High-quality content and health content marketing go hand in hand. However, note that the healthcare industry is a special case. Anything that can seriously harm a person’s well-being, financially, physically, or otherwise, is rightly held to a higher standard.
Search engines actively seek to suppress dangerous misinformation online. That is why your money, your life (YMYL) content is scrutinized more closely (see below). Healthcare content marketing is effective, but not when done wrong.
Let us discuss why and how you should center content marketing on patients without further ado.
Why Is Healthcare Content Marketing Special?
It is an unfortunate reality that anyone can create “healthcare content” online. People always do it on social media to the tune of millions of impressions. Expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) are easy to fake to an audience of laypeople, and that’s dangerous.
Fortunately, it is not the same story on search. According to Google’s evaluator guidelines, YMYL content must follow the consensus of experts and thorough research. Otherwise, the content’s rating will be heavily penalized to limit its reach.
Healthcare content marketing is also notable because it is far from general knowledge. Regular people do not have years of medical study to fall back on. That is why they entrust their safety to those that do. This is where you and your content come in.
How Content Marketing Can Empower Patients
As mentioned above, patients (and their loved ones) depend on doctors and hospitals for accurate and reliable information. It does not mean you can simply throw them a medical textbook and call it a day. Yes, such a book is accurate and reliable, but it requires prior study to be comprehensible.
So, first and foremost, let’s go over what to do and not do when making healthcare content.
Do:
- Write using simple language. Make sure that there’s little room for interpretation.
- Avoid using jargon, if possible. If unavoidable, explain so that the patient gets it.
- Use short sentences to make your content more readable. Avoid too many commas.
- Manage the length of your paragraphs. Put breaks between every four to five sentences.
- Insert visual aids like charts and graphs to help patients understand the subject better.
Don’t:
- Talk down to your readers. You do not have to explain every single term you use.
- Oversimplify your writing. Be concise, but not at the cost of detail or context.
- Add too many elements to any visual content. Remember that less is more.
Add too many elements to any visual content. Remember that less is more.
Write Content that Proactively Solves Patient Problems
There are many ways healthcare practice content can benefit patients. Below are five excellent topics to cover.
Patient Pain Points and Common Complaints
Most things in healthcare, if not all, follow a strict structure and guidelines. For example, all medication prescribed by doctors comes in boxes, tubes, or bottles that indicate usage, dosage, and side effects.
Adopt this structure into your healthcare content marketing approach. While vital information on diseases and medication is widely available online, it is not accessible to the everyday man or woman. This means it’s full of jargon that laypeople neither need nor understand.
Even if they did understand, their interpretation might differ from the intended meaning. Address this problem by making concise leaflets or pamphlets that patients can refer to. The amount of trouble you spare them will drive recommendations to your business.
Answer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answering the same questions over and over again can be taxing. However, from the patient’s perspective, nothing could be more urgent. Writing an article on these concerns solves both problems.
This works exceptionally well for private practices such as ophthalmology, dentistry, and nutrition. It is much easier to consolidate patient questions when you only have to consider one healthcare sphere. That is not to say that this doesn’t work for hospitals.
Here are some example articles that fall under this category:
- How to Reduce Tooth Sensitivity
- Common Causes of Tooth Pain
- How Often Should You Get an Eye Exam
- Are Contact Lenses Better Than Glasses?
- How to Fix Your Diet Today
Your goal with this article is to address concerns before patients raise them. It not only promotes your content and business but also establishes you as a reliable source.
Headline SEO Keyword-Based Medical Content
Digital Authority Partners said SEO headlines should be compelling and offer value. In the most basic sense, a headline SEO keyword is anything attention-grabbing.
Here are some templates you should use:
- How to _
- # Ways To _
- What You Should Know About _
- Avoid These _ Mistakes
- Common Causes of _
- # Myths About _
- # Steps to _
- Learn to _
- Things You Didn’t Know About _
- What to Do When _
- Is _ Better Than _?
If these sound like clickbait titles, that’s because they somehow are. However, that shows how effectively they draw in clicks and engagement. The difference you are aiming for here is content quality.
Just because the title sounds like clickbait doesn’t mean it does not offer substance. Stick to basing your content on in-depth research and your expertise. Cite authoritative sources, incorporate statistics, and add references to support your claims.
Niche Interests and Topics (Show Your Expertise)
It might seem contrary to everything discussed so far, but your interests are another valuable source of content ideas. This is because people are wired to love learning.
Sharing an idea or information that is niche or underappreciated is a good way to show how well you know your field. For example, talking about the “right way” to use a particular object or do something has always been a popular content format.
But, as always, make sure to back up your claims. Making people feel smart is a great way to encourage sharing your content.
Invite Your Patients to Share Their Experiences
Potential patients can benefit from the advice of existing ones. The best way to spin this into content for your website is to interview patients about their experiences during treatment. Ask what difficulties they faced, then address them in your article.
Articles about personal experiences are humanizing and help build rapport with your audience. Now, healthcare content marketing is not necessarily restricted to guides and articles. Videos are a popular format, too. Ask any influencer doctor on Instagram or TikTok.
However, the written content is easier to manage. Protecting personally identifiable information (PII) is a serious concern for hospitals and healthcare providers. Regardless of how you choose to create and market content, make sure you have a HIPAA-compliance checklist to guide you.
Summing Up
Content marketing is a powerful tool. Content Governance ensures it functions at its best when it is done to serve your patients’ (audience’s) needs. Empower your patients to boost your website’s E-A-T and YMYL ratings. Write blogs, guides, and articles also use content syndication that make healthcare better for everyone.
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