Healthcare Content Trends for 2023 - And How Your Marketing Team Can Rise to the Challenges Ahead

According to the many cootie catchers I consulted in fifth grade, I was the girl most likely to marry a red-haired lawyer and live in a penthouse in Hawaii. If only! These days, I turn to the experts for prognostication, whether seeking a decent weather forecast or a movie worth the cost of an overpriced ticket.

But where to turn for predictions about healthcare content trends for 2023? That’s easy — my expert colleagues here at WriterGirl. Our leadership team recently asked 30 of us to complete a survey on that very topic. Better yet, they encouraged us to share advice on how healthcare marketers can prepare for 2023 from a content marketing standpoint. Perfect. We love to give advice!

And so, I present to you WriterGirl’s predictions about healthcare content trends for 2023 and some pro tips to help you be extra-amazing at your job next year.

Prediction #1: Healthcare marketers will be asked to do more with less

Yes, I know. Predicting tight healthcare marketing budgets isn’t on par with Nostradamus’s bold forecast of a whale-sized meteor striking planet Earth in 2023. The experts are well-aware of the challenges hospitals face, especially hospitals in rural areas. These challenges are due to various factors, including severe workforce shortages, broken supply chains and rapid inflation that has increased the cost of care.

Hospital marketing budgets aren’t immune from these concerns — in fact, they are often among the first to be trimmed. That means your staff will likely have to do more with less. At WriterGirl, we recommend the following.

• Look for new cost-saving opportunities created by economic headwinds. Examples include taking advantage of less expensive media rates and partnering with other community organizations on ad campaigns, allowing you to share costs.
• Pursue marketing strategies with specific return on investment goals to create profit without cutting your budget.
• Work with freelancers, an agency or a full-service healthcare content company like WriterGirl. When you do, the dollars you spend will be tied more closely to the work delivered. Spending $75,000 on an agency to tackle multiple projects may be far more efficient (and feasible) than hiring an employee with a more limited skill set. As one WriterGirl employee says, “We may be moving into a gig economy in healthcare until hospitals can get their footing again.”
• Explore free tools for content marketing, which can help you perform SEO audits, monitor keyword performance and explore search trends. Most free tools come with limitations, but they can supplement higher-cost services and help you gain momentum so you can justify paying for additional resources in the future.

Prediction #2: Healthcare marketers will do more to support employee recruitment and retention efforts

Healthcare leaders will continue to prioritize employee recruitment and retention in 2023. And to be successful, they’ll need marketing departments to help. One WriterGirl employee noted, “Marketers should have a seat at the table regarding recruitment and retention efforts. And marketing costs should be a line item in HR budgets to ensure that recruitment and retention receive the resources needed for success.”

Creative internal communications strategies could be a game changer when it comes to retaining employees. A few ideas:

• Optimize your intranet so that it becomes known as a valuable source of information. Employ best practices, such as offering quick links and a high-powered search feature, so employees can find the information they need easily.
• Know your organization’s “internal voice” and ensure that all employee communications are aligned. The way you speak to employees should be familiar, warm and appreciative — almost as if you are talking to family members.
• Partner with HR to communicate with employees about compensation and benefits in a way that makes the information tangible, enjoyable and easy to understand. A carefully crafted TikTok or original ukulele number can add a human touch and build a corporate culture that keeps employees engaged.

Earlier this year, WriterGirl EVP of business development, Kirsten Lecky, sat down with Andy Lyons, Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s Director of Corporate Communications and Content Strategy, to talk about internal communications. One of his many observations was that transparency is critical when speaking to an internal audience. “You don’t want them reading anything in the newspaper about your organization — good or bad — that you haven’t shared with them first internally,” he explained. Hear the complete “Tips in Ten(ish) Minutes” segment here!

Prediction #3: Marketers will be updating websites as SEO standards continue to evolve

Search engine optimization ensures that people can find your organization and the content you work so hard to create. But with Google’s frequent algorithm updates, you must adapt your SEO tactics in 2023. In addition, you’ll need robust, SEO-friendly, accessible and appropriate content that offers a great user experience.

Here’s some advice from our team.

• Develop a documented content strategy, starting with a gap analysis to identify opportunities to meet users’ needs and stand out as an organization.
• Make sure all stakeholders are aligned on the content marketing objectives before you write the first word. Get all partners involved early in the process, including design, UX, SEO and content development team members.
• Patient-centric and personalized marketing continues to be critical. Leading with kindness and patient-centered language is always going to pay off. No matter what you create, ensure your patient’s perspective is the one you’re giving the most attention to.
• Use plain language that’s conversational and clear. That means avoiding jargon and buzzwords, keeping sentences and paragraphs short, using active voice and using headers and lists to organize content.

Let WriterGirl help you win in 2023

Predictions are fun to make and impossible to guarantee. But we can promise you one thing: marketers will need exceptional writing and content strategy for the win in 2023. If you are looking for a healthcare content partner to help your team succeed in 2023, reach out to the experts at WriterGirl. We’ll bring the cootie catchers!

Leigh Wilkins

The original version of this page was published at:  https://www.writergirl.com/healthcare-content-trends/