How to Use Your Hospital Newsletter for Healthcare Marketing

Many healthcare organizations publish newsletters to share announcements and health tips with patients and the community. While this is a great way to get information to the public, a hospital newsletter can also play a role in your healthcare marketing strategy. Whether you publish a newsletter monthly, quarterly or on some other schedule, use each issue as an opportunity to enforce your brand, connect with patients, and attract new and repeat patients.

Brand Recognition: Don't think of your hospital newsletter as separate from your other healthcare marketing pieces. It can also be an important part of your hospital branding strategy. Although you should be focusing the content of your articles on hospital news and health information, rather than outright "selling" your services, you should still make sure the overall look and feel of your newsletter reflects your hospital's brand. Remember, your brand is not just the colors or design you use, but also the promises you make and the mission statement you follow. Show how you are living up to those promises and the steps you are taking to further your mission in the articles featured in your healthcare newsletter.

Make the Connection: As a healthcare marketer, you know how important it is to be able to reach your audience in a way they can understand. Using technical terms and your hospital's "lingo" in your healthcare newsletter articles will only make readers feel confused and alienated. Instead, make sure the language you use is easy to understand for people who don't have a background in medicine. Engage and inspire your audience with topics that are relevant to them - seasonal trends, community health concerns, or even healthcare and politics. Connect emotionally with your audience by sharing patient success stories, which also inspire positive attitudes towards your hospital. Pair these articles with promotions for services you provide to have even more healthcare marketing success. Patients and potential patients will be looking for expert information and advice they can understand and trust, as well as a place they can turn to for more information.

Draw Them In: Ultimately, your healthcare marketing goal is to bring new and repeat patients through your doors. Your healthcare newsletter is a perfect avenue for increasing patient traffic - and your revenue. Just like your traditional healthcare marketing pieces, the main goal of your articles should be to inspire readers to take some kind of action, whether that is to schedule an appointment, visit your website, offer feedback or seek out more information. Your hospital newsletter will keep patients coming back to you, as the valuable information you provide will keep you in the front of their minds when they need trustworthy medical care. However, don't just have your newsletter sit in your waiting rooms - reach a broad base of the community with a good mailing list to attract new patients.