Methods:
We conducted 40 in-depth interviews with hospital marketers, from vice presidents to coordinators nationwide, each representing a different healthcare organization
Makeup:
Academic medical centers, health systems with several hospitals, independent community hospitals, critical access hospitals
Is creating and updating web content a challenge for your healthcare organization?
Answers fell into 4 categories:
16 hospitals have such a challenge that they are not regularly creating or updating web content
What’s going on?
• They have no bandwidth. The one website manager or the 2- to 3-person marketing team is already swamped
• They prefer to rely on traditional marketing like billboards, commercials, and radio spots
• It’s not a budget priority (At least 3 responders have since been laid off)
• Temporary infrastructure issues: getting a new content management system, hiring a new team members, merging with another hospital
• They lack the skills to create, manage and promote web content
“Healthcare is more than 2 years behind other industries in using web content as a marketing tool” 
In healthcare, only 23% of the total marketing budget is used to invest in content marketing. While marketers in general are investing 31% for all marketers.
The biggest challenge for healthcare: Creating enough content
10 hospitals have challenges with web content and scramble to solve them
What’s going on?
• They are duplicating content on various pages of their site
• Clinical teams are charged with updating or providing web content, but they are too busy or don’t see the value
• The content review process stalls at physicians or the folks in legal
• They publish and promote content from other organizations, like news sites
• Instead of strategically developing content, they are policing rogue departments that create their own sites and social media feeds. Or they are taking orders—i.e. “Dr. So-and-So wants a page”…”We need a page for our event”…”Put this on Facebook”
A great social media presence depends on creating great content. Most healthcare marketers spend 2-4 hours per week managing social media, but Americans spend 16 minutes of every hour on social media.
*Sources: 2013 Digital Marketer Report by Experian Marketing Services (April 2013); Optimizing the Use of Social Media: A SHSMD Panel Study, Part 1 (December 2012)
9 hospitals said web content is not a challenge—but their websites say otherwise
What’s going on?
• They are overspending on underperforming web content services:
– The content cannot be modified or the hospitals doesn’t own the content
– It says nothing about their hospital’s clinicians or services
– It’s not original, but duplicated on other sites, even competitors’
• The content does not meet current standards for search engine optimization or mobile device access
• No one is engaging with the content long after the site is established. It’s rarely shared via social media or email, and may even have a high bounce rate or low click-through rate
• Press releases, obscure award announcements and other non-patient-focused information is considered web content
• One person is responsible for updating or creating web content, and that overwhelmed little person is this close to going crazy
Search engines depend on great content, and patients depend on search engines
61% of people visit 2 or more hospital sites before becoming patients
*Source: 2012 Google/Compete Hospital Study — The Digital Journey to Wellness
5 hospitals said creating and updating web content is not a challenge. They’re doing a great job
What’s going on?
• These hospitals have FTEs dedicated to creating and updating web content
• They outsource to freelancers or a web content service that produces original content tailored to their healthcare organization
• They create enough content to be repurposed
Among patients who make appointments, 83% go to hospital websites.
“Digital content is key to decision-making.”
*Source: 2012 Google/Compete Hospital Study — The Digital Journey to Wellness
