If you are a healthcare professional, you may not think adding a blog to your practice is a priority.
You may also be a bit behind the curve when it comes to marketing your practice. Here I will explain why it is important to consider joining others across the digital world by adding Blog articles to your website. Blogs having been around for 15 years now with most large companies posting this updated form of “content marketing” on their websites. Patients appreciate and will read articles you write and it is a form of engagement you can utilize to provide value to others. Here are six reasons for you to consider starting a Blog:
- You can benefit from Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Search engines will award you a higher rank when you post content such as a blog that is fresh and original. This will lead to better organic rankings on search engines. However, ensure that your content is unique, otherwise you could be penalized for duplicate content.
- You can position yourself as an expert in a particular area: If you are a plastic surgeon who treats a full range of conditions, but want to position yourself as an expert in rhinoplasty, you can use your Blog to do so. This will help your patients understand your area of expertise and you will be at the top of their minds when it comes to choosing a plastic surgeon for a particular procedure.
- You can reveal your personality to your patients: Many patients think that doctors are simply robotic when it comes to their personality. You can use your Blog to showcase your personality so that you seem more human. Some articles can discuss events or hobbies in your life to further the connection to you. This will help lower the barrier for them to call you for an appointment.
- You can build content for your website: Writing and posting a Blog is a great way to build content for your website. This will help position you as someone who cares about their patients enough to write for them. Ensure that the Blog topics you pick are something that potential patients and their families would want to read. Catchy titles help generate a “click and share” to others as well!
- You can build relationships with your patients: By writing Blogs that use plain, simple English and little jargon, you can connect directly with your patients. Also, when patients and potential patients visit your website and read a blog that resonates with them, it helps build trust. This helps your patients choose you as a healthcare provider of choice.
- You can help future patients find you: If you write and post Blogs frequently on your website, this will help potential patients find you rather than your competitor. You should write Blogs on topics that patients care about and want to know. For example, “What are unusual symptoms of a heart attack?” This will help give you and your practice a more human face.
These are some reasons to include a Blog on your website even if you are a busy healthcare professional. If you haven’t already incorporated blogging as part of your marketing strategy, now is definitely the time to do so. Here’s to continued blogging today and every day!
For more information on how you can use Blogs to expand your healthcare practice or help getting started, contact me at kristineg@intellahealth.net.
by Kristine Grace, Sep-23-2016