The first thing I do when I see healthcare news that interests me or scares me (or both) is go online and try to find more information. It’s a common modern reaction to search for a meaningful explanation of a new treatment or resurgent disease. And hopefully I can find more than a few comments on Facebook or a “hot take” with no supporting research or expertise.
Healthcare organizations, health systems, and hospitals have the opportunity to leverage trending news stories for marketing purposes and to provide a place for patients to find reputable information. Let’s talk about “newsjacking.”
Newsjacking is a term coined by David Meerman Scott to describe the concept of adding your input to a trending news story in your industry for potential PR or marketing benefit. If you’re considering adding your take to an element of the news, you’d be far from the first. This tactic has been used by healthcare organizations for many years to benefit patients and organizations alike.
Some examples of healthcare newsjacking:
Doctors have the opportunity to add their expertise to an international, national, or local health-related conversation. With so much misinformation available online, it’s important to have more reputable voices participating. In addition, newsjacking can be a major boost to your public relations and marketing strategies.
Newsjacking is just a small part of a balanced marketing strategy, but there are many advantages to jumping on a news story early and insightfully (as long as you do it right!).
However, potential benefit depends on how often you try the technique, whether your take on the subject matter is unique, and how quickly you’re able to leverage the content (without waiting too long to press “Publish” on that post).
Related: Avoid the Pitfalls of Healthcare Newsjacking
The truth is that newsjacking may not be the right strategy for every organization—at least not on a regular basis. There is a limit on the timeliness of the story, and you will have to act fast.
In addition, it can take quite some time to build enough of an audience to gain recognition for your post. Search engine optimization will not improve overnight and requires many other factors aside from a successful blog post to gain traction.
What’s most important is that your content strategy does the following:
Other than that, it’s a matter of finding the right resources and using the right platforms to strategically share your content.
For more information on content strategy or to talk to a marketing strategist today, call Healthcare Success, a full-service marketing agency, at 800-656-0907.
Stewart Gandolf
Chief Executive Officer & Creative Director at Healthcare Success
Over the years Stewart has personally marketed and consulted for over 1,457 healthcare clients, ranging from private practices to multi-billion dollar corporations. Additionally, he has marketed a variety of America’s leading companies, including Citicorp, J. Walter Thompson, Grubb & Ellis, Bally Total Fitness, Wells Fargo and Chase Manhattan. Stewart co-founded our company, and today acts as Chief Executive Officer and Creative Director. He is also a frequent author and speaker on the topic of healthcare marketing. His personal accomplishments are supported by a loving wife and two beautiful daughters.
The original version of this page was published at: https://healthcaresuccess.com/blog/doctor-marketing/healthcare-news-newsjacking.html
Founded in 2006, Healthcare Success is a respected, full-service brand performance marketing agency focused on healthcare and recognized as a thought-leader in the industry.
