Medical blogging helps a medical website gain attention from search engines, but they serve a higher purpose - keeping patients updated with the latest health care literacy, in a language that is not only relatable, but shareable. However, the process is time consuming, leading many facilities to hire a blogging professional, who will be interested to know exactly what topics interest the facility most. Coming up with these topics for the blogger does not have to be an overwhelming task; start with this list of ideas to create offshoots of related blog topics.
Healthy Living Without offering medical advice online, a series of healthy living blogs is useful to the patient. Creating tips and tricks for beating springtime allergies, protecting the body against heat waves, or recognizing signs of a heart attack are all shareable, relevant blogs that help promote health throughout the community, without giving any medical advice. Prevention tips, FAQ's from within the practice, tips to avoid specific health issues, and question-based blogs, such as, "Do I have spring allergies?" is a great place to begin blogging in this fashion. Practice News When something new is happening at the office, it's a good idea to blog about it, to keep your readers abreast of changes in their favorite office. Any news, from a change of staff to a move to a phone number change, belongs in the blog. Patients will begin to rely on the blog to stay updated on everything happening in the office, so make sure to continue the informative blogging process once it has begun. Promotions Most offices do not offer direct promotions, but direct promotions are not the only types of promotional blogs found on successful medical sites. Direct promotions, such as discounts on specific procedures, belong in a blog, but so do any activities in which the office is directly participating. Is the team running a fun run marathon in support of cancer research? That belongs in the blog. If your office receives grants, new equipment, or sizable donations, these are also acceptable blog topics.
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Many doctors correctly assume they need a blog to stay relevant, especially if they concentrate in a specialty. However, so many blogs exist that are not working for these doctors that many have abandoned the pursuit of shared knowledge. Hiring a professional blogger who can go over your blog, diagnose it, then apply the following treatments, will provide you with a blog your patients will want to share.
Human Exhaustion Think about the end of your day. You're exhausted after you close the office and send the staff home. This provides for one of two major blog diagnoses: an unfinished blog, or a sloppy blog. You are intelligent and you know everything there is to know about your field; the truth is, though, that you are simply too tired to communicate it in an interesting, shareable method, on a consistent basis. The obvious treatment for this ailment is to hire a part-time blogger. Send him or her copies of articles you find interesting or relevant to your blog targeting audience, or send a quick email whenever you have a new idea for what will work on your blog. When you have the right fit with a blogger, and work out a regular schedule for blog posts, the result will be a consistent, researched, timeless blog that communicates clearly with your target audience. Placing Design Over Content If you were an interior designer, you would want pictures and website design to control the blog. However, you are a doctor, with a specialty. Images continue to help in search engines, but they must not overwhelm your blog. The diagnosis here is a blog that overwhelms with widgets and images, but does not provide enough information for the patient. The treatment is to review the page with your web developer. Discuss ways to bring the content of the blog to the forefront of the website. Remember that patients come to you for information, not for visual stimulation - they have more specific companies for that sort of entertainment. Redesign your website to provide your basic information, then place the blog in the forefront of the site. This will give the patient what he or she came for right away - information concerning your specialty. Giving Away Too Much Again, you are smart. You have a deep knowledge regarding your specialty, and you love to share with your patients. However, blogging everyday is simply overwhelming, and will have an adverse effect on your blog traffic. The diagnosis here is overwhelming the patient with information. The treatment is a working schedule with your blogger. Typically, two blogs a week is well received; however, speak with your blogger regarding your demographics to determine what works best. When you work with a professional blogger, and share your blog with your patients, you'll notice increased results. Medical facilities are discovering the importance of blogs attached to their websites, to both keep existing clients and obtain future clients. Similar to any retail store, patients are leaning more on websites to not only help them find a doctor, but maintain a connection with their doctors of choice. Connecting to your patients with a reliable, informed blog that has sharing capabilities helps you stay relevant among a growing number of your patients.
Greater Visibility and Connection As a practice, you will gain a greater visibility among your patients, as well as a clearer connection to what they need, and what they enjoy - sharing information with their friends. Write blogs - or share with your blogger - your specific demographics, and what you know about your community. Write about educational topics that connect your patients to their community. For example, if you live in an area prone to springtime flooding, ask your blogger to research and discuss the dangers of moving water, followed by a cautionary tale regarding standing water a week later. Frequently Asked Questions As a medical practice, you get plenty of questions. Ask your receptionist to record the most asked questions, or poll your staff for the same information. Pass this information on to your blogger, along with suggested answers, if desired. You decide if you should devote a whole page or a blog series to the answers organized and researched by your blogger. Relevant Information The most current, relevant information is a must for every medical blog, which is why it's important to consistently share information with your blogger. You want your blogs to reflect the latest medical research; for example, as an obstetrician, you would never advise expectant mothers to eat deli meat; a blog from ten years past would state that deli meat is OK in some cases. Consistent updating with the latest information is essential to keeping patients coming back to the blog, and coming back to the office for decidedly trusted medical support. Understand To Whom You Are Talking It's essential to understand who is reading your blogs. This leads back to your demographics, and for whom you are asking the blogger to write. Discuss your demographic with your blogger, communicating whether you'd like to focus on a more education-based community, or if you'd like to talk to an overarching group of eclectic backgrounds. Perhaps you have a multi-cultural patient base; perhaps you'd like to initially share with colleagues, but reach out the general community; perhaps your focus is only on creating content to be shared across social media. Communicate with your blogger to ensure a readable blog for your target audience. |
AuthorRebecca has been blogging for ten years. She'd love to help you fill your blog! Archives
August 2019
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