Thanks to the internet, it has become easier to find answers to healthcare questions. It is estimated that 8 out of 10 Americans – or 80 percent – turn to search engines as their main source of health-related information.
However, people are still often unable to find the information they need to assist them – and a fair amount of mistaken self-diagnosing takes place online. How to remedy this? Through your own well-executed healthcare content marketing plan.
A properly executed healthcare content marketing strategy will not only provide consumers with accurate information. It will also draw in new patients and help you keep current ones.
But how do you do that? In this article, we will share all of that with you.
Idea/Guideline #1 – Blog Posts
Believe it or not, blogging is the foundation of any content strategy – which is part of your larger digital marketing strategy. It is also an effective digital marketing tool. The idea is to add a blog section to your healthcare website. The guidelines to follow may sound strict, but they will help you to target the audience you are trying to reach.
First, do not post random articles in your blog. Instead, create content that is relevant to your practice that has value to the reader. Second, aim to educate through your blog posts. Third, use blogging to promote your brand. Finally, use blogging as a tool to connect with your audience on a personal level.
Idea/Guideline #2 – Podcasting
If you are hoping to catch a trending wave, then podcasting is worth looking into. Just like blogging, you can’t just release podcasts on random topics hoping to interest potential patients. Instead, you need to figure out who your target audience is. Are you trying to reach patients or providers? Each will require different types of podcast information.
Plus, you can’t just produce one or two podcasts and leave it at that. You should aim to create no less than ten podcasts and put together a list of topics that are relevant to your practice. Maybe you have a topic that will require more than one podcast episode. That’s okay because doing this will bring visitors back to your website for Part Two or Three of your series on a specific topic.
Idea/Guideline #3 – Video Content
As said by Digital Authority Partners, if you are looking for a powerful healthcare content strategy, video fits that description. Plus, YouTube is now the second largest search engine on the internet so it makes sense to leverage that to educate potential clients and help your SEO rankings.
Here’s how you gain from using video content. Length is a major consideration. Keep your videos to no longer than 5 minutes with 2 to 3 minutes considered even better. Ensure that the video content answers patient questions about the topic. If you are not sure what topics to feature, just jot down questions that patients ask you over the next few weeks. It should not take long to create a topic list from that and get ideas for several different videos.
Idea/Guideline #4 – Email
It may sound a bit old school, but email is still a great way to reach people with your healthcare content. Email marketing is a direct and easy way to communicate messages about new products or new blog/video posts to those who have expressed interest in hearing about them.
But you can’t just send emails to random people. To ensure you are reaching your desired audience, include a newsletter subscription form on your website. That way, when you release something new, you will be sharing that news with individuals who are already interested in what you are doing. Remember to include clear calls to action within the body of the email if you are trying to get the recipients to purchase your products or services.
Idea/Guideline #5 – Infographics
At some point, traffic flow to your blogs will start to flatline and may even drop a little. One way to freshen up a blog post is to include a relevant infographic. An infographic is a graphic that contains information on a certain topic. These visuals are usually attractive, appealing, colorful, and insightful.
Infographics are educational. You could create your own infographic or subcontract the graphic design. You will have to share data intended for the project and ensure that your brand is included somewhere so that if the infographic is shared on other platforms, it is clear as to who it belongs to and where it originated. Infographics are a simple, and unique way to share data that would otherwise be boring or uninteresting to read.
Bonus Idea/Guideline – Guest Blogging
We have covered blogging for your website. Have you considered submitting blog posts to other websites that cover some of the same topics? This is known as guest blogging and, in a way, it allows you to promote yourself at what could be considered a website of a competitor.
All you need to do is find the contact information on the website you are trying to guest blog at, contact the owner or webmaster, make your pitch (maybe even include a sample of what you can write), and see if they will accept your guest blog post and thank you by providing a backlink from your article to your website. Guest blogging also assists with SEO. If the backlink comes from a website that ranks higher than yours, it can improve your website ranking. So, guest blogging can serve two purposes.
Final Thoughts
Healthcare content marketing is not all that difficult if you have a strategy. The tips listed above are just some of the many ways you can better promote your content. And you can start working on these today, because each provides long-term benefits to your medical practice. They do this by increasing the exposure of your products or services to your specific target audience – and you reach more of your potential clients.
If your goal is to increase your patient numbers, then content marketing is a tool you need to start using. Start slowly, persist, and you will see benefits over time.