October, 2017 | Total Medical Design

10 content ideas for your medical practice blog

Posted by tmD@NEw in General on October 19th, 2017

Blogging can benefit your practice in many ways. Not only can it drive traffic to your website but it can also convert browsers into patients and help you establish yourself as an authority in your field so people keep coming back.

In reality, though, coming up with a constant stream of quality blog ideas, week in week out, is no easy task. To help get you started, here are some content suggestions to keep the postings on your medical practice website engaging, relevant and regular.

1. Offer your opinion on the latest health news

The latest industry news can be a great starting point for new blogs – so keep your eyes peeled. However, it’s important that you don’t just reiterate stories in your own words. Use this opportunity to give your own take and view on the subject. Some online resources to look at include:

ABC Health News – http://www.abc.net.au/health/healthnews/
Sydney Morning Herald Health – http://www.smh.com.au/national/health
Government Health Latest News – http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/dr-david-gillespie-mp-latest-news

2. Focus on your specialities

Even general health practices have specialities – from women’s health to preventative care –and your blog is a great way to showcase yours. Tell people more about your expertise, how you got into it and what the advantages are for your patients in terms of facilities and treatments. But be sure to stay impartial.

3. Tie in to national health events

The Department of Health’s Calendar of Events can be a great source of inspiration for your blogs. From World Cancer Day to Coeliac Awareness Week and National Blood Donor Week, the calendar presents an opportunity to introduce a health-related issue or illness in a pertinent and timely manner.

4. Answer common patient questions

Helpful content is read content, so use your blog to answer some of the most common queries patients throw at you. These could be health, procedure or practice related. Much like a Q&A section, this is a chance to save time spent answering questions in person and to show patients you understand their needs.

5. Announce a new service or product

Whenever you introduce a new service or product to your practice, use your blog to introduce it. Even when it’s already highlighted on your site, this is your opportunity to provide a lot more detail about what it is, why you’re providing it and the benefits it offers. But keep it factual rather than promotional.

6. Share knowledge and research

Have you been to a conference recently or read an interesting article in your favourite medical journal? Use your blog to share your learnings with your patients. In addition, search for other credible academic content using Google Scholar and then curate your findings in plain English. Ensure you include links and references.

7. Use lists to give practical advice

Blogs presented in a list format such as 10 ways to boost your immune system or The 5 best treatments for the common cold, are one of the most popular types of content consumed. Whatever your field of practice, there are so many possibilities for topics here – just make sure you tailor them to your patients.

8. Explain health insurance practicalities

Health insurance is not always a straightforward topic to patients, so use your blog to provide more in-depth information to assist their understanding. If you have patients who have relocated from overseas you could look to explain Medicare in more detail, from who is entitled to receive its benefits to how bulk billing works.

9. Create an infographic

Mixing up the format of your blogs can be a great way to keep people interested. As well as creating traditional written blogs, design and share infographics – a content type proven to boost engagement and understanding. What could you visualise? National healthcare stats; your patient satisfaction survey results; steps for a common procedure.

10. Embed quality videos

When it comes to preferred content, videos rank high on the list. Create your own by focusing on a specific service you offer or give a visual tour of your practice. Alternatively, scour YouTube to find credible health-focused films and upload them as posts. Introduce them by explaining why you think they’re useful or interesting viewing.

Final thoughts

Coming up with blog ideas doesn’t have to be difficult but it does involve some time and effort. Try to spend about 30 minutes each day if you can thinking, reading, researching and brainstorming to fill out the above suggestions and keep the momentum going.

Finally, here are some other useful resources for content ideas:

Google Alerts – receive links to the most interesting medical-related content on the web
BuzzSumo – discover what medical content is performing best and who is creating it
Quora – find out what questions people are asking about illnesses and treatments

If you need help creating content for your medical practice blog, contact us today.

Content Ideas for Medical Practice Blog, Medical Practice Blog Content Ideas

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6 mistakes doctors make when creating a practice brochure

Posted by tmD@NEw in General on October 11th, 2017

Six mistakes doctors make when creating a practice brochure

If you’re considering creating a new brochure for your medical practice or clinic, read on. Here are some common mistakes healthcare professionals make when putting together this important piece of marketing material, combined with a few useful tips on how to get it right.

1. Skip the research stage

If there’s one thing you need to do in marketing it’s research. Unfortunately, in the interests of saving time, it often gets overlooked by medical practitioners keen to get some physical collateral into the hands of prospective patients. Mistake one. If you don’t know your market or audience, your brochure won’t perform.

So what do you need to do? Seek out competitor brochures; Google search design trends and look at your patient stats for demographic insights.

2. Don’t set clear objectives

All too often doctors create a brochure for their practice because it’s expected. However, without a clear reason for producing one, it can be a wasted exercise. Objectives are vital as they help guide your content, inform your distribution strategy and help you measure effectiveness.

There are many objectives you could set for your brochure: attracting new patients, building your brand and reputation; generating patient referrals; selling additional services. Likely it will be a combination of several. Whatever they are, make sure they align with your overall marketing plan.

3. Take the do-it-yourself option

With limited budgets to work with, doctors often turn to online templates in the hope of creating a brochure in house. Whilst this may be an option if you have staff who are adequately skilled, in most instances it should be avoided.

A DIY brochure, no matter how polished, still looks DIY. What kind of impression are you giving to prospective patients if you can’t pay out for a professionally designed, written and printed brochure on decent quality stock? Whilst it may cost you upfront it’s affordable, and entrusting your brochure to the experts will be money well spent.

4. Adopt a clinical approach

When you’re delivering medical care, it’s easy to adopt a clinical tone in your brochure. In an attempt to inform patients about what your practice offers, describing your medical services, treatments and costs seems the natural way to go. Unfortunately it isn’t the right way to go.

To win patients over, you need to be forming emotional attachments not just filling them with information. As well as demonstrating an understanding of their situation, focus on benefits above features. In addition, keep your copy and images human, showcasing your people and your stories.

5. Fail to consider readability

From an overcrowded design with minimal white space to blocks of unbroken text or pages that don’t flow logically from one to the next, creating a brochure which fails to take readability into account is a common mistake.

The most important thing to bear in mind is that people don’t read they scan. This means that you need to make your headings impactful and break up your text with subheads and bullets. In addition, support visuals with captions and ensure you tell a story from front to back.

6. Use generic imagery

When creating a brochure for their medical practice, many doctors turn to online stock photography to add visual appeal. It’s understandable. It’s convenient, can be inexpensive and saves you the time of setting up a shoot yourself. However, using it is not recommended.

Whilst stock images can look professional, they lack credibility. Why does that matter? Because without credibility you can’t build trust – a vital element in ensuring a patient chooses you over another practice. Using professional shots of your practice and staff will help you form those bonds and set you apart.

As well as avoiding these common mistakes, ensure your brochure has clear calls to action throughout so people know what to do next. Plus create a digital version – a simple PDF should suffice – so it can also be accessed online.

Brochure for Medical Practice, Creating a Practice Brochure, Medical Brochure Mistakes, Medical Practice Brochure