Content marketing has become an increasingly popular strategy for promoting businesses and brands. In most industries, content such as case studies, customer reviews and testimonials can be published and shared freely with a wide range of people. However, the medical industry in most countries is governed by laws which protect patient identity and data. You should therefore ensure that your content does not violate any of these laws.
Here are some tips for creating interesting content which complies with the laid down regulations:
- Share your story
Every large and small organization, whether a medical equipment manufacturer, insurance company or hospital, has a story. Sharing this story can be a great way of engaging your customers or potential patients. Your story could answer questions such as:
- When was your organization started?
- Who were the founders?
- What are the values of the organization?
- Who are the people running the organization?
- What services do you offer?
Sharing such information will build your credibility and show customers or potential patients why they should choose you over the competition.
- Answer common questions
Your customers and potential patients are always asking questions about different medical topics. According to a research carried out by pewinternet.org, most people seek answers to their health concerns via search engines such as Yahoo, Bing and Google. Such concerns can give you a good idea of what kind of content your audience would find helpful and educational. For instance, if your organization specializes in dermatology, you are likely to come across questions such as these:
- What is the safest skin treatment during pregnancy?
- How do I know if my skin is sensitive?
- If I have sensitive skin, which ingredients should I avoid?
- What are the best products for preventing ageing of skin?
You can address such questions through content in form of checklists, eBooks or blog posts. Don’t forget to add relevant descriptions and images to give life to your posts. At the end of the post, be sure to include call-to-action (CTA) button which visitors can click on to schedule an appointment for further consultation.
- Give your organization a ‘face’
One of the best ways of making your organization attractive is by humanizing it. People should not just see you as a business that is interested in increasing profit and revenue, but a group of people that cares about others. There are different ways of showing your customers and potential patients that there are real people behind the organization. For instance, you could display videos and photos of your doctors, nurses and employees on your blog and social media pages. In the videos, the staff can talk about their commitment to offer patients high quality care. You could even show them going about their day-to-day activities in the organization. This will help you win the trust of your customers and potential patients.
- Optimize content for mobile
Nowadays, many people use their smartphones and tablets to access the internet. Research has shown that most people spend at least 60% of their time online on their mobile devices. And this is not just young people, but even older people aged 55 years and above. Therefore, creating great content for your blog is not enough. You need to ensure that it is optimized for mobile devices. Having a responsive blog design allows your visitors to enjoy a pleasant user-experience with different devices. Optimizing your blog will ensure that all the content and navigation can be viewed easily. This will eliminate the need to zoom, pinch, rotate and resize pages. In addition, a responsive design will ensure that visitors can find your most important content easily. Details such as your location and phone number can be displayed in a prominent place on your page.
- Cultivate a social media presence
According to getreferralmd.com, many people manage their health based on information provided on social media. Social media platforms such as YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Intagram and Facebook therefore provide a great opportunity to engage with your audience. Having a strong social media presence can help increase awareness about your organization and influence the choice of your customers and potential customers. You can share links to some of your published articles which offer helpful health tips, as well as the latest news in your industry. Besides sharing information, having a social media presence gives you a chance to keep track of what people are saying about your organization. If you come across any complaints, be sure to address them as soon as possible. If you find questions, answer them promptly. However, make sure all the information you share on social media is compliant with the medical industry regulations in your region.
Charles Mburugu is a professional blogger who writes for TechBlogKe. You can follow him on Twitter @techblogke