4 Ways Stakeholder Interviews Amp Up Your Content

This article is the third in our 3-part series on tips for interviewing stakeholders and using the information to create engaging, robust content. Start with part 1: 3 Steps to Prep for Interviewing a Healthcare Stakeholder

Healthcare marketers know that a digital marketing strategy is like a bonfire – you need a lot of logs to keep it burning, such as email campaigns, an engaging social media presence, and helpful content.

And run of the mill (or content mill, for that matter) content just won’t do. To get content that heralds your brand and encourages users to pull up a chair, tap into the knowledge of the people who know the industry best: the stakeholders – the physicians and other healthcare professionals working in your organization.

How Interviewing Stakeholders Leads to Content That Consumers Value

A stakeholder’s expertise can translate into the content that marketing bonfires thrive on. Interviewing stakeholders helps you gather nuggets of information, which can lead to content that:

• Is original, which search engines love
• Makes sense of complex topics, so patients and caregivers understand what’s in it for them
• Adds value by answering readers’ burning questions

Find out more about interviewing healthcare stakeholders in the second article in this series: Get the Most From Stakeholder Interviews.

Create Original Content That Stands Out

Writing strong healthcare content can be tricky. For example, if you’re writing about heart disease, other local hospitals are probably offering many of the same services. Stakeholders can help your content stand out.

• Care, don’t scare: In your quest for content kindling, you might consider including facts, such as “1 in 4 people die of a heart attack.” Please don’t do this. You’ll scare the pants off your readers. Instead, talk with a stakeholder to learn how the organization is helping prevent and treat this condition.
• Find what’s unique: You may learn your stakeholder has expertise in interpreting a certain diagnostic test. Or that helping a family member through a heart disease diagnosis helps them treat every patient like family.
• Put it all together: You can now explain why your organization is different: “We detect the earliest signs of heart disease.” And you can do it in a way that humanizes your services: “We treat you like family.”

Answer the “So What?” Before Your Patients Even Ask

Sometimes there is no substitute for clinical know-how. Talking with stakeholders can help you explain uncommon offerings in ways that patients will appreciate.

Example: The dermatopathologist

One might deduce that a dermatopathologist is a pathologist specializing in problems affecting the hair, skin and nails. But why should a patient care? If you can’t explain the patient benefit, users will say “So what?” and move on to another website.

But the stakeholder can tell you how this specialist focuses on diagnosing rare problems. They explain how people come to a dermatopathologist with insufferable symptoms, such as 24/7 itching, rapid 100-lb. weight gain and hair loss (true story). These patients finally get relief because the dermatopathologist at this organization was the first one to diagnose the problem accurately.

There, patient benefits galore.

Add Value Beyond FAQs

Stakeholders also add depth to your content by providing details you wouldn’t otherwise have access to. Use these details to craft content that caters to your audience’s wants and needs.

Example: Recovery from hip replacement surgery

If you’re writing about hip replacement surgery, patients will likely want to know how long they’ll have to stay in bed after the procedure. Google may tell you, “1 to 2 days” and that many patients need crutches or a walker.

A stakeholder may tell you that this organization uses minimally invasive techniques that lead to shorter recovery times. And they describe how many hip replacement patients are walking without assistance a few hours after surgery. These are huge selling points for your brand. 

Encourage Patients and Caregivers to Learn More

Strong content increases the chances of patients clicking, calling or engaging with your brand on a deeper level. This engagement takes time, which is why it’s important for content to hold their interest.

Stakeholders can help increase patients’ hang time with your content by simply being themselves.

• Transcript: A cleaned-up transcript of your interview instead of formal long-form content can help draw patients in.
• Q&As: These short bursts of text are easy to scan. And the casual tone lets your stakeholder’s personality shine through, helping forge an authentic connection.
• Video: A video of the stakeholder during the interview allows patients to get to know the person behind the expertise. Plus, our brains process images faster than words, making it easy for users to absorb lots of content in little time. Read more: 4 Steps to Add Video to Your Marketing Strategy. 

Go From Strong to Stronger Content

Stakeholder interviews and content marketing should go hand-in-hand. That stakeholder interview can help you write content that raises your organization’s visibility online. Now go grab the s’mores fixings because your digital marketing bonfire is going to draw a crowd.

Keep producing white-hot content by reading some of our other content marketing posts:

• 4 Ways to Up Your Email Open Rate
• 8 Proven Ways to Help You Stand Out on Twitter
• Writing Tips From the Editor Who Rejects Everything