you choose the one that’s right for you, use the questionnaire below and we will provide you with information, free of charge. If you have a story to share, we would be pleased to hear from you. You can also sign up for our newsletter on the right to receive more news.
We are specialists in creating accurate medical and scientific illustration, infographics, 3D imaging and patient education material. In our studio, we produce illustration work for patient leaflets, charts, websites, and apps. Our clients come from the fields of scientific research, medical communication, biotech and pharmaceutical companies, and private health clinics, and from around the world. If you want to discuss a project you can do this by chatting with us here or use our
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