Healthcare is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the world, especially given the introduction of AI into medicine. As such, global healthcare costs are expected to rise 9.9% year over year in 2024, however, that is slightly down from a 10.7% increase in 2023. The global surgical robot market is expected to be valued at $16 billion in 2030, almost quadrupling from what it is today. The healthcare industry is also getting increasingly complex due to a number of factors including the role of government in healthcare decisions, the COVID-19 crisis, and the integration of AI.
Gaining access to credible content and timely healthcare information has become a top priority for the public, and healthcare professionals and marketers alike are feeling the pressure. As a healthcare marketer, it’s your responsibility to provide patients and clients with trustworthy content that provides answers to their health and wellness-related questions.
Having a strong healthcare content marketing strategy is central to this. With the right content marketing mix, you can find new ways to educate, retain, and engage old and new audiences alike.
Not convinced yet? Here, we share the top healthcare marketing statistics of 2024 to show how content marketing can help guide one through an increasingly-complicated landscape.
The Healthcare Industry is Growing
The healthcare industry is massive, and they have the revenue numbers to prove it. If you’re a marketer working in the healthcare space, know that you’re working alongside other large companies that are competing against one another.
Here are some of the main statistics related to the growth of the healthcare industry:
1. U.S. national healthcare expenditure reached $4.5 trillion in 2022, and is estimated to reach $6.2 trillion by 2028, per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
2. The global healthcare market will reach $665.37 billion by 2028, according to Verified Market Research.
Patients and Consumers Are Looking for Answers Online
People are increasingly turning to the internet to find answers to their common questions, and healthcare is no exception. Become a credible source of information for consumers by providing clear and accurate healthcare information.
3. A study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics found that 59% of U.S. adults used the Internet to look for health or medical information, 42% used it to communicate with a doctor or doctor's office, and 46% used it to look up medical test results.
4. Approximately 7% of all Google searches are health-related.
5. According to Google, search drives 3x more visitors to hospital sites compared to non-search.
6. There are 70,000 health-related searches per minute, every day.
7. CDC research has shown that 74% of all U.S. adults use the Internet, and 61% have looked for health or medical information on the Internet.
However, Consumers are Concerned About Healthcare Content Credibility
Just because people are looking to the internet for healthcare information, doesn’t mean there isn’t skepticism about what they’re reading. When it comes to health and wellness content, people aren’t willing to risk reading from sources that aren’t credible.
8. A study by GoodRX found that 87% of participants were concerned (19%) or strongly concerned (68%) about the spread of medical misinformation.
9. The same study found that over 70% of people have been exposed to medical or health-related misinformation.
10. Online reviews matter to patients. A Stanford study found that most (75%) of patients rely on reviews as the first step in finding a new doctor or healthcare provider.
Most Healthcare Companies Do Not Have a Strong Content Marketing Strategy
Despite the value of having a content marketing strategy, healthcare is an industry that is still lagging in this regard. In fact, many healthcare companies cannot confidently say they are regularly leveraging content.
11. According to MarketingProfs, some 70% of healthcare marketing executives say their organization has a content marketing strategy in place.
12. According to a study by True North, 50% of healthcare marketers found the most opportunity for improving their overall marketing strategy to be within content.
13. Healthcare marketers do not feel very successful in their content marketing efforts. A study by Semrush found that 33% of healthcare marketers said they are very successful in their content marketing efforts; another 33% said they have moderate success; and only 10% claimed to be very successful.
14. Only 28% of healthcare marketers can say they have a clearly documented content marketing strategy.
Healthcare Content Marketing Teams Leverage Outsourcing and Specialists
It’s no secret that content marketing can be complicated for healthcare companies looking to present reliable and credible information on a timely basis. As a result, healthcare content marketing teams often use subject matter experts, content outsourcing, and blog post outsourcing to fulfill their need for new, credible material.
15. Since healthcare marketing is complex, many content teams (36%) have one to three specialists on staff.
16. Many healthcare teams (48%) are outsourcing at least some of their content development efforts.
Healthcare Companies Are Willing to Devote More Resources
Despite the slow adoption, healthcare companies are increasingly seeing the importance of content and are willing to put more money towards content, advertising, and lead generation in the coming years. This focus can be seen internationally, as businesses are also investing more in their global content marketing strategy.
17. The IMARC Group forecasts that U.S. healthcare advertising will grow from $22.4 billion in 2022 to $29.2 billion in 2028.
18. The average cost for an organic healthcare lead is $320. With digital ad spend on the rise, healthcare marketers are paying more for each lead.
Consumers Receive Healthcare Content in Numerous Formats
There isn’t one single way that consumers are receiving their healthcare content and as an organization, you should experiment with a variety of formats like social media, infographics, and blogs to see which is the most engaging to your audience.
19. A study by Search Engine Journal found that there are 4.8 billion social media users worldwide, representing 59.9% of the global population and 92.7% of all internet users.
20. The average open rate for healthcare-related email campaigns is 41%.
21. According to Xerox, researchers demonstrated 80% higher readership rates when their content used visuals like infographics, charts, color designs, and images.
22. People publish 70 million new posts on WordPress.com every month.
Healthcare Content Marketing Generates Leads
Not only is healthcare content marketing extremely appealing to audiences, but it’s also a great way to generate leads and achieve your business and marketing goals. In fact, content marketing is often a less expensive and more effective marketing strategy than tactics like outbound marketing and advertising.
23. Content marketing can generate three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less.
24. 50% of marketers are creating and sharing video content, with short-form video content being the most popular.
25. Long-form blog posts get 56% more social media shares compared to content that was less than 1,000 words.
26. Blog can increase organic web traffic, brand awareness, and enhance the customer experience. Companies that blog produce an average of 67% more sales leads than those that don’t.
Valuable Content is Important for Converting Leads (Particularly in Pharma)
There is a gap between what healthcare professionals are looking for and what is being communicated by many pharmaceutical companies. Pharmaceutical content marketing teams can deliver more value by providing healthcare professionals with high-quality content that is less product-focused. Consider the following stats.
27. 70% of healthcare professionals do not think that pharma representatives fully comprehend their needs or expectations. 62% think that these reps can add more value by showcasing relevant information and material.
28. About 6 out of 10 surveyed say they are overwhelmed by the amount of digital content focused on product information.
Digital is Becoming More Important
Across healthcare companies, such as medical device and biotech, content marketing is becoming increasingly important. Digital marketing is also becoming a key initiative, in particular for medtech companies.
29. 1 out of 2 of those surveyed (in the US) noted that medtech content marketing offered at least a 20% return on investment. In comparison, only 36% felt that was true for overall marketing efforts.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to developing a healthcare content marketing strategy, the most important ingredient is having credible, high-quality content for your audience. Especially when it comes to people seeking answers to their healthcare questions, they want to know they are receiving the best information from thought leaders in the space.
One way to save time and money is using content licensing to provide your marketing team with articles, videos, and photos to fill in any potential gaps in your content calendar or in your content development efforts. By leveraging industry experts and editorial pieces from respected publishers in the healthcare field, you can feel assured that you are providing high-quality healthcare content for our audience that builds credibility and trust.
