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As the internet has become more and more central to our lives, healthcare organizations have had to find new and innovative ways to reach their customers. One of the most effective ways to do this is through content marketing. Content marketing is a type of marketing that involves creating and sharing content that is relevant to your target audience. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, and social media posts.
Because websites are the second most used channel in marketing behind social media, it’s become more critical than ever for healthcare organizations to have a strong online presence. Creating informative and engaging content will help draw in potential patients and build trust with your existing patients. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about content marketing for healthcare in 2022.
What Is Healthcare Content Marketing?
Healthcare content marketing is a bit different from traditional content marketing. This is because the healthcare industry is highly regulated, which means that there are restrictions on the type of content that can be created and shared. That being said, content marketing for healthcare remains an incredibly effective way to reach your target audience.
Some of the most popular types of healthcare content include:
- Blog posts: Blog posts are a great way to share valuable information with your audience. When writing a blog post, include relevant keywords so that patients can easily find your content when searching for information online.
- Videos: Videos help you connect with potential and existing patients. You can use videos to introduce yourself and your team, give patient testimonials, or share educational information. In fact, 87% of organizations reported that video gives them a positive return on investment (ROI).
- Infographics: Infographics are a visually appealing way to share information with your audience. They can be used to explain complicated concepts, share statistics, or highlight the success of your organization.
- Social media posts: Want to reach both potential and existing patients? Social media is the way to go. When creating social media posts, use relevant hashtags and include a call-to-action (CTA) so patients know what to do next.
How To Create A Content Strategy For Your Healthcare Business
If you’re ready to start using content marketing to reach your target audience, the first step is to create a content strategy. A content strategy is a plan that outlines the goals of your content marketing efforts and the steps you’ll take to achieve those goals.
When creating a content strategy for your healthcare business, there are a few things you should keep in mind to ensure your success:
Analyze Your Target Audience
The first step in creating a content strategy is to analyze your target audience. This includes understanding their needs, wants, and pain points. Once you have a good understanding of your target audience, you can start to create content that is relevant to them.
Not sure how to analyze your target audience? As reported by Digital Authority Partners, here are a few questions you can ask yourself:
- What are their needs?
- What are their wants?
- What are their pain points?
- What type of content do they prefer?
- What kind of tone should you use?
Understanding who needs your healthcare services and what they’re looking for will help you to create content that resonates with them.
Understand What Topics Are Important To Your Audience
Once you understand your target audience, you can start considering the topics important to them. This includes the topics they’re searching for information on and the questions they’re asking. Next, you can use keyword research tools, such as Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Google Trends, to help you find popular keywords that are relevant to your business.
In addition to keyword research tools, you can also use social media listening tools to see what topics are being discussed online. This can help you identify relevant trends and conversations you can join. Lastly, you can simply ask your current clients about their interests. For example, if you offer red light therapy services, you may want to create content that discusses the benefits of this type of treatment or the conditions that it can be used to treat.
By understanding the topics important to your target audience, you can create content relevant to their needs.
Use Various Types Of Content
As we mentioned before, you can create many different types of content to reach your target audience. Some of the most popular types of healthcare content include:
- Blog posts
- Videos
- Infographics
- Social media posts
- Healthcare apps
When creating your content strategy, be sure to use a variety of content types so that you can reach your audience in different ways.
Plan Your Content Distribution Schedule
Once you have a good idea of the types of content you want to create, it’s time to start planning your content distribution schedule. This includes deciding how often you publish new content and which channels you will use to distribute your content.
Not sure how often you should publish new content? If you’re getting started, probably a maximum of two to three times a week. Then, as you get more comfortable with content marketing, you can start to increase your frequency. Just be sure not to overdo it, or you’ll risk overwhelming your audience.
If you want your content marketing efforts to be successful, you need to create content that is both highly engaging and shareable. This means making content that is interesting and informative to your audience about subjects they want to know about, as well as content that is easy to share with others.
Some things you can do to make your content more engaging and shareable include:
- Include images, infographics, and videos
- Use short and concise sentences
- Ask questions to encourage engagement
- Include calls-to-action to encourage sharing
By creating engaging and shareable content, you’ll be more likely to reach your target audience and achieve your content marketing goals.
Track Your Progress And Analyze Your Results
Lastly, don’t forget to track your progress and analyze your results. Doing so helps you to see what’s working and what’s not so that you can make necessary changes to your strategy. For example, you can track your website traffic, social media engagement, and leads to see how your content is performing.
You can also use A/B testing to test different types of content to see which performs best. For example, you could test two different blog titles or two different CTAs to see which gets more clicks. By tracking your progress and analyzing your results, you can ensure that your content marketing efforts are as effective as possible.
Conclusion
Content marketing is an essential part of any healthcare marketing strategy. By understanding your target audience and creating engaging and shareable content, you can reach your audience and achieve your business goals. Be sure to use a variety of content types and distribution channels, and don’t forget to track your progress so that you can make changes to your strategy to improve your results.
With these tips in mind, you’re well on your way to creating a successful healthcare content marketing strategy.