In the current state of healthcare, many providers face two primary challenges: Acquiring new patients and retaining them and ensuring that existing patients can readily access the most up-to-date healthcare information.
What if there’s a way to hit these two birds in one stone? Enter content marketing.
Content marketing is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on creating, publishing, and distributing valuable, relevant content. With high-quality healthcare content, you can acquire and retain patients. Moreover, content marketing ensures patients are educated with timely information, giving them the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions regarding their healthcare journey.
Below, we explore how content marketing can help with patient engagement and drive tangible results.
Table of Contents
1. Educational Content to Empower Patients
One of the primary goals of content marketing is to educate patients. In the modern healthcare market, patients are no longer passive recipients of care. They will use search engines to understand their health conditions and read online reviews when evaluating a new doctor. A fully realized content marketing strategy will help position your organization as a reliable, trustworthy resource for a particular healthcare topic.
By publishing informative articles, videos, or webinars on your website, landing pages, and other channels, you can attract individuals searching for medical information online. Not only are you educating your target audience, but you’re also helping improve health outcomes. For example, a cardiology clinic publishing articles on heart-healthy diets educates patients and encourages preventive care.
2. Success Stories to Build Trust and Inspire Hope
Everybody loves a success story, and every patient has a story to tell. Success stories are excellent storytelling tools that will boost patient engagement through the roof. When potential patients hear or read about others who have successfully undergone a treatment or procedure under your care, it instills confidence in your capabilities as a healthcare provider. There’s also the matter of relatability since patients can often see themselves in these stories, making the healthcare journey feel more personal and less isolating.
Below are several ways to incorporate success stories into your content marketing strategy:
- Dedicated Testimonial/Success Story Page: A common way is to create a section exclusively for success stories and testimonials on your website. This can be a go-to place for potential clients or patients to see real-world results from real people.
- Blog Posts: You can highlight the most compelling patient success stories through blog posts that dive deeper into these stories of determination and hard work.
- Video Testimonials: Most satisfied patients will love to share their positive experiences on camera. These videos can be shared on platforms like YouTube, embedded on your website, or featured in your social media campaigns.
- Social Media Highlights: Share snippets of success stories as posts or reels on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok.
- Webinars and Podcasts: Invite successful clients or patients to share their experiences in webinars or podcast episodes. This can be an excellent platform for interactive discussions and Q&A sessions.
3. Interactive Website Features to Enhance Engagement and Accessibility
According to research by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), an interactive website for patients has increased healthcare decision-making by up to 35%. Interactive website features can boost patient engagement by offering more dynamic and user-centric experiences.
The online patient portal is one of the best examples of interactivity in websites. A patient portal is an online tool that lets patients view their health records and talk to their doctors anytime. Portals bolster engagement by allowing patients to view their medical histories, lab results, and medication lists, promoting transparency and helping them stay on top of their health. Plus, the ability to communicate directly with their healthcare providers can be a game changer in preventative care and treatment adherence.
AI chatbots are another excellent implementation of interactive website features. With instant, round-the-clock responses to patient queries, chatbots can streamline appointment bookings, offer medication reminders, and provide information on common health concerns – this doesn’t just improve patient engagement by making healthcare accessible but also reduces administrative load.
4. Video Content to Make Healthcare Information More Digestible
With the skyrocketing popularity of short-form video platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, it’s clear that the video format is here to stay. This is especially true when 66% of consumers believe that video is the most engaging type of social media content. Plus, videos (especially short-form) are also the key to reaching Gen Z and Millennial patients. As such, videos’ visual and auditory nature is designed to capture attention, making complex medical information more digestible and relatable.
Videos simplify complex subjects, such as demonstrating a particular surgical procedure or explaining the science of a specific medication. Hospitals and clinics can provide virtual tours of their facilities with a video walkthrough. For instance, a maternity ward might offer a video walkthrough for expecting parents, easing anxieties about the upcoming delivery.
Incorporating videos into your content marketing plan educates patients and humanizes your practice, bridging that cold gap between providers and patients.
5. Work With an Agency Partner to Develop a Robust Content Marketing Plan
Crafting an effective content marketing campaign is challenging and time-consuming. You can’t just start a blog and plan to post every now and then and call it content marketing. It requires creativity, technical know-how, and industry-specific knowledge – things that an agency partner can bring to the table.
Digital marketing agencies have dedicated teams for writing, editing, and design, ensuring the content associated with your brand is high quality, well-researched, and presented professionally. Plus, they’re generally well-versed in the healthcare sector and understand HIPAA regulations, ensuring all content adheres to patient privacy standards. They recognize the importance of protecting sensitive patient information while producing engaging and compliant content.
Unified branding is another great benefit to working with an agency partner for content marketing. A consistent and unified brand voice can do wonders for patient engagement by fostering trust and brand awareness.
If you’re looking to get started with your content marketing campaign today, Cardinal Healthcare Marketing Agency will be more than happy to help.
