The Power Of Patient Testimonials (And How To Use Them Effectively In Your Content Strategy)
Word of mouth is one of the most effective forms of marketing. Whether you’re looking for a new grocery store, babysitter, or pair of shoes, word of mouth is social proof. When another person says something or someone was a successful investment for them, it can be just what you need to pull the trigger.
The same goes for choosing a new healthcare provider.
Choosing where to receive care is a huge decision, one most patients do not take lightly. Reviews and recommendations — whether personal or online — are a major driver of patient acquisition.
As a healthcare marketer or leader, it’s easy to talk about the excellent care you provide. But rather than making prospective patients take your word for it, let them hear it from the source — other patients.
Patient testimonials are like marketing superfoods. They take everything you want to highlight about your healthcare organization and put it into one engaging, relatable piece of content.
Patient testimonials can be a strong pillar of your content strategy. But they must be done right in order to help reach your healthcare organization’s goals.
What’s The Big Deal With Patient Testimonials?
Whether you’re looking to increase your patient base, introduce new service lines, or highlight already existing ones that need some love, patient testimonials do two important things:
- Provide helpful information about your organization
- Promote trust
A patient testimonial is like an amplified online review. It has the personal touch of a Google, Yelp, or HealthGrades review — backed by the guidance and expertise of your healthcare marketing team. Real patients provide a genuine feel, and your marketing team lends engaging writing, keyword optimization, and stimulating design. Good patient reviews are a win-win, and they’re a sure-fire way to convince potential patients to take the next step.
Nearly 85% of patients trust an online review just as much as a personal recommendation.
Source: Invoca
How To Create Excellent And Engaging Patient Testimonials
Patient testimonials are undoubtedly an effective part of a solid content strategy. But here’s the bad news — not all patient testimonials are good ones.
It’s up to your marketing team to make patient testimonials thrive.
When creating content for patient testimonials:
- Choose longtime patients who loved their experience. If no patients come to mind, comb your social media platforms or online review sites to find patients who have great things to say. Or, ask your providers if any of their patients would be good candidates.
- Ask the right questions, and be specific. Instead of “Why did you love your experience?”, ask “What factors made your experience a positive one?” Instead of “How were your outcomes?”, ask “What have our services helped you achieve?” (Pro tip: Don’t forget to record your interview — and ask their permission to do so.)
- Keep the patient’s personality in the testimonial. As much as it might feel like your piece, this is still their story. Capture the essence of who the patient is, what they have achieved, and where they are now.
- Interview patients who look like your patient population. Promoting an inclusive space on your website means highlighting patient testimonials that represent the population your organization serves.
- Consider video testimonials. Videos capture a patient’s personality, emotions, and experience in a way that writing sometimes cannot.
Remember: Before posting any testimonials to your website, be sure to get the patient’s approval.
How To Promote Patient Testimonials So They Get Read
Patient testimonials do nothing if nobody reads them. It’s up to your team to cultivate a distribution plan that ensures this happens.
Consider promoting your patient testimonials in one or more marketing efforts, such as:
- In your blog section: Sprinkle a few testimonials throughout your website’s blog — and make sure your blog section is easy to find from the main navigation.
- A dedicated patient testimonial section: If you think you’ll be able to gather a large number of testimonials, create an entire section to promote them. This makes it easy to navigate to them, and it also increases the number of indexed pages on your site, which helps with SEO.
- On your social channels: Share your testimonials on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and any other social channels. Tag any physicians who were named in the testimonial, and have them share the content, too.
- In your e-newsletter: Include one or two patient testimonials, and watch your pageviews skyrocket.
- In print: Don’t underestimate the power of an old-school print article — especially in a local publication. They can reach a population that might not end up on your website.
Building Trust With Patient Testimonials
A trusted referral is an incredibly powerful marketing tool, especially in healthcare. Patients want to know they are in the hands of the best and the brightest medical professionals — and a patient testimonial can do just that.
By creating content that portrays your healthcare organization from the perspective of other patients, you can garner trust and highlight the amazing work your organization does day in and day out.
Let us help you develop a plan to incorporate patient testimonials — and any other content you need — in your healthcare organization’s content strategy. Contact us today.
Organic Vs. Paid Search: What’s The Best Content Marketing Strategy?
Whether you want to convert cups to ounces for a recipe, find your nearest dry cleaner, or brighten your mood with funny puppy videos, you’ll probably do a quick internet search. Even more likely, you’ll probably turn to Google, where more than 90% of internet searches are done.
In the healthcare world, Google is similarly powerful. Patients seek out health-related information and new providers. Healthcare professionals seek out job openings and communities of support. Hospital leaders seek out partnerships and management resources.
And it falls on your website to get your name out there.
This is where content marketing comes into play. Part of a robust content marketing strategy is determining what to invest in, including whether to focus on organic or paid search.
However, even though healthcare organizations often see content marketing as a one versus the other scenario, it’s not.
For a winning content strategy, you should focus on both organic and paid content marketing. Each has its benefits, and they often work alongside one another to promote your content.
The Difference Between Organic And Paid Search
When a user types a word or phrase into a search engine like Google, they get two kinds of results:
- Organic search results, which are the unpaid sections in the search engine results page. These are determined by how relevant Google thinks a page is to its search query.
- Paid search results, which are essentially advertisements. These live at the very top of a search results page or in the sidebar. Paid search follows a pay-per-click model, meaning site owners pay each time their link is clicked. There’s also a little ad icon to identify the site as an ad.
Why And When To Focus On Organic Content Marketing
Organic content marketing is playing the long game. It requires time, effort, and expertise — but it’s worth it. Every website should always be utilizing organic content marketing.
“Organic marketing is the gift that keeps on giving. Once you create solid, evergreen, high-quality, competitive, organic content, it continues to give years after you publish it.”
Brandies Meva’a, VP Client Strategy, CareContent
Pros of organic content marketing include:
- It gets clicks — over half of website traffic comes from organic search.
- It’s seen as trustworthy — many searchers trust organic listings more than paid ones.
- It’s long-lasting.
Cons of organic content marketing:
- It takes a long time to rank in one of the top positions in search results.
- Conversion (when a user completes your desired goal) may not be as strong.
Why And When To Focus On Paid Content Marketing
Paid content marketing is quicker, but you need to be strategic about when to use it. For instance, you can create an organic post and pay to have it promoted. Or, you might do a hard and fast campaign to nurture awareness and generate leads through paid.
“Investing in traffic — burst to your organic content is a good SEO strategy. It leads to a quicker influx of traffic, and it helps validate the fact that your content is competitive.”
Brandies Meva’a, VP Client Strategy, CareContent
Pros of paid content marketing:
- It appears at the top of the page, so users see it right away.
- It can move your site to the top in as little as 15 minutes.
- When paired with highly optimized content, it generates more conversions.
Cons of paid content marketing:
- Traffic will stop if you stop paying for ads.
- Some users may automatically skip paid search due to its ad icon.
But First, Business Goals
The CareContent team takes a practical approach to content marketing. This starts with having a solid set of business goals for the next six months — and identifying the problems that are keeping you from reaching those.
There are 4 common content marketing problems that a strong marketing strategy can help solve:
- You don’t have any leads.
- You have plenty of leads, but none of them are engaging with you.
- You have a broad spectrum of services, but most of your clients have only heard of one or two.
- You’re struggling to get referrals.
When determining whether to focus more on paid or organic content marketing, it’s important to consider the investments you’re already making — and where you can afford to invest more.
At CareContent, we meet your organization where it is at to help you overcome roadblocks, spread awareness, and provide a seamless user experience. We also ensure users are taken care of once they do make it to your site, including making sure there is quality information at every step of their customer journey and a strong post-conversion plan.
Quality content marketing requires dedication, expertise, and a combination of paid and organic search — all of which can help your organization meet its business goals as efficiently as possible.
Let us help you build your content marketing strategy to meet your business goals. Contact us today.
7 Simple Ways To Repurpose Your Podcast Content
Planning, preparing, recording, editing, publishing — there’s a lot involved with making a quality podcast. This medium is one of the most popular ways to take in information, and it’s continuing to grow. But if you’re clicking “publish” and then walking away, you’re missing out on opportunities to get your content in front of more users.
Repurposing your podcast content drives more traffic to your already excellent content, and it helps your users access the information they need.
Here are 7 ways to effectively repurpose your podcast content to reach a broader audience.
Let us help you repurpose your podcast content — or create other content to build your website. Contact us.
Generation Z And Healthcare Websites: Do You Know What Gen Zers Expect?
Where to live, what career path to take, how to spend money.
Entering adulthood comes with plenty of major decisions. Add to this list where to receive healthcare — a major consideration for young adults.
Anyone born after 1996 is considered part of Generation Z, and the oldest in this group are turning 24 this year. As a result, they’re just starting to look for primary care providers, obstetricians, dermatologists, and all kinds of other healthcare providers.
That means it’s time to make sure your healthcare organization’s website stacks up.
Generation Z’s Key Characteristics
- Racially and ethnically diverse
- Well-educated
- Tech-savvy
- Progressive
This newest generation of young adults has expectations for your healthcare website. If these expectations aren’t met, you run the risk of losing their business as a patient.
Take our quiz to see if you know what Gen Zers expect from your healthcare organization’s website. Then, incorporate what you learned into your digital experience, website, and marketing strategies — all of which CareContent can help with.
CEOs Need Self-Care, Too: 3 Self-Care Tips For Business Leaders (And Anyone Else)
Do you work to live — or live to work?
This is a question that a lot of career-minded people grapple with. When you love your work, it’s easy to become obsessed with it. But, it’s also important to maintain a healthy balance. And that starts with self-care.
Self-care has been a bit of a buzzword recently, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some people have found themselves working from home, and then having a tough time putting a hard stop on work. Others are in fields that have been particularly demanding during the pandemic, such as healthcare or information technology. And others are simply taking their extra time and putting it toward work.
CEOs are particularly susceptible to overworking, and COVID-19 hasn’t made it easy to disconnect. This can affect not just their well-being, but also their ability to lead, guide, and inspire.
Overworking isn’t just unhealthy for leaders — it can negatively impact their companies, too. If CEOs consistently put work over their own health, employees may feel the need to follow suit.
Here are 3 ways CEOs can — and should — practice self-care, with a few tips on how some CEOs (including our very own) make it a priority in their lives.
1. Start small, then build on your self-care routine.
When you run a company, there are a lot of people who need you. While you’re being pulled in different directions, it can seem downright impossible to make time for self-care.
Start small with your self-care. Do a 5-minute meditation session each morning, join an online workout class, or set aside 10 minutes to journal each evening.
Or, take after Founder and CEO of CareContent, Kadesha Thomas Smith, and do something simple — get some sleep. “I have realized that I am not in my 20s anymore. I cannot function at a high level on a low level of sleep. If I wake up and send my kids off to school and I don’t feel like I’ve gotten enough sleep, I will get back into bed,” she says.
Remember, if you’re one of the many CEOs now working from home, you might have extra time on your hands without having to commute anywhere. Munjal Shah, Cofounder and CEO of Health IQ says before COVID-19, he would have lost hours of his week to his commute. Now, he’s found more time — and more consistency — for workouts.
Take note of how each act of self-care makes you feel, and keep doing the ones that provide a noticeable benefit. Before you know it, you’ll have a routine that not only works, but works well for you.
2. Separate work from home — figuratively and literally.
If you’re working from home (or constantly taking the office back to your home), now’s the time to draw a line in the sand. Work and home need separation for both to thrive on their own.
Set aside a time, space, and even dress code for work. By dressing the part and going into a separate physical space, you can get into work mode. More importantly, you can leave work mode when your workday is over by leaving that space and dressing down.
Consider turning your email off for weekends (or a time that makes sense for your company), like CareContent’s CEO. “I turn off my work email Friday evening — and I don’t turn it back on until Sunday night or sometimes even Monday morning. I am tempted to check that email over the weekend, which could lead to work over the weekend, and that would not be giving myself a healthy break,” Kadesha explains.
Leave weekends and evenings for time with family, friends, and, of course, yourself. And encourage your employees to do the same, like Kim Lawton, Founder and CEO of Enthuse Marketing Group. Since the pandemic, she’s not only insisted that employees take frequent breaks, but she’s also encouraged them to end their workdays earlier to maintain a work-life balance.
3. Make self-care a work thing.
Great CEOs lead by example, and that includes with self-care. If you prioritize wellness in your daily schedule, your employees will know that’s not just acceptable, but encouraged.
CareContent’s CEO does this with exercise. “I consider my workouts sacred time. I work out four times a week, typically in the morning. That time is untouchable. I don’t schedule any meetings, I don’t have any tasks. All of my priorities orbit around that time for the day,” Kadesha says.
This act of self-care sets the tone at CareContent, and it’s become a part of our culture. As a result, it’s not uncommon for an employee to take a walk for a quick break during the workday or discuss their most recent workout achievement with a coworker over G-chat.
You can also make self-care a company-wide priority. For instance, Patrick Bardsley, CEO and Cofounder of Spectrum Designs, has begun offering mindfulness sessions during work hours to prioritize both mental and physical health. He emphasizes that there should be no stigma for taking care of either one.
Whether you start a wellness competition, set up a company-wide virtual workout program, or simply allow employees to talk a walk over their lunch break, there are plenty of ways to bring self-care into the office.
Self-Care Your Way To Success
Working endless hours might feel like you’re being productive, but it can actually have the opposite effect. Even as the head of a company, it’s important to take breaks and allow your brain time to process work and stimulate news ideas. This also makes work seem less tedious and overwhelming, putting you in a better mood (a win-win for everyone).
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance starts with self-care. By making self-care a priority — and encouraging your employees to do the same — everyone in your company benefits.
At CareContent, we manage healthcare websites and write content like this (and more). Let us know if we can help your organization.
When Is It Time To Take A Break From The News?
During my morning coffee. Over my lunch break. While cooking dinner. Any other time I felt I needed to keep up with the outside world that I barely felt a part of anymore.
These are the times that I have found myself routinely watching the news this past year. Prior to 2020, I’d usually turn it on maybe once a day. But since the world turned upside down, I, like many Americans, became glued to the TV — and not in a good way.
From April to June 2020, news consumption in the US grew significantly — and it became the most popular genre of TV to view with nearly 50% of Americans watching or streaming the news.
Source: Forbes
Paying attention to the news is not just turning on the television — it’s also scanning the internet or social media for updates. From March 2019 to March 2020, the time Americans spent online on mobile devices accessing current events and global news skyrocketed 215%.
As people remain home to protect one another from COVID-19, the news can feel like one of the only ways to stay connected to the outside world, even if it is full of a pandemic, social unrest, and even killer bees. Unfortunately, this constant connection may actually do more harm than good.
In order to take care of your mental health, it’s time to assess — when should you take a break from the news?
What Can Too Much News Consumption Do To You?
During any year, the news can be overwhelming. But during 2020 and 2021, the headlines have been more anxiety-inducing than ever.
Whether it’s an update on pandemic-related deaths, the continued racism that plagues our country, or the ever-tumultuous political ongoings, watching the news these days may leave you a little (or a lot) on edge.
One of the problems is that the news tends to serve up current events with a side of political perspective. This type of news is often dominated by negative stories, and it can leave viewers feeling helpless in the face of bad news.
One 2017 Dutch study found that people’s well-being decreased 6.1% for each news program they watched that offered a political perspective.
Source: The Atlantic
If you’re able to find less politically-focused news (though, good luck on that mission) you still may encounter negative effects. After watching the news, more than half of Americans report experiencing stress. Many also report experiencing:
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Difficulty sleeping
In addition, disaster media — which contains reports of crises and disaster — has been all too common as of late. Watching disaster media may lead to:
- Alcohol use
- Tobacco Use
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Post-traumatic symptoms
When It’s Time For A Break From The News
No matter the year, watching too much of the news can take its toll on your mental health. And if you’ve felt particularly overwhelmed when watching the news recently, you’re not alone.
As you navigate how to keep you and your family safe during the pandemic, stay engaged with fighting racial inequities, and follow the first critical days of newly sworn-in President Biden, it’s normal to experience a wave of emotions.
Still, it remains crucial to monitor these feelings to ensure they don’t venture into an unhealthy state of mind. Some concerning signs to look out for include:
- Feeling a sense of haze, detachment, or being on autopilot
- Filling up every moment with the news, such as while reheating food, cleaning, or cooking
- Feeling anxious when you don’t watch the news temporarily
- Spending less time on healthy activities, such as exercising, connecting with loved ones, or sleeping
If any of these sounds familiar, it may be time for a temporary break from the news. Give yourself a few days or a week — whatever sounds achievable and helpful to you.
Should you decide to take a short hiatus from the news, remember that it’s not limited to turning on the morning or nightly broadcast. The news can come from social media feeds, which are constantly exposing you to the ongoings of the world — whether you asked for it or not.
Moving forward, remain mindful of how much of your day is consumed by the news. Just as staying informed may be a part of your daily routine, make sure that not watching the news is a part of it, too.
The news will be there waiting for you when you return. But by spending some time away, you’ll be able to navigate it with a healthier state of mind.
Can we help you create engaging content for your healthcare organization? Let us know.
These Businesses May Be Small, But Their Impact During The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Huge
“Unfortunately, the past can no longer survive in this post-pandemic world. If these walls could talk, they would tell beautiful and sad stories of many lives.”
This is the message printed on a sign hanging in the window of an iconic 24-hour diner down the street from where I live in Chicago. It had been serving up patty melts, milkshakes, and cups of coffee for nearly 60 years, but in the end, it simply could not survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stories like these are common around the US and the world right now, as small businesses are being hit hard by the pandemic. From stay-at-home order closures to a future of severely limited capacities, they’re finding it extraordinarily difficult to make it through.
As of mid-May, economists believe more than 100,000 small businesses have shut their doors permanently due to the pandemic.
Source: The Washington Post
Despite these challenges, some small businesses are managing to pull through. Of course, owners are still struggling to make ends meet and employees are working extra hours in order to make this possible.
Still, of those that are surviving this pandemic, many small businesses are recognizing a country in need and are finding ways to give back.
Because they deserve our sincere gratitude and we all could use a little more hope in the world right now, here are just a few ways small businesses are lending a hand to support those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
1. They’re providing meals to healthcare workers and restaurant workers out of a job.
Food is the way to many people’s hearts, but right now, it’s become more than just a kind gesture. Healthcare workers on the frontlines need fuel to make it through their chaotic days, and meals sent by small businesses make it so there’s one less thing they have to worry about.
Les’ Creative Hands provides lunches to local hospitals.
For instance, Les’ Creative Hands LLC in Chicago, a small fruit sculpting business, has been supplying lunches for nurses at hospitals on the Southside of the city. Each week, along with her team, founder Leslie Horne brings boxes full of nutritious food to thank nurses on the frontlines.
Another company in Chicago, The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group, knows firsthand how the pandemic is affecting the restaurant industry. Pre-COVID-19, they operated 19 locations. Now, they only have 3 — and they’ve had to lay off around 600 workers.
They’re not leaving their team members — or restaurant workers in general — without assistance, however. At one of their locations, they debuted the Chicago Restaurant Workers Relief Center, which provides laid-off workers with a meal and a bag of groceries to go.
2. They’re switching from making spirits to hand sanitizer.
Whiskey, rum, and other spirits used to be the name of the game for distilleries across the country. During the pandemic, however, many are trying their hand at producing hand sanitizer instead — and they’re finding themselves to be quite successful.
One family-run distillery in Pennsylvania, Eight Oaks Farm Distillery, has pledged to make hand sanitizer for as long as there’s a need — which is, right now, around 2,000 bottles a day. (Bonus: Thanks to this switch and tapping into savings, they’re able to retain and pay all of their employees.)
The toughest part has been finding the right ingredients and supplies, but thankfully, many community members are donating to the cause, which helps fuel their mission.
3. They’re donating their personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals.
Personal protective equipment is hard to come by these days, as the pandemic has led to much more stringent requirements to keep frontline workers safe. So when some small businesses who also use PPE — such as nail salons — had to close their doors, they figured they could at least put their equipment to good use.
One nail salon in Mobile, Alabama, called Top Nails 2, donated its entire inventory — a couple of hundred masks and 8 boxes of gloves. They weren’t the only ones, though. After one local pharmacist in Mobile made a request on Facebook, dozens of other salon owners banded together to donate over 134,000 pairs of gloves and 23,000 masks for the cause.
In Brentwood, Tennessee, another salon, called Zen Nails, is taking it a step further by making masks and gowns for local healthcare workers. One of the co-owners used to work as a registered nurse, so she wants to help out her fellow nurses in the best way she knows how.
Supporting Small Businesses — So They Can Continue To Support The Community
Owners of small businesses often have deep ties to their communities. Whether they grew up there or they’re transplants who’ve come to love their town, they rely on the support of the community for their success. Plus, their success is directly related to how much a community thrives, including boosting real estate and providing work to local community members.
During this pandemic, small businesses are facing some serious hurdles, and many are finding it tough to keep their doors open. If you’re able to, now is the time to support those local small businesses that you love. Whether it’s ordering take out from your favorite small restaurant or purchasing a gift card from your local salon, they would undoubtedly appreciate your support.
There’s a lot of uncertainty in a global crisis. But these examples show how capable we are of moving forward together — empowered by connection, support, and purpose.
Looking to produce more COVID-19-related content for your healthcare organization’s website? We can help!
Screen Time That Actually Helps: Apps To Keep Your Sanity And Productivity In Check
It’s probably safe to say that most people are going a little stir crazy these days. Stay-at-home orders and social distancing due to COVID-19 have Americans spending much more time at home. For some, this may lead to extra time spent scrolling through social media or a favorite news app.
While these can certainly keep you “in the loop,” there’s a fine line between being well-informed and over-informed. It may be tempting to watch every update regarding the spread of coronavirus, but that may actually leave you feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
The Impact of Excessive News Coverage During A National Crisis
After the September 11 attacks, research showed that watching repeated news coverage actually triggered post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in people who were nowhere near ground zero.
Source: Next Avenue
Whether you have extra time on your hands or you’re feeling overwhelmed working from home along with homeschooling and other added responsibilities, news apps may be your go-to form of distraction. However, there are plenty of other smartphone apps that can help you pass the time while keeping your sanity in check during this particularly stressful time.
Here are some apps to help you relax, manage your time, or even just have a little fun.
Meditation Apps
Meditation can reduce anxiety and depression, as well as improve concentration — and this is key during social distancing, working from home, and, of course, a national pandemic.
- Headspace: One of the most well-known meditation apps, Headspace offers hundreds of options ranging from full-blown meditations to mini-meditations to meditations for children.
- Free starter pack with 10 days of 10-minute meditations, $12.99/month, or $69.99/year
- Calm: Guided sessions range from 3 to 25 minutes and allow you to choose your focus, such as gratitude or mindfulness.
- Free, with in-app purchases
- Insight Timer: Choose meditation options based on time and style (body scan, anxiety-reducing), or even just put on the timer with no guidance.
- Free, with in-app purchases
Yoga Apps
Offering mental benefits like reduced stress, increased calmness, and sharpened concentration, yoga is a common approach to improving mental wellness. Plus, it provides physical benefits at the same time, such as increased flexibility, strength, and energy.
- Glo: Over 4,000 yoga classes are available on demand with helpful filters like level, duration, or necessary props. Plus, this app includes meditation and Pilates classes as an added bonus.
- $18/month
- Pocket Yoga: Ranging from 5 minutes to an hour, these classes are taught by an animated instructor and require zero internet access (after you download it). Plus, you get access to a pose dictionary that breaks down every pose so you know you’re doing it right.
- $3 (one-time purchase)
- 5 Minute Yoga: Exactly what it sounds like, this is your go-to quick yoga fix, so you can do one 5-minute yoga session between virtual meetings or create your own yoga flow by going through as many sessions as you want.
- Free
Work-Related/Productivity Apps
As businesses are encouraging their employees to work from home whenever possible, many workers are experiencing a drastically different workflow than pre-COVID-19. Plus, plenty of parents are finding themselves with new responsibilities regarding homeschool or caring for children.
Though working in your pajamas may be nice, this new normal can cause some challenges when it comes to time management and productivity.
- Todoist: By swapping your sticky notes for Todoist, you can clear up mental (and physical) space by putting tasks into this advanced to-do list tool. It allows you to prioritize items, assign tasks to others, and make fun charts of your productivity.
- Limited free option or $36/year
- Stayfocusd: Available on a variety of devices, including iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows, Stayfocusd blocks distracting websites for set times or once you’ve reached a certain limit (like 30 minutes of Twitter).
- Free
- Trello: Perfect for teams that have recently transitioned to working from home, Trello is a project management team with boards, lists, and cards that allow you to organize, prioritize, and get work done on a highly-visual platform.
- Limited free option or starting at $9.99 per user/month
CareContent’s Work From Home To-Do List
Not an app, but this is our Founder/CEO’s own creation — and her favorite way to get things done while working from home.
Downtime Apps
Every once in awhile, it can be helpful to get away from it all for a little bit. So close the work computer, turn off the news, and get lost in the world of these fun, mindless, and sometimes silly apps.
- Cat Piano: Yes, this combines the sound of cats with piano playing, which is great to channel your inner pianist (or cat-lover) — or create a video to send to your other bored friends at home.
- Free, with in-app purchases
- Action Movie FX: Shoot your own video and add special effects, like alien death rays or car crashes.
- Free, with in-app purchases
- Houseparty: Get your friends together for this group video chat that allows you to play Pictionary, trivia, and card games together (while remaining physically apart).
- Free, with in-app purchases
- Viridi: Whether you have a green thumb or not, Viridi allows you to care for succulents in real time — without the mess or stress.
- Free
- Two Dots: It’s like Connect the Dots — only more colorful and portable. This is truly a mindless but fun way to spend your time at home.
- Free
Whether you’re seeking relaxation, productivity, or a bit of an escape, there’s an app for that. As you’re adhering to important social distancing protocols, you’re stuck at home for the time being — and there’s no time like the present to explore the endless world of apps.
Interested in creating content for your healthcare website for the COVID-19 pandemic? We can help!
Comfort, Companionship, And Extra Precautions: Pet Ownership During COVID-19
As I sit here and type, my dog’s chin is resting on my leg, looking up at me and begging to be pet. And of course, I give in. This is the life of a pet owner during COVID-19 — and pets are just soaking it all in.
Whether it’s more walks, extra playtime, or plenty of opportunities for cuddles, pets are one group that’s reaping the benefits of stay-at-home orders. As the coronavirus pandemic washes over the country, many are finding themselves at home a bit more frequently, something the Fidos and Whiskers of the world have zero complaints about. (Well … some cats do, but that’s another story.)
While it’s true that our furry friends have been extremely content recently, the benefits extend to their human counterparts, as well. Social distancing has many people physically isolated, and pets are offering up their constant companionship, love, and affection — something almost everyone needs a little more of right now.
The Benefits Of Pet Companionship During A Pandemic
Pets can help their owners cope with stress, anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness and isolation — all of which are common during a pandemic. In fact, 74% of pet owners say they’ve experienced mental health improvements as a result of having a pet.
Source: Anxiety and Depression Association of America
As people are working from home, doing schoolwork at home, and, well, doing a lot of things at home, pets are living their best lives. However, as a few domestic animals recently tested positive for coronavirus, pet owners have questions about how the virus can impact their beloved animals.
Here’s what you need to know about keeping your pets (and yourself) safe during the COVID-19 pandemic — and some benefits of having them around.
Can My Pet Contract COVID-19?
On April 22, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced every pet owners’ biggest fear — two cats from different parts of New York State tested positive for coronavirus. Then, about a week later, the family of a pug in North Carolina received the same news.
Okay, maybe it’s not our biggest fear, but it’s certainly one that’s crossed my mind plenty of times, especially since dogs need to go outside.
Here’s the thing — animals testing positive for coronavirus doesn’t necessarily mean they have the same illness as people or that they can pass it on to humans. Also, no humans are missing out on a test as a result of testing these animals, as the tests are completely different for animals and pets (phew!).
However, the key to all of this (and the key to understanding this entire pandemic, really) is that this is all extremely new. The CDC says the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to humans is low — but they don’t say that it’s out of the realm of possibility. It does seem like the virus can be spread from people to animals, but it’s still a little murky how that can possibly impact pets.
To keep you, your pets, and everyone around you safe, it’s important to follow the CDC’s guidelines regarding COVID-19 and pets for now, including:
- Not letting your pets interact with people or pets outside of your household
- Keeping cats indoors, when possible
- Walking dogs on a leash and keeping at least 6 feet away from other people and animals
- Avoiding dog parks and large gatherings of animals or people
In addition, if you are sick with COVID-19 (either suspected or confirmed):
- Have another person care for your pets, if possible.
- Avoid contact with your pets, including petting, sharing a bed, or being kissed (I know, this is a tough one).
- If you have to care for your pet, wear a cloth face covering, and wash your hands both before and after interacting with them.
Basically, the guidelines are to treat your pets as family members, which is what most pet owners do anyway. For now, this just requires a little extra diligence and precaution.
Cuddles, Love, And A Reason To Brush Your Hair In The Morning
The simple presence of a pet can be a significant source of comfort. Whether you live alone or with a family of five, you’re probably communicating with fewer people in person due to social distancing. However, social interaction is a true human need, and a lack of it can negatively impact a person’s overall wellbeing.
Enter your pet. Even though they may not actually know what you’re saying, they’ll probably listen to you if you want someone to talk to. Plus, they won’t get annoyed with your constant chatter during the most recent episode of Tiger King.
Talking to your pets may feel silly, but it can be good for your mental health. It combats feelings of loneliness and isolation, which most people are a little more at risk of right now.
Pets aren’t just there for your entertainment, however (though I will say that watching my dog play with her puzzle toys has provided me with plenty of laughs recently). Pets are living, breathing creatures — and they require attention and care.
Dogs need to be taken outside, cats’ litter boxes need to be cleaned, birds need to be fed — these are all things that can provide structure and routine to an otherwise monotonous-seeming life. I can say from experience that the only reason I’ve brushed my hair some mornings is because I need to take the dog out and enter the public world, if only for a very short time.
Whether it’s isolation, loneliness, or a lack of anything to do at the moment, pets are there for you, waiting and probably really excited you’re home. And while the coronavirus pandemic is hitting the world in a very real and challenging way, it’s giving pets what they deserved all along — more of their humans’ companionship.
Looking to create COVID-19-related content for your healthcare organization’s website? We can help!
Stop Using Medical Jargon On Your Healthcare Website — Your Patients Don’t Care
Remember those Charlie Brown episodes where he’s listening to his teacher’s lecture, but all he hears is “wah wah” (a.k.a. unintelligible nonsense)?
The scene, which was a portrayal of the way a child might hear an adult, is referenced frequently in GIFs, television shows, and everyday conversations. What’s more, it may be more applicable to the real world than the writers ever thought.
The “wah wah” sound, which is actually just the sound of a trumpet playing, doesn’t just highlight how poor, bored Charlie doesn’t understand his teacher. It shows that he never even stops to clarify what his teacher is saying.
Whether they’re teacher-student, parent-child, or husband-wife, miscommunications are everywhere. And while they may be frustrating, they’re mostly harmless.
But when the miscommunication comes from a healthcare provider to a patient, the result is not only aggravating but also dangerous.
Medical terminology is a major factor in this confusion. And in the age of the internet, these risky miscommunications can go far beyond the walls of the office.
Whether in blog posts, newsletters, or patient portals, if your communication is chock-full of medical jargon, not only are patients going to immediately tune out — but it can also put their health at risk.
Here’s why you should stop using medical jargon on your healthcare website and what you should do instead.
Too Much Jargon Equals Not Enough Reading
No matter the topic, getting your intended audience to read in the first place can be a challenge. One study found that only 20% of readers finish an online article, and the average visitor reads a mere 25% of the entire article.
Add medical jargon into the mix, and patients and potential patients are going to steer clear of your content. Filling your blog posts with terms like “metastasis” and “lymph node” — which studies have shown are unknown by most of your readers — are going to drive patients far, far away.
Even if readers do attempt to decipher your medical speak, they’re either going to leave your website to do so (and potentially never come back) or just stop reading altogether.
Plus, Americans have a minimal attention span at best. One study puts our ability to pay attention at 8 seconds — meaning your patients aren’t going to get far if they’re bored or confused by words like “sternutate” (which really just means to sneeze).
One possible reason for Americans’ easily-exhausted attention spans is that there’s a lot of content out there — and readers are constantly seeking the next best thing.
When it comes to medical content, you have many competitors, including other healthcare organizations and medical websites. You can bet that everyone else is finding ways to cater to readers’ attention spans, and if you stick fancy terms into your content that readers don’t understand, you’re going to lose the competition.
The Real Dangers Of Health-Related Miscommunication
Communicating with your patients online offers a new way to provide valid and helpful medical information beyond the walls of the office. But if they’re never even reading it, it loses all potential benefits of your patients taking their health and well-being into their own hands.
For instance, a heart health article that uses “angina” instead of “chest pain,” or “atrial fibrillation” without ever defining it, will leave readers with zero takeaways. Unless you count frustration.
Words don’t even need to be very technical to confuse — and endanger — your patients. One seemingly simple term you might use is “chronic,” which medical professionals know to mean persisting or constantly recurring.
However, a common alternative understanding of the word is severe, which is a completely different symptom. This can lead patients to misunderstand when they actually need to seek medical help because they simply don’t know what the word means.
Even if communication is one-on-one, like in a patient portal, there’s also a risk of confusion. If you send test results to a patient electronically, they may completely misinterpret them if they’re full of medical jargon.
For instance, over 30% of patients don’t know what the term “benign” means. So, a result summary of a “benign tumor” could lead a patient to think their results are much more serious than they really are.
Every healthcare provider knows the benefits of communication. It can play a significant role in how patients monitor their own health, follow directions, and even trust their provider.
But let’s keep the medical jargon to the break room — and talk to patients in a way that can help them engage with the content that’s important to them.
