Inbound marketing content types made simple

A healthcare marketer’s guide to content

Writing can be exhausting, but rewarding when it’s done right.

That’s the hard part.

Healthcare marketing strategies usually include all types of inbound content across a variety of platforms. There’s content for websites and content for social media, press pitches, email blasts and news releases. Then there are e-books, white papers, blog posts and articles.

Understanding the strengths of each and what topics are appropriate for certain content types isn’t always clear.

What makes a great subject for a blog post may not be suitable for a white paper. Maybe that white paper fits better as an e-book. Or, perhaps, that e-book could have been better summed up in an article.

If your organization wants to stand out from the competition and position itself as an industry thought-leader, its important to set specific content guidelines. With an abundance of content out there, when you grab a consumer’s attention, it is imperative they stay interested and impressed with your material.

We broke it down and created this guideline to help your organization make a distinction:

E-books

Health systems can greatly benefit from publishing an e-book. Why? Not only do they lend credibility to your claim of expertise, but they also generate on-site conversions by consumers or others who download the book.

When crafting an E-book, subjects should be broader and more thoroughly researched. It’s likely with an e-book, you’re attracting the kind of audience who expects high level and consultative narrative. Think about population health issues such as cigarette smoking, obesity, depression or “how to” topics such as lose weight, eat healthy or be happy, hospitals and health systems are well versed on these topics and can easily expand on them. For example, the Mayo Clinic has published a dieting book, a pregnancy tip book, a breast cancer book and a handbook for happiness, to name a few.

White Papers or Articles

In the medical field, white papers can be difficult to write depending on your audience. From our research, we found hospitals mainly publish scholarly articles for scientific research. Which is a great way to impress physicians, but may not be a great way to engage patients.

Publishing a white paper is an opportunity to show consumers the level of knowledge your organization has on a health related topic. Although topics may be high level and conceptual, articles should speak to your target audience in a way that is relevant and appealing.

Typically, white papers cover a single subject in depth and focus on chief pain points of your target audience. For example, your hospital can write a white paper about health trends among millennial women or the top ten foods that can help lower men’s blood pressure. White papers are valuable because they generate onsite conversions, and provide prospective consumers or patients with a clear indication of your experience in the field.

Blog Posts

Blog posts are the easiest way to reach health consumers. Shorter than a white paper, their purpose is to attract targeted visitors to your website and hopefully build traffic and frequency of visits. Blogs can also promote gated content (white papers or e-books), reinforce your claim of expertise, demonstrate your healthcare system’s personality and more. They can be timely and refer to a trending subject, or they can simply discuss a problem your organization is comfortable expanding on.

Don’t limit your blog posts. Different departments throughout your health system or hospital can host a blog. This may help boost your website’s SEO and help personalize posts. For example, your hospital can create a blog forum for nurses, where they can write about different patient experiences or tools and tips health consumers might find helpful.

What areas of expertise could your hospital tap into to attract prospective patients? By understanding the strengths of each, you can tailor your content strategy, allocate resources for each content type and ensure your organization is reaching a large audience and generating meaningful results.