Healthcare communicators and marketers know that it’s not easy to keep track of the latest industry trends. Our jobs often pull us in different directions, whether it’s engaging patients, writing physician bios, creating effective website content strategy or interviewing SMEs. That’s why we rely on the web’s best healthcare marketing and communications blogs to keep us in the loop.
Our favorite blogs don’t have to have a fancy design or snazzy title, but we do look for consistent posts, industry news and content that helps make our jobs easier. Bonus points for creative, out-of-the-box topics that bring a fresh perspective to healthcare marketing.
We’ve put together a quick roundup of our favorite resources for healthcare marketing news and trends. And a few we love that aren’t healthcare-specific. Do any of these make your list?
Ann Handley
In our collective WriterGirl opinion, Ann Handley is a guru. And, though not specific to healthcare, Ann Handley’s blog brings us joy.
Ann’s blog posts are entertaining and informative — and always have great visuals. A recent post used the very relatable topic of “DIY sign creation” to highlight the need for simpler, clearer copy.
Ann’s “about” page describes her as the “world’s first Chief Content Officer,” and we couldn’t agree more.
Content Marketing Institute (CMI)
Yes, yet another blog that’s not specifically healthcare focused. But if you’re a marketer, you’ve got to read Content Marketing Institute’s blog. It’s one that our WriterGirl content strategists swear by.
If you’re looking for anything — and we mean anything — related to content marketing, CMI’s blog is the place to be. CMI also offers a wealth of other content marketing resources, like webinars, weekly Twitter chats, podcasts and conferences. They even offer a blogging resource page.
Franklin Street Insights
We find plenty of useful articles, guides and reports on Franklin Street’s Insights. As a healthcare “brand innovation firm,” Franklin Street features a lot of content around hospital branding, but also covers other important healthcare topics, like advertising, hospital volume recovery, culture and patient experience.
Intrepy
There are plenty of marketing blogs on the web today, but what if you’re looking for healthcare-specific SEO advice or best practices on physician liaison roles?
Although the Intrepy blog is not updated as often as some others, we love that they feature articles that cover topics with the healthcare marketer in mind. They tackle areas like LinkedIn marketing, medical SEO, web design, online reviews for healthcare organizations, physician referral relationships and Instagram for medical practices.
Health Care Social Media Monitor
Whether we like it or not, social media is a major part of healthcare marketing today, which is why we love the quote featured on Health Care Social Media Monitor blog’s home page:
“We do not have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is — how well we do it.” – Eric Qualman
We love the Health Care Social Media Monitor blog because it’s a resource that helps make our job easier. It has a weekly “Monday Morning Cool Tool” post that shares a new app or website that can make your social media marketing more effective. This blog also frequently shares tips and best practices for marketers trying to improve their healthcare social media game or be more efficient in their day-to-day social media tasks.
The Healthcare Marketer
The Healthcare Marketer is hosted by Dan Dunlop, who is principal of the healthcare marketing agency Jennings. Through his blog, Dan shares his advice and experiences in healthcare marketing, specifically around topics related to patient and consumer engagement.
What’s great about this healthcare marketing blog is that it’s all written in Dan’s professional point of view, which provides a refreshing read after many of the other marketing blogs on the web today. The personal voice is engaging and feels more like a conversation, rather than a list of best practices.
SHSMD
The Society for Healthcare Strategy & Marketing Development (SHSMD) offers up content through their blog called “Viewpoint: Strategies for Success.” They cover a range of topics to help marketing teams understand trends and plan for the future.
The SHSMD team also curates blog posts and news from other sources for their members into a newsletter called NewsScan. Full disclosure: WriterGirl has helped to curate some NewsScan content.
Becker’s Hospital Review
Becker’s Hospital Review is one of our top sources for healthcare industry news. While the content may not always focus on healthcare marketing, Becker’s helps us keep tabs on trends and headlines across a broad spectrum of healthcare topics, including strategy, telehealth, patient engagement, rankings, mergers and more.
Honorable Mentions
MarketingProfs
MarketingProfs is another great resource. (It should come as no surprise that MarketingProfs content is led by Ann Handley.) MarketingProfs isn’t a blog in the traditional sense, but its blogging resource offers plenty of articles with marketing and communications tips, tools and tactics.
Ragan and PR Daily
In 2019, Ragan’s HealthCare Communication News merged with PR Daily. But we were glad to see Ragan content is still available. And Ragan’s blog, “The Consultant Is In,” offers great content around writing and editing, PR and internal communications.
What are your go-to healthcare marketing blogs? Let us know!
Of course, we’re big fans of our own blog here at WriterGirl, but we know we’re just one of many resources available for healthcare marketers and writers.
Where do you head when you need marketing advice for your healthcare organization? We’d love to hear all about your favorites. Send us a message with your go-to blogs and resources.
