The field of healthcare is evolving ever so swiftly as new technologies and tools are launched in the market to provide the best possible care for the patients. This change also forces the hospitals to come up with new marketing strategies that can effectively keep their brand image and voice distinct and memorable from all the other competitors in order to attract new patients as well as retain the existing ones.

Brand visibility vs brand awareness

Brand visibility and awareness are two different, but complementary aspects of marketing. Brand visibility is how your brand is seen among various marketing channels whereas brand awareness indicates how familiar the audience is with your brand. Maintaining brand visibility and spreading brand awareness are imperative to the sustainable growth and success of the brand and strategic content marketing is one of the most effective ways to do it. Emailers, social media posts, blog posts, and website content are all content marketing channels that can be used to increase your competitive advantage.

How does content marketing help?

• Generates traffic
• Boosts followers on social media platforms
• Improves organic ranking of the website
• Improves customer retention
• Generates leads and promotes sales

Now, the question is what strategies are to be implemented to help bring the best results when it comes to promoting brand visibility and awareness through content marketing.

Research first

The very first thing to keep in mind before you start developing content is to conduct a thorough research on your target market and audience. Hospital marketing needs customized content that can connect with the audience on a deeper level and boost credibility and this is impossible without proper knowledge of the latest market trends as well as a better understanding of the patient’s concerns and requirements. One of the best ways to do this is through social listening as it can give you a clear idea of where your brand stands in the market, and make the necessary changes in your strategy and content for optimal results. Keyword analysis is another important aspect as it can help see the search trends and what the patients want to know the most about. By addressing their needs and requirements through the content, your brand can successfully create and maintain a good relationship with the patients.

Foster a community

As mentioned earlier, healthcare tends to be more personal than most other industries as the foundation of the success of your hospital depends on the patient’s trust in your excellence. What they need is the assurance that they will be receiving the best care from your hospital and this also extends to the relationship you maintain with your patients. Encourage your patients to leave reviews to gain more insight into the strategies you need to adopt to market your brand better as well as to make the patient experience satisfactory. The positive reviews can be incorporated into your content to increase credibility and boost reputation, especially for email and social media content marketing. These reviews can also play an essential role in your brand visibility through Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Frequent interactions with the patients on social media platforms can also help in building a community of loyal patients. Engaging content tailored to encourage interactions can be of immense help in this regard as it can create a favorable impression in the minds of your audience.

Create a story

Storytelling is a powerful tactic in content marketing as it can establish and nurture a deeper bond with the audience on a personal level by evoking a stronger emotional response. A carefully planned narrative for your hospital helps humanize the brand to your audience and as a healthcare service provider, differentiating your brand from other competitors through compelling storytelling should be given special attention while developing content. When patients are looking for a healthcare service, this connection built through storytelling can influence their decision in favor of your brand and the trust and credibility thus gained will also promote word-of-mouth traffic to bring in the best results.

Focus on video content

High quality video content not only makes your feed more dynamic, but also helps capture attention more easily. The audio-visual element gives video content an edge over the usual text only content in promoting impressions and engagements. Well thought-out video content also makes it easier for the audience to connect with what your brand has to say. By publishing frequent video content to engage with your audience, the brand can build familiarity with the audience which in turn can be converted to leads and sales later.

Don’t forget the SEO

When it comes to content marketing, SEO is and always will be one of the most decisive factors that define your success. Unlike paid advertisements, content marketing works slowly over time by building your brand organically through customized content to boost your ranking. SEO works on-page through strategic placement of keywords in your content and off-page through link building so that your page will be pulled up for relevant queries. The better you are with SEO, higher the chances of your brand slowly rising and maintaining a top position in search results.

The brand visibility and awareness gained through the implementation of carefully designed content marketing strategies can help position your hospital as a reputable organization with both experience and expertise to deliver the best patient care. The brand credibility and loyalty built through content marketing can also have a lasting effect in maintaining your position at the top than depending on paid advertising. The success of content marketing in achieving this result at minimal cost is also what attracts most hospitals to invest more time and effort in content marketing.

Moksha Media, based in Hyderabad, is a highly successful branding and digital marketing agency with over two decades of experience in catering specifically to the field of healthcare, especially hospitals, with optimal results. Our team of experts have been helping hospitals in both India and across the globe by developing and executing strategic and data-driven content marketing tactics to boost visibility and engagement resulting in significant increases in brand revenue.

18 March 2024 | Hospital Marketing, Digital Branding for Hospitals