This blog was written by Bizzuka, a fractional CMO organization helping healthcare organizations build marketing teams and systems that generate consistent, predictable revenue growth.
Blogs can be an incredibly useful tool for any business, and the healthcare industry is no different.
This is because so much of the medical field relies on education. There is no shortage of patients seeking reliable information about their health and the options available to them.
A blog is a great way to build credibility and trust for your hospital or medical practice.
Writing about your expertise and experience will show your potential patients that you are qualified to provide them with quality care. Additionally, sharing credible and accurate content about health topics can help to educate your readers and increase their trust in you as an authority.
But the advantages don’t stop there.
Here are 5 reasons why all hospitals should have a blog.
1. It can nurture and create relationships
Gaining trust is the foundation to any relationship, and that includes doctor-patient relationships. Fortunately, a blog can help you do exactly that by creating content that connects with current and potential patients. Providing them with this relevant and valuable content will build trust and credibility, as they’ll start viewing you as an expert.
2. It can help patients find you
On the digital marketing and SEO side, one of the top benefits of having a blog is that it will improve your search engine ranking. Including relevant keywords in your blogs will increase your authority with Google, in turn giving you a higher ranking. This will be ideal to bringing in more traffic to your site, because when done properly, your blog will be shown in the top few search results when a potential patient googles your specific keywords.
It is important to note, however, that attempting to trick the system by stuffing your blogs full of keywords can actually do more harm than good. Your content needs to flow naturally and be high quality. The higher the quality, the better its ranking will be.
3. It represents your practice
Your blog is a representation of your hospital, and it should be treated as such. Your readers will form an opinion of your practice depending on the content you provide them with, so make sure that all posts are professional and engaging, reflecting the personality and values of your practice.
4. It humanizes your brand
As a hospital, it is important to remain professional.
But that doesn’t mean you have to be dry or boring!
Your blog should be written in an authentic and friendly tone to create more of a personal connection with your readers, making them feel more comfortable and trusting when coming for treatment.
Putting a face to your brand will humanize it, helping patients view you as caring and welcoming, rather than cold and sterile. A personable blog will also communicate to potential patients that you know what you’re talking about.
Accepting feedback such as comments and questions on your blog is another great way to give your brand a more personal feel and make you more approachable.
5. It’s a key piece of your story
Every hospital has a unique story to tell, and a blog is a wonderful way to share this story. You can narrate the stories of your doctors, practice, and most importantly, the people that you’ve helped (as long as you follow the HIPAA guidelines, of course).
When crafting your story, you’ll want to include information about why your approach to treating patients and philosophy are unique. This is much more personable than generic posts about specific treatments and diseases–that’s Wikipedia and WebMD’s job. Your patients are looking for real-life stories that they can connect with.
You can also make your blog more personable by including a picture and byline of the author in each post. This will humanize you and remind your audience that there’s a real person behind every post.
When done properly, a decent blog will help your hospital or medical practice increase awareness, build expertise, and gain authority in the industry. It can also boost your SEO and enhance the overall patient experience.
For more help creating your hospital marketing strategy, schedule a free 45-minute strategy call with Bizzuka. On this call, we’ll review your current strategy and see where you may be falling short. If it looks like we can help in any way, we can set up another call to see what that looks like. If we can’t help, we will happily point you in the right direction of someone who can!
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.