Creating your sweet spot healthcare content marketing
Healthcare content marketing that hits the sweet spot
Joe Pulizzi, head of Content Marketing Institute defines healthcare content marketing as: the strategic marketing approach of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.
Content marketing in healthcare
But how do healthcare system and hospital marketers achieve the above objective when they compete with every beauty, CPG, fashion, retail and travel company fighting for attention and likely have more interesting things to say?
Healthcare providers can do this by not trying to compete (with many), but by creating value (for few). Realizing that while you can’t be compelling to everybody through your healthcare content marketing, your organization can be invaluable to those who need you most.
Finding your content marketing sweet spot
Healthcare providers need to focus on hitting the sweet spot of:
1. content that solves a specific problem for a specific population,
2. while reflecting your organization’s unique passion and expertise,
3. in line with brand vision and business goals.
More specifically:
Solving a specific problem. You need to hear what a “specific population” in your served communities cares about and shares about as it relates to their specific healthcare journey. Then, think like the producer of a niche TV series with an ongoing multi-year commitment who needs to keep a storyline fresh and exciting to capture attention week in and week out. Personally, I think about Breaking Bad (in my opinion the best series ever), but that’s not quite appropriate here.
Reflecting your unique passion and expertise. What is your leadership specifically passionate about (beyond general caring for its communities)? And where does your healthcare system or hospital truly excel? Here-in lies your biggest opportunity. Because general health information is ubiquitous and be found anywhere. It also doesn’t set you apart, position you as the expert and an indispensable provider when patients needs you.
In line with brand vision and business goals. This should be the easiest of the three. If in fact, there’s a driving brand idea in place for the organization (what we refer to as your Big Energizing Idea) and a strategic plan guiding your areas of future focus.
Particularly for healthcare systems and hospitals, who are already woven into the fabric of their communities, compelling “sweet spot” healthcare content marketing provides a wonderful and genuine opportunity to deepen relationship by appealing to people’s minds and hearts in ways that truly matter to them. It’s also a very smart and efficient way to help attract new patients and grow patient referrals.
But remember, don’t compete (with many), create value (for few).