It’s Time for Healthcare to Get Over Its Fear of Content Marketing

Caid Christiansen• October, 16 2015

Bad news for the healthcare industry: according to a new report from Econsultancy, healthcare organizations are lagging behind significantly on content marketing.

As Content Standard notes, healthcare marketers were 57% percent more likely than other industry marketers to say that digital processes are an entirely separate function from other company operations. What’s more, 43% of marketers said their current setup isn’t designed for digital marketing to be effective.

According to the report, healthcare organizations are afraid of the potential drawbacks of digital marketing. They’re afraid to gather patient data that’s able to support their content strategies, and as a result, healthcare organizations know less and less about who their audience is and how to target them.

All in all, the report paints a bleak picture for the current state of marketing–especially content marketing–in healthcare.

Yes: there are additional regulations to worry about in healthcare. And, healthcare organizations have a right to be concerned about the way they gather and manage patient data as it relates to their marketing efforts. But it’s time to face the facts: healthcare needs to get over its fear of content marketing.

At the end of the day, the B2B sales process and the physician selection process have more in common than you think. These days, more than 1/3rd of patients select physicians based on good reviews, while more than 1/3rd also avoid physicians based on bad reviews. We’re entering the era of the “self-teaching patient,” and that means that finding success is going to take putting content out there for patients to find.

By publishing content and embracing modern marketing techniques, healthcare providers can influence the selection process for patients selecting a physician, hospital, or clinic. The “head in the sand” approach isn’t helping anyone, no matter how difficult healthcare regulations may be to navigate.

If you don’t think your healthcare organization is smart about content marketing, you’re not alone–but we can help. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you successfully integrate marketing into your healthcare organization.