7 Ways In Which A Blog Will Boost Your Health Startup

The field of healthcare has undergone a complete overhaul in recent years. More specifically, health businesses of any kind, whether a GP clinic, a mobile application, or a pharmacist, have had to build an online presence. With improved learning and technological change, the online presence these companies have has become more user-friendly – from terrible 3 page websites with a loading speed of 5 seconds plus, multiple bigger pages with images load within 2 seconds. However, thanks in part to the coronavirus pandemic and the remote nature we were all forced into, the health sector has become more available and accessible to all. 

According to Deloitte, the health sector, and GP practices have historically been quite resistant to change – particularly, in the move to using technology in healthcare. However, be warned, things are changing – and quickly. Going back to the traditional way of 9 to 5 doctor-patient relationships is out of the question.

Care is becoming more patient-centric as Healthtech companies (such as Babylon) are making health and medicine more patient-focused, providing care within minutes at any time of the day. With the rise of wearable technologies such as smartwatches, we’re also seeing a change in patient behaviour. More individuals are now able to understand different aspects of health and wellness and are self-motivated to live healthier lives.

As the healthcare sector is developing digitally, it comes as no surprise that companies providing health-related services, especially those that are patient-facing, must consider having a blog. Here, we will highlight 7 ways in which a blog will continue to boost your health startup.

1. A blog will help you establish your credibility and build trust around your brand.

For any health company, be it a pharmaceutical company, a health clinic, a vaccine clinic, or a healthtech company, establishing your credibility and building trust around your brand is a must. Blogging and delivering quality content to readers visiting your website, increases your brand credibility not only for the clients/patients you may see in the clinic, but also overall among people that have never visited your offices. In other words, building a solid reputation for your blog will help you build a reputation for your brand/company.

2. To provide people with valuable, factually correct medical information.

2020 has been a year of learning a lot of medical information. I mean, come on, families are constantly talking about RT-PCRs, O2 saturation levels, and genomic sequencing now! Back in the day (I mean pre-COVID, of course), this would all be gibberish to the average family. However, throughout the pandemic, medical information has been increasingly accessible and although it has its pros, it also has cons. The spread of medical misinformation tops the cons list. As a company providing health services/products, a blog can be used to provide valuable, factually correct medical information that can be related to your brand. For example, if you run a company that provides vaccination services, your blog could answer simple but common questions about vaccines – including information for parents and information for travellers.

3. To increase web traffic which will eventually lead to more clients/patients.

Blogging can increase your website traffic – which is great for business. For example, if you run a company that sells supplements, and provide quality information that is vetted by a medical/health writer or a doctor, your blog is chock-full of trust signals that would help purchasers make sound decisions around supplementation. After all, there is a reason upcoming brands such as Babylon and Modern Fertility have a blog site that they continually update. Inbound marketing at its best!

4. It helps build relationships with your audience which may help beat out competitors that provide the same services as you.

Traditionally, the doctor-patient relationship was quite formal – the doctor gave advice, the patient (hopefully) heeded it. However, with a blog, the same information becomes more friendly and approachable.. It provides the doctor with more time “with” the patient to make sure they understand their condition better – as opposed to the quick 15-minute appointment that provides minimal information and explanations to patients. Patients are also able to ask general questions in the comments section, which always helps build credibility and trust with the brand. In healthcare, there really are no silly questions! A quick question and answer at the end of every blog may also help other patients manage their conditions/symptoms better.

5. It helps build your email database which leads to high conversions.

If your brand is focused on one niche, for example, diabetes and management of blood sugars, you can start a newsletter that provides readers with the option to have the latest blogs delivered to their emails. This is a great way to continually provide individuals with important information pertaining to their health. Through these email snippets, you can convert individuals interested in your services/products into paying customers. Again, an email newsletter will allow individuals to ask questions that can be answered in a manner that concerns them. 

6. A perfect place to explain your products/services and how they work.

A blog gives your company the space to provide explanations about how your services/products work. For example, fertility clinics often have an explainer post on their website to explain to their patients how the treatment affects fertility. Often, there would be a discussion on the hormones involved in fertility, and how they are modulated to give the patient the best chance to reproduce. If your service is different from the services your competitors provide, your blog is the perfect place to explain the how and why. Ps: If you are explaining the success of your services/products, remember to back it up with statistics and testimonials from patients – these trust signals go a long way! 

Your blog posts can also be used to update your audience about your business – perhaps your company is now selling gadgets that can be used to manage certain symptoms/conditions relating to fertility? Or selling fertility-related supplements? Or even pregnancy supplements? Let your audience know via your blog posts and your social media channels.

7. It is easy to convert blog posts into social media content.

Blogging is an easy way to create content for your social media channels which will also help bring traffic to your website. You can cross-post your blog posts on different channels such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Add in some graphics, and you have an Instagram post too. 

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If you are running a business in the health sector, I would strongly urge you to start writing a blog to continue to build your business. Consistency is the key to success in this manner! Definitely try it out yourself or bring in a professional website content writer to help you out! 

If you are looking for a professional website content writer in the life sciences industry, get in touch with me at thesharedmicroscope@gmail.com or via my contact form. I would love to help you build an online presence for your business that converts onlookers to customers!