A few simple tactics can help more users find the content they want and need.
Are you putting your health system’s website content to full use?
Maybe! But if you’re like most healthcare marketers, you’re always looking for more ways to tell the full story of your extensive services, expert doctors, satisfied patients and impressive facilities. What if you could do this without creating new content from scratch? Here’s how:
1 – Repurpose content across channels
Did you publish an inspiring patient story in the latest issue of your print magazine? Do you have a press release announcing your renovated birth suites?
To maximize the odds potential patients will find the information, add it to your relevant service-line web pages. Revise the content of brochures, magazines and news releases to match a web-writing style that’s concise, jargon-free and user-focused.
What if you post a video of an orthopedic surgeon talking about a new surgical technique he helped develop?
Write copy that highlights the most marketable information your surgeon shared on camera. Adding the text or even the full transcript to the page can give you an SEO boost—and communicate the doctor’s main message to visitors who might not be able to watch or listen to the video.
2 – Showcase your health library (if you have one)
After you’ve invested in a health library, don’t let it sit in a lonely corner of your website. Invite users to visit it by adding links to relevant library pages throughout your service-line content. When site visitors can find thorough, accurate, up-to-date health information with just one click, they’ll stay on your site rather than heading off to WebMD for details about their injury, illness or medical procedure.
If you integrate health library content through our VitalSite content management system, make sure you take advantage of SmartPanels that automatically link to related medical content from pages about your services, physicians and events. Using StayWell’s health library? Choose pages to display right in your website’s service-line sections, where they’re easy and intuitive for users to find.
3 – Cross-promote your services
Do visitors searching for treatments for a serious illness know your behavioral health department offers counseling to help families cope with a loved one’s diagnosis? Have the users researching your rehabilitation services heard about the warm-water therapy pool and gentle aquatic exercise classes at your health system’s fitness center?
Link to the pages about additional services that benefit your users. Show visitors they can stay within your health system to find most or all of the services they need.
4 – Ask an external content strategist to review your content
If a professional communicator—outside of your organization—understands what you’re saying, can locate information and finds your content engaging, it’s likely potential patients will, too. But if she sees room for improvement, you’ll get specific suggestions for making your site even more useful to visitors—and ultimately, to your health system. So ask a content strategist for help!
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