Why Content Marketing Is Crucial for Hospitals

Apr 28, 2023 | B2C / HCP

The backbone of any successful marketing strategy is not outreach, but content. You may be able to pinpoint exactly where your target audience lives online, but without compelling content, those efforts will likely go to waste. Why? Because patients are less likely to engage with something that doesn’t directly address their needs. If you’re not placing well-informed and tactful content in front of the right patients, the odds are high that they’ll keep scrolling.

Differentiate Your Brand With Trust-Building Content

Think of your content as your online voice. Sure, your existing patients are familiar with your hospital and your providers, but everyone else is not. The only exposure prospective patients get to your brand is through the content you distribute online. When it comes to healthcare, patients are, understandably, highly selective. They want to know that your hospital is the best place to get treated for a specific condition or undergo a certain procedure. Your goal should be to build as much trust as possible before they even reach out to your team.

How do you achieve this? A steady flow of high-quality content. Examples include blogs, videos, emails, white papers, social media posts, and other pieces that establish your hospital as an expert in your field. Moreover, a highly accessible and informative website is key to making a lasting — and revenue-generating — impression. Picture new parents trying to decide where to deliver their baby: will they choose the hospital with a minimal online presence, or the hospital with page after page of web content detailing what to expect in their labor and delivery unit — along with dozens of other content pieces on multiple channels relaying their long-standing expertise and trustworthiness?

For many patients, choosing a hospital or provider boils down to familiarity and trust. Even if your team has world-renowned experts in every specialty, patients searching online will inevitably choose the hospital with more visible marketing and content strategies. It’s up to you to give your hospital a leg up against the competition with content that continually builds trust and clearly showcases how you deliver a superior patient experience.

Gain Unmatched Visibility Into Your Campaigns

Once you’ve set up your campaigns to optimize content delivery, make sure you have a way to track engagement. In the hospital marketing context, this means following which content pieces on which channels are driving the most patients to take the next step: filling out a form, scheduling an appointment, or calling your team. Watching campaigns in real-time empowers informed decision-making and helps your team divert more resources to the tactics that maximize impact.

Over time, the needs and behaviors of your prospective patient population will change. While this requires a pivot in your strategy, it can be a new opportunity to get ahead by acting more quickly than your competitors. Conduct audience research on a regular basis to gain new insights into what patients are looking for in their ideal hospital, and redirect that information in your favor by showing how your hospital does it best.

To make the most of your content strategy, partner with a hospital advertising agency that knows the ins and outs of what drives patient conversions. Jairus specializes in content marketing for hospitals striving to boost their online brand awareness and foster engagement with prospective patients. Our team can refine your marketing strategy to broadcast the most effective content on the right digital channels, leveraging advanced analytics to pinpoint where your campaigns are gaining the most traction.

Looking for a hospital marketing agency to strengthen your content strategy? Learn more about how Jairus helps hospitals drive unprecedented revenue growth.