Content Wins in Healthcare Marketing

According to a recent study by Kantar Media, the healthcare industry spends $9.7 billion a year in U.S. ad media, selling their mission, patient experience and why they are better than the next facility.

Studies have found that more than 80 percent of internet users have searched for a health-related issue online. Patients looking for answers, the best doctor, the most reputable facility, answers to why I’m feeling this way, and even the best procedure to fix their problems. Research is the number one way people seek and find healthcare providers in the US.

In addition to this trend, healthcare and healthcare practices are changing. Progressive physicians are looking to how changes in diet can put autoimmune disorders into remission, and how diets and lifestyles can do the same with cancer. The landscape is changing and disruptive ideas are being considered each day. Bottom line for providers–change or lose market share.

MESH has worked in healthcare since day one—from developing annual reports for larger healthcare systems, repositioning brands for specialty hospitals and behavioral health, promoting larger physician practices, developing paths for giving for nonprofits, and partnering with some of the most innovative practices in cancer treatment. This list is long. Our shift in marketing is not to abandon the brand or service lines, but to use them to create content that shows the patient or the prospective patient the value they will get from the overall organization, each practice within the organization, down to each physician in the organization.

Educated patients search for the best physician and most innovative approach, not necessarily the organization. However, it is important for the organization to establish, maintain and market its brand promise. We believe there is another layer that will support the promise through action.

Content, whether it is in the form of writing (like what I am doing now), video, or even event marketing, is critical to supporting the value of the brand and also educating the consumer. The more relevant content that is developed and distributed by the organization, practices and providers, the more connection and interaction the patient has with your brand. In addition, your are helping people make an informed decision.

It’s no secret that content generation is hard work. An empty blog or news section is worse than not having one at all. At the end of the day, patients are searching the internet for answers, and you have the opportunity to provide the answers. If you are not a writer, or have limited resources, uncover the many tools and creative resources that feed content to professionals and organizations and seek out editorial services that will help turn your ideas into engaging messages for your audiences.