Is your health care company struggling to connect with patients? Healthcare companies the world over make the same advertising pitch (“we care for you”), with impersonal healthcare marketing materials that fail to connect with potential patients. Traditional advertising no longer works for health care. After all, health care is bought, not sold. You can’t “create demand” for health care; nobody wants to get sick or see a doctor. There’s a good chance that your future patients may not even know that your healthcare company exists. They don’t know who your company is because they don’t need you. But one day, they will. And when that day comes, will your healthcare organization be at the top of their mind? 

Advertising speak is impersonal. Today’s savvy customers immediately see advertising for what it is – generic and boilerplate – and dismiss it. Great content marketing is an antidote to traditional advertising. It’s an opportunity to cut through the digital clutter and connect with patients in a meaningful, authentic way. As Rand Fishkin, CEO of MOZ, tweeted: “Ours is an era of authenticity. As marketers, we must atone for the sins of our predecessors & build brands worthy of our customers' love.” What is your healthcare business doing to build a brand worthy of customer love?

Relationship Building: The New Healthcare Digital Marketing Imperative

With smaller budgets and changing dynamics thanks to the Affordable Care Act, today’s health care digital marketplace demands a new approach for connecting with patients. Traditional advertising doesn’t work. And given the daily barrage of constant advertising, it’s no surprise that 70% of today’s consumers prefer to get to know a company through articles, rather than ads. 2014 is the year of content marketing; is your business ready?

Content marketing is the opposite of advertising: there’s no hard sell or push to promote a specific product or service. Instead, content marketing uses empathy, transparency and connection to build trust with potential customers. Great healthcare marketing still accomplishes four key goals advertising goals, but does so in a different, more personal manner:

1. Attract: Start a new relationship with potential patients
2. Acquire: Answer key questions patients may have
3. Engage: Establish trust
4. Drive action: Nurture a long-term, trustworthy relationship

From Advertising to Content Marketing: Finding Your Company’s Authentic Voice

If your healthcare company is used to traditional advertising, shifting to content marketing may seem at first glance to be a major change. Here are three ways that content marketing is different from advertising:

#1: Build trust.
Choosing a health care provider is an emotional choice. Unlike other service providers where a consumer may hop between different companies as different needs arise, for the most part, once a patient selects a healthcare provider, they stick with this provider for years to come. This is why building trust with prospective patients from day one is so important. Skip the hard sales pitch and instead create content that addresses patient concerns, which is key for building trust.

#2: Deliver real value.
Create relevant, meaningful content that establishes your healthcare company as a trusted advisor. The good news is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on marketing research; in all likelihood, your healthcare team already knows what’s important! From doctors to receptionists, your team is on the front line answering patient questions every day. Find out what questions your patients have and create content that addresses these concerns.

#3: Address pain points.
From changing benefits to the new insurance mandate, many healthcare consumers remain seriously confused about the new Affordable Care Act. Content marketing is the perfect opportunity to address these pain points, answer questions and establish your healthcare company as a trusted industry thought leader.

Bottom line:
Traditional healthcare advertising no longer works like it once did. Content marketing is the most cost-effective strategy for communicating your company’s key values directly to prospective patients. Find your company’s authentic voice and use this voice to build long-term, trustworthy relationships with patients via healthcare marketing.