What is Healthcare Content Marketing?
Healthcare is a $2.5 trillion per year industry, making it one of the largest industries in the U.S. It is also one of the most complex due to a number of factors: the role of politics and government in healthcare systems, the aging baby boomer generation, which is also the largest generational segment, and, of course, the global COVID-19 health crisis.
Perhaps one of the biggest factors contributing to the complexity of healthcare, however, is information asymmetry. In fact, according to a 2019 study by Weber-Shandwick, 52% of the U.S. population is concerned that the healthcare content they are reading online is not credible. As a healthcare marketer, it is important to provide clients and patients with clear and trustworthy answers to their health-related questions. Content marketing for healthcare is a strategy that can help health professionals and providers engage and retain consumers and patients, build trustworthiness by providing accurate answers to their health-related questions, and grow brand awareness.
Why Do Healthcare and Medical Companies Need Content Marketing?
Healthcare and medical companies operate within an industry where trust is of utmost importance. Healthcare companies can use medical content marketing as an opportunity to educate their audience, establish themselves as thought leaders, and build long term relationships with patients and fellow healthcare professionals. People are increasingly turning to online resources to inform themselves on health-related information, making it necessary for healthcare and medical providers to offer trustworthy and authentic healthcare content.
Content marketing is also a proven strategy. 99% of healthcare companies surveyed by Semrush reported positive results from their content marketing efforts. Content marketing gives brands the opportunity to engage customers and prospects, while developing relationships with their target demographic.
Trends Shaping The Current State of Healthcare Content Marketing
Even though content has quickly made its way to the forefront of marketing strategies across a number of industries, healthcare has been slow to embrace it. In fact, according to a study by True North, it was not until 2017 that the majority of surveyed healthcare companies began to incorporate content into their marketing strategy. Today, more than 66% of those companies see content marketing as an effective tactic, although only 26% described their own efforts as effective.
Consumers are increasingly looking to the internet for answers to their healthcare questions, with approximately 7% of all Google searches being health related. Additionally, a whopping 73% of Americans are obtaining health information from the internet. In order to stay competitive in a massive industry, you’ll need a strong content marketing strategy for healthcare that informs and engages your audiences.To learn more healthcare trends shaping the globe, check out this blog post where we discuss the 28 key healthcare stats to know.
The good news is you are not too late to the game. Even if you're just in the beginning stages of developing a healthcare content strategy, such as beginning to document it or conducting a content audit to understand the current gaps, you can create a clear path to success. Whether you are a marketer for a hospital, medical device or pharmaceutical company, medical content marketing is a beneficial — and even necessary — way to educate, engage, and retain patients and customers. Content can also be used to support other digital efforts, while growing your business and brand.
What Should a Healthcare Content Strategy Include?
A cross-platform content strategy should include several components. Healthcare marketers need to analyze their customer journey and the touchpoints that will help convert them. Medical content marketing assets can include e-books, white papers, and webinars. They should align with personas and how the target audience likes to consume content. In addition, medical marketers need to consider the following points:
Accuracy:
In healthcare marketing, accuracy is more important than other industries. Consumers rely on organizations to provide them with accurate and timely information.
Credibility:
Healthcare marketers should use content as a way to build trust and credibility with their audiences. By showcasing medical journal articles or leveraging thought leadership, marketers can engage with potential customers and patients in a new and meaningful way.
HIPAA Compliance:
Healthcare marketing is more regulated and therefore marketers must pay close attention to the narrative they are crafting and ensure their medical content marketing efforts are HIPAA compliant.
10 Strategies to Get Started in Healthcare Content Marketing
In the healthcare industry, content marketing can take many forms. Content types run the gamut, from blogs and newsletters to whitepapers, e-books and bylined articles. All you need to begin is an organized approach.
1. Have a Documented Strategy
A documented strategy is key to a seamless launch of any blog, newsletter or editorial platform. However, according to The True North’s 2020 State of Healthcare Content Marketing Study, only 28% of healthcare marketers have a clearly defined strategy.
One way to start documenting your strategy is with an editorial calendar. This is an extremely effective tool your team can use to guide the healthcare content marketing production process and to keep track of when and where the content will be distributed or published. A content calendar will help you create relevant, timely content that rises above the noise and thoughtfully incorporates the needs of your audience.
2. Conduct a Content Audit
Content audits can be a powerful tool in determining which pieces have been successful and which have not resonated with your audience. You can also use this audit to determine what kinds of content your team may need to create. For example: You may have too much top-of-funnel content, but not enough middle-funnel content.
3. Use Credible Sources
In healthcare, credibility is vital to attracting and maintaining clients and patients. Today, the internet is saturated with sales-focused information, causing many consumers to be distrustful of the content they read. In fact, 47% of people are concerned that the health-related information they find is trying to sell them something, rather than provide accurate information that answers their questions, according to a 2019 study by Weber-Shandwick.
As the world continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, providing reliable medical information is especially important and can help your company stand out. However, not every healthcare marketer has the resources or expertise to report on the latest health research and trends. Content licensing can be an effective solution to establish your healthcare organization as a trustworthy and credible source of information.
4. Use Clear Language
In healthcare, it is important to make sure all pieces of content explain a topic clearly and accurately. Every day, Google receives about 1 billion searches related to healthcare. And yet, according to a study by Weber Shandwick, 1 in 3 adults have low health literacy. Healthcare content marketers must ensure that the language used across channels and initiatives can be comprehended by the layman and is not up for interpretation.
There is also not one single format for distributing and sharing healthcare content. It’s worthwhile to explore a variety of styles like long-form blog posts, social media posts, bylines, and infographics to see which are the most engaging to your audience and keep them coming back.
5. Lean Into Your Organization’s Expertise
In such an enormous industry that encompasses a variety of specialties and services, it’s important to grasp what your unique medical expertise is to stand out among competitors. By leaning into your organization’s writers and thinkers, you can define your brand voice and align it with a specific target audience. While it’s important to keep up with trending healthcare topics and diversify your portfolio, having subjects your company can fall back on is critical to your overall healthcare content marketing strategy.
6. Share Healthcare News
Many people turn to their healthcare providers first for information regarding their health and well-being. As the world navigates the COVID-19 pandemic, obtaining timely and accurate information regarding health will be more vital than ever. Supplementing your marketing strategy by curating news from reputable sources can boost your credibility and allow your customers and patients to view your company as an educational and helpful resource during this time. You can also license photos from award-winning photojournalists to supplement these articles and make stories more tangible for readers.
7. Leverage Healthcare Thought Leaders
Allow your medical content to stand out with supplemental coverage from thought leaders in the healthcare field. Not only is licensing content by the means of copyright licenses a great way to fill in any gaps in your editorial calendar but it allows you to add credibility and trustworthiness to your brand. In a field where there is a lot of skepticism from readers about the answer they’re receiving, audiences will appreciate hearing from renowned voices from award-winning publications like HealthDay.
8. Invest in Medical Video Content
Video is a powerful healthcare content strategy that providers can use to establish thought leadership. Since doctors’ offices and hospitals have a tendency to feel cold and disconnected, medical video content can be a great way to interact with potential patients.
Using video marketing for healthcare can help your patients feel important and connected. This can help you connect with existing and new patients - improving overall patient acquisition and retention.
9. Write or License High-Quality Blog Posts
Blogging is an important cornerstone of healthcare content marketing. If you want to stay ahead of the competition in the healthcare industry, you need to offer your audience something different. Instead of generating new, promotional medical content, it’s important to center your blog strategy as an opportunity to educate and help your audience. Consider leveraging high-quality healthcare information from publications like HealthDay or Well to further engage audiences.
10. Make Information Accessible
Ann Key, Content Strategist at Aha Media Group, said, “There’s no place for jargon in healthcare content—especially when you’re writing for a patient or caregiver audience. Accessing reliable health information should be the easiest part of the patient journey.” Whether you are writing to doctors or patients, it’s important to ensure that your content is clear and concise. For patients, it is particularly important to ensure that information can be understood by someone without a medical background.
For each piece of content, consider the buyer and the level of knowledge they have about a certain subject. Since healthcare can be an emotional subject for a lot of consumers, having clear messaging will help bridge the gap between your brand and your customers.
Final Thoughts
Gathering the resources (not to mention finding the bandwidth) to formulate a healthcare content marketing strategy or launch an editorial content initiative can be daunting — especially in an industry clouded with complexities. Health and wellness content licensing can provide your marketing team with articles, videos and photos to fill any gaps within your content calendar or to supplement your existing output. Curating content from medical industry experts can be a great way to build credibility while highlighting new research or trends.
Leverage editorial pieces from respected publishers in the healthcare field for a seamless, cost-effective and efficient way to grow brand awareness, connect with new and existing audiences, and establish your business as an industry thought leader.
Frequently Asked Questions About Healthcare Content Marketing
How is healthcare marketing different from marketing in other industries?
Healthcare marketing is unique due to the sensitivity and personal nature of the content covered. Healthcare content marketing requires a higher degree of trust, adherence to compliance regulations, and ethical considerations. Overall, healthcare content marketing needs to be informative, trustworthy, and empathetic.
Why is marketing for healthcare difficult?
Marketing for healthcare is challenging because it involves navigating a complicated landscape of regulations, ethical issues, and sensitive health issues. Healthcare marketing must address a diverse target audience and follow HIPAA and other compliance regulations, in addition to providing trustworthy and accurate information, as reliable information is paramount in healthcare marketing.
What makes healthcare marketing unique?
Healthcare marketing is unique because the product being marketed is an individual’s health, and the ability of a healthcare provider to deliver adequate care. Healthcare and medical content marketing are also unique due to compliance regulations, the expert knowledge required, and the focus on education instead of persuasion.
How do you do medical marketing?
Medical marketing normally involves creating and promoting informative, evidence-based content that educates patients and users and helps establish the provider’s credibility. Medical marketing strategies include engaging on social media, maintaining an informative website, hosting health webinars, and hosting in-person informational sessions. Medical marketers must ensure compliance with regulations and ethical guidelines throughout their marketing strategies.
How do companies do digital marketing for medicine?
Companies combine a mix of online channels for medicine marketing, such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and email newsletter campaigns. Online reviews and patient testimonials are also critical in building trust for medical marketing.
What kinds of content exist for healthcare companies?
Content for healthcare companies varies from research publications, informative articles, educational videos, newsletters, and infographics. Some healthcare websites implement interactive tools like symptom checkers and virtual medical consultations. Health podcasts are another popular form of medical content. Regardless of the format of the content, the emphasis is always on providing credible, accurate, and helpful information to the audience.
