So you’ve set up your website, signed up for Facebook and Twitter, and designed an awesome logo for your rebranding. Now what? You need content!
When we talk about content, we don’t just mean some basic information to fill up your website. We are talking about content that tells your story, informs, and is constantly fresh. Quality content is one of the most effective ways to make an impression on your audience and stir up interest in your brand.
For rural hospitals, providing quality content isn’t optional. These healthcare facilities play an important role as community resources for both medical services and information about health and wellness issues.
Content has a direct effect on reputation
Hospitals and clinics have an opportunity to establish a reputation as a trusted source of information and to promote awareness of their services and specialties. Doing so is not only a great way to reach a broader audience, but it is essential for rural hospitals that have to compete with bigger medical facilities in the city.
Building a reputation as a pillar of the local community and promoting trust is a crucial way for hospitals to slow out migration and to demonstrate that essential medical care can be found locally.
Your content is your message
Communicating your story and raising awareness of your hospital’s services are the goals of your marketing strategy. Doing that requires content that is compelling, engaging, and consistent.
Your marketing materials—advertisements, radio spots, newsletters, and so on—are the vehicles. Your content is the driver. Think about what your community needs to know about your facility and about their own health. Delivering that information in a way that drives interest in your services and adds value to the patient experience is the key to an effective content strategy.
Informing the community online
Surveys show that the internet is becoming the number one source of health information for most people and is an important place to for them to learn about medical care options. Hospitals have an opportunity to guide patients in the right direction and provide timely and accurate information about health and healthcare.
Hospitals that can show they are knowledgeable are more likely to have physicians who are experienced and trustworthy.
Social media is a useful platform for quickly and effectively distributing content to users online. From sharing useful and relevant articles to informing the community about upcoming events, social media provides a way to reach people directly and to start a conversation.
Although it can take time to develop an effective social media strategy, doing so makes it easier than ever to keep patients and the people who live in the areas served engaged with hospitals and clinics.
Stay consistent
Keeping the community informed and providing value to the hospital experience is an ongoing process. SRJ recommends coming up with a schedule and deciding on many topics in advance so you can plan and create materials on time.
Being consistent helps build trust and improve your reputation with patients and the community more broadly. It also maintains interest in your facility and ensures that patients have your services in mind when making decisions about their health.
If you are ready for a new approach to content marketing or you want more insight into refining your marketing strategy, call SRJ Marketing Communications at 214-528-5775 to schedule a consultation. Founder and CEO, Steven R. Jolly, has nearly three decades of experience working with hospitals to develop effective marketing and communications strategies.
