5 Ways Using Sponsored Content Can Promote Thought Leadership and Help You Build Your Healthcare Brand
A young woman in her 20s has just started a new job and moved into her first apartment in a new city. She’s searching for primary care physicians and specialists who can help her manage the migraines she gets every few months.
A man in his 60s frequently browses a popular magazine targeted to adults 50 and older, in print and online, for travel ideas, money-saving memberships, and lifestyle tips. He’s recently been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib), and he’s not sure what his options are for managing the condition.
Native content, or sponsored content, could be the perfect marketing method to let both these potential patients know about your healthcare system’s convenient primary care options, headache clinic, award-winning cardiologists, and cutting-edge ablation treatments for AFib. It’s a way to communicate with your audience authentically, rather than being overly promotional. And, you can repurpose this content on your blog, social media, and email marketing to reach even more people.
How Sponsored Content Can Help You Market Your Healthcare Services
- It can answer readers’ questions – and build your reputation.
Instead of a straight sales pitch, the content your organization sponsors on a popular website or in a print publication offers information readers are already looking for about their health, sourced by your experts. - It can be targeted to appropriate audiences.
For the young woman managing migraines while settling into a new city, career, and social scene, sharing native content on Facebook may be the perfect fit. She’s already frequenting the social media site to keep up with friends and check out things to do in her new area, so encountering some helpful content about your headache clinic could be both convenient and life-changing. - You’re getting their attention – without disrupting their lives.
When the man mentioned above visits his favorite website to look at tips for winterizing his car, he sees a headline about AFib. Intrigued, he clicks the link and learns there are a wide variety of options for managing his arrhythmia – including many your healthcare system offers close to his home. Notice that this native content leaves the choice in the hands of the consumer. Instead of annoying ads or commercials interrupting his intended article, an eye-catching piece offers an opportunity to learn more at his leisure. - You can use an on-trend tactic that makes your health system stand out.
List-type articles have become very popular on sites like Buzzfeed. They are an easy read, can be browsed quickly for key information, and are frequently shared on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. Tips for fitness and heart health released on a popular website at the start of a new year – sourced by your cardiologists, physical therapists, and nutritionists – would come right on time for those making New Year’s resolutions. - It helps you convey your expertise – and compassion.
Engaging content that goes into depth about common health concerns builds reader trust in your providers’ knowledge and abilities. Expressive language, instead of marketing jargon, can convey that you understand the reader’s plight – and want to help. A simple call to action with your health system’s name, website, and phone number then gives them a place to turn to for help.
Ready to implement native advertising in your marketing strategy? Hospitals and healthcare systems across the country rely on Lightstream for help finding new ways to reach healthcare consumers. Reach out today to learn more.
