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Healthcare audiences trust content from online resources as a primary source of learning new information in the

educational journey, all the way through their decision to take action with a prescription or medical device. This is true

of patients and HCPs alike. This whitepaper makes the case for content marketing by providing actionable strategies

and valuable statistics that brands can use to integrate their message into the content journey, drive action, and create

trust with their respective audiences.

Executive Summary

CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY for Healthcare Brands

Adopting a

Content, the byproduct of written language, has been a

powerful means of transmitting information long before

we were able to share it so readily online. Dating back

as far as 3500 BC Sumeria, content has enabled strong

empires to record their story. But even the earliest

content was largely aimed at solving its people’s

problems. This ranged from mathematics, the arts, and

astronomical texts to military strategy and some of the

earliest laws.

Today’s brands could benefit from these lessons in

history. Solution-oriented content marketing still aims

to solve its audience’s problems. Fortunately, today’s

marketer can trade in that clay tablet for the wealth of

search engine and social media data. The following

sections will cover actionable strategies and valuable

statistics brands can use to integrate into the content

journey, drive action, and build trust with their audience.

Background

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Today’s marketer needs to be solution-oriented.

This means solving the unique challenges brands

face in a competitive market. These can range

anywhere from internal factors preventing optimal

brand reach, high-budget competitors who make it

difficult to compete for your audience’s attention,

or a lack of overall education among even the

experts in your audience. Solution-oriented

marketing aims to match challenges with data;

connecting our audiences’ needs and intent with

solutions brands can use to maximize their results.

Why Brands Should Care More About Their Content

Search engines are an important source of the data

solution-oriented marketers need to consider.

According to Google, 7% of all search activity is health

related. That’s 70,000 searches EVERY MINUTE for

content that is advising health decisions. True... the

top health searches commonly include questions like

“What causes hiccups?” and “How to lower

cholesterol?” But third party and proprietary

CMI/Compas data shows that search engine insights

can help us understand the unique content needs of

our audience whether patient, doctor, nurse, or payer.

HCPs using search engines 1+ times per day for professional research

68%

84%

GASTROENTEROLOGY

RHEUMATOLOGYONCOLOGY

79% PULMONOLOGY

78% ENDOCRINOLOGY/DIABETOLOGYUROLOGY

Source: 2019/2020 Media Vitals

In keeping with industry trends, content preferences have

also shifted toward digital. While this is a byproduct of

societal changes and our constant engagement with

technology, it affects prospective health information

seekers just the same. 73% of American households

surveyed in a Reuters study prefer digital content—even

content from brands—to traditional forms of advertising.

The only caveat is relevance. 75% of households are

open to receive content from brands if it is “relevant to

them.” But creating a brand that is trusted and relevant

doesn’t happen overnight. It also doesn’t happen by

addressing your audience’s questions with product

information they didn’t ask for or aren’t ready to receive.

each month. That’s a lot

of publicly available data.

36 billion health-related searches

Google estimates

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It comes from answering the questions your audience needs and wants to know and creating an experience for

them in the places they already go for information.

Successful brands ARE thinking about trust—and winning because of it. There are countless examples of consumer

brands winning on content. You may have heard about how Popeye’s Twitter War over the chicken sandwich

generated 300,000 likes, or the 8 million monthly views GE’s #GEInstaWalk was able to generate through content,

but healthcare brands are equally well-positioned to benefit from the impact of education. The Cleveland Clinic

thought about content—and cashed in on a 16% increase in appointments set. “A Hair Raising Message” from The

Swedish Children’s Cancer Foundation was another example that landed successfully with its audience—and been

viewed 12 million times on YouTube.

If you’ve spent time around enough marketing folks, you may have heard them say something along the lines of,

“the backbone of an optimally performing website is a strong organic search presence.” That’s a valuable bit of

advice. But how important is it? The answer is straightforward, and can be broken into three parts:

What Should You Be Thinking About When Starting Content Marketing?

1. Search engine content tells us EXACTLY what our audience wants to know online.

Remember those 70,000 health searches per minute? They add up quick…to the tune of 36 billion per year and growing.

If that data is mined and sorted properly it can tell us a lot. It serves as an additional source of quantitative research to

help influence brand messaging, audience, and targeting decisions. At CMI/Compas, we work with trusted vendors to help

us uncover the wide range of searches related to our brands and indications, as well as where our competitors are

challenging for precious digital real estate. This helps as a guide to create content that matters to our brands’ audiences.

The key to understanding this data comes from categorizing it and comparing it to our brand's goals and objectives. Has

misdiagnosis among an uninformed HCP population prevented proper prescribing? Does your consumer audience simply

not know about your brand despite its favorable safety profile and Tier 1/2 formulary access? In these and most other

cases, we see that the specific questions health audiences are asking online can provide the information needed to make

actionable decisions.

Start by understanding your content funnel. Categorize every related keyword you can

get your hands on. Make sure your search team is leaning on materials like brand

research, audience analysis, and your strategic plans to dig a level deeper. Now that

you understand the funnel by each of its segments, take the time to understand the

unique relationships and sub-themes that emerge at each level. Understanding the

nuance of these content themes will open opportunities and present content gaps.

Now think about what those content gaps mean in relationship to your brand’s

challenges or goals. Are patients looking for an alternative dosing mechanism versus

their current painful injection? Are HCPs looking for diagnosing criteria and tests, but

nobody is providing relevant educational information? Not only is this data relevant

for website content, it can go a long way in helping shape a brand messaging strategy.

That means ad and email copy, digital creative, and even KOL programs can be

positively impacted by content insights.

AWARENESS

CONSIDERATION

DECISION MAKING

ADHERENCE

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According to our Media Vitals research, 39% of

healthcare professionals use top social media

channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and

YouTube each month for professional purposes.

Additionally, Deloitte data shows 65% of HCPs are

interested in engaging with pharma over social for

clinical data. This is a powerful indicator that

these platforms are powerful tools to distribute

content.

2. A robust content marketing strategy has to include awareness of the social space.

39% of healthcare professionals use top social media channels

According to our

like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter,

and YouTube each month for

professional purposes.

Media Vitals research,

25% 5% 6% 10%

16% 11% 6% 22%

13% 16% 9% 19%

Every Day Once Per Week Once Per Month

Source: 2019/2020 Media Vitals

Social marketing campaigns aimed at patients show

even more opportunity for engagement. Overall,

American users spend an average of 1 hour and 15

minutes each day on platforms including Facebook,

Instagram, and Snapchat, consuming content. With

almost 70% of Americans active on Facebook alone,

the platform enables reaching an engaged audience

at scale regularly, with most users checking in daily.

Repurposing existing content by optimizing it for

social feeds is therefore a quick way to reach an

engaged audience. Additionally, this content can be

promoted to key audiences through paid media

promotion, expanding reach and awareness.

Health is a frequent topic of conversation on social

channels, making them ideal to distribute health

content for all age groups. Even for older adults (65+)

social channels are used to find and share health

information. Almost 90% have visited platforms such

as Facebook and Twitter for health information.

Almost 40% of young people (14-22-year-olds) have

researched health information in forums and social

media, by searching for hashtags across platforms or

following people with similar health conditions. They

have also participated in online discussions around

health in online forums or closed social media

groups that focus on specific issues.

This indicates how powerful social media is to reach

the right people at the right time, which makes

having the right content integral to a successful

campaign.

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Social channels offer more than content distribution

systems. They present testing grounds for which

content resonates with key audiences, and can also

indicate where content gaps exist with the help of

social listening. This helps close the content eco-system

loop, from content distribution through to creation.

Social can be used as a channel to test the effectiveness

of content or messaging before more is created—

the channel offers test and learn capabilities. Seeding

content via social and tracking audience reaction

through engagements offers an easy reading of the

content’s relevance for the target.

Content that provides utility is key to maximize

exposure by increasing shareability. New research, trial

updates for HCPs, or tips and tricks on staying healthy

or giving care will resonate with the target audience.

Social media provides unfiltered, raw data, that when

monitored via social listening provides unprecedented

insight into ongoing conversations. This helps identify

where a given audience’s interests lie and, crucially,

may give insight into what information they are

lacking. The insights garnered from social listening can

inform new content creation, content diversification,

or broader insights that can help inform overall strategy

such as brand voice and more. Targeted content can be

developed with a higher relevance to a key audience.

In addition to content awareness and creation,

distributing content via social channels can also help

boost a site’s SEO rankings. Sharing content with a

new audience increases awareness, and with that,

the likelihood for high quality link backs is boosted as

well. This helps influence the page’s rank in search

engines to a degree. Bing, one of the biggest search

engines, has confirmed that social media plays a role

in influencing rank in search results.

For Google, the jury’s still out, but high-quality

content contributes to the ecosystem here as well.

The more people see the content, the likelihood of a

link back increases, with the potential to influence

SEO rankings.

Content is king on social channels and provides

a powerful feedback loop that can help optimize

existing content, deliver insight and help inform new

content, while contributing to a complete

SEO ecosystem.

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3. Much of the digital world runs on an algorithm.

No, that’s not Shakespeare—it means that most healthcare brands rely on their brand’s content pages and disease

information websites to drive traffic from any-and-all digital (and even many offline) sources. That’s important because

relevance and sustained cohesion from an ad placement to a landing page is a key driver of campaign success…and

cost efficiency.

Look at it this way: If you go to Google, search for tips on cooking the perfect steak, click on ad for ‘Steak Grilling Tips,’

and land on a page to buy a bottle of A1, you might be frustrated. First, you need to keep searching for your answer.

Second, how dare they send me to this tangentially related information! I’d be fine with A1 teaching me to grill the

steak, but this feels like blatant deception. I’m going with Trader Joe’s steak sauce!

But we see brands do this all the time. Paid search campaigns regularly drive unbranded keyword searches to a brand

home pages. Display creative often describe “treatment resources” only to deliver visitors to branded content too early

in the content journey. These decisions are made based on the “best available option” approach—“These are the

available pages of content, and this is as close to relevant as I could find.”

Use the algorithm to your advantage. Make sure your campaign is targeting your audience’s specific messaging needs.

CPC ad platforms commonly provide cost efficiencies to brands who demonstrate sustained relevance and engagement.

Tip: Relevant Ad + Relevant LP Content = Lower Cost per…

Audience

Content Need

Relevant

Ad Unit

Relevant

LP + Content

Solution-oriented marketers are conscious of relevance and intent at each point of engagement. Sometimes this means

playing the “long” game. A common example is resisting the urge to use content as a sales tool when educational

content matches intent. Use search and social content themes to learn what your audience wants to know and ensure

a cohesive experience from creative message, to landing page, through conversion event.

Now let’s talk a bit about what brands can do to drive a better outcome through content.

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How Can Your Brand Create Better Content Experiences?

Expanded content gives brands the opportunity to reach their audience more often with appropriate content at their

specific point in the journey. But remember, it’s okay to start small and grow over time. An unrealistic approach to

content optimization sounds something like “we have to create every piece of content addressing every-and-all of our

audience’s questions!” Scary right?

A more realistic starting place is to identify 2 to 3 of the key content gaps that intersect with your brand’s challenges

and objectives for the coming year. How can your brand more effectively answer those questions than anybody else?

This is a marathon, not a sprint. Repeat that process for a few years and you’ll have some seriously valuable content.

Now that we’re ready to build some content, let’s think about the key questions we should be asking ourselves.

If it’s not, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Brands develop goals to ensure they’re “staying the

course” and building positive momentum from past

learnings and experience. So, if we’re developing

valuable goals, each new source of research should

work together to inform our decisions.

Work with your team to understand the segments

of your audience’s search funnel. Pair this with

audience data to understand the intent of search

activity at each level. Now that you’re thinking

about intent - not keywords - it’s a lot easier to

understand how content themes align our

audience’s problems with the problems your brand

is trying to solve.

And make sure you’re aligned on the brand’s pay

off. Maybe increasing awareness of a disease state

will increase your brand’s position as market leader.

Maybe patients aren’t seeing doctors fast enough

for effective treatment. Make sure you know why

you’re building new content. And remember to

educate over selling. No one wants your stinkin’

A1...yet!

1. Is this content aligned with my brand’s goals and objectives?

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2. Which channels should I be building content on? And what formats

should I be using?

We’ve discussed webpage content, but would your

CRM, PPC, social media, or publisher programs benefit

from a more targeted message including appropriate

landing page content at every level of the funnel?

Would it benefit your brand to develop custom content

addressing these gaps through publisher partner reach

tactics? In many cases, we find just this for our clients.

Where you ultimately build content should be driven

by where it will have the highest impact. You can

forecast your potential to earn organic click traffic, but

that’s just the start. Solution-oriented marketers

maximize content’s reach across the entire campaign.

Its impact is only worth measuring

Content, like all marketing

tactics, happens in an ecosystem.

if accompanied by a solid

strategy to drive reach.

Once you’ve identified the key content themes impacting your audience, assess keyword Share of Voice (SOV) to

understand who is gaining visibility when important searches occur. Now integrate this new information with your

planning and targeting tools. For brands working with CMI/Compas, this new data can supplement the wealth of

data available through ByTarget. That means even more data to drive your segmentation, messaging strategy, and

channel mix.

And consider the format of your content. In a connected world, content’s meaning has evolved. Today’s content is

“engaging, consumable, online information” more than “text.” This is great because, as many of us can personally

attest, text isn’t always best suited to do the job. Video is one engaging alternative brands can use to get their

message across more effectively. HubSpot data shows visuals are processed 60,000x faster in the brain vs. text.

But rely on what your audience data recommends as effective content formats, including doctor discussion guides,

infographics, and webinars.

3. How will I get people to this content? And what should they do once

they arrive?

Now that you have all this quality content, you want to make sure you’re distributing it to your audience.

For CPC buys on search engines and social media platforms, match your audience segments’ content needs to

relevant ad units. Ensure when a visitor clicks through on the ad unit, you’re driving them to relevant content

matching their query. This will increase your ad relevance score, making it easier to compete in an ever-growing

digital marketplace. If content doesn’t currently exist, work with your search and creative teams to identify how it

fits into your roadmap and which content should be developed.

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Publisher networks are another important consideration for

driving brand reach. Two standard offerings from many

include display media and custom content development.

Display media still serves as a valuable source of brand

awareness for many brands. Take advantage of the

programmatic buying landscape to get the most from

your display campaigns. This channel can also be

optimized with better use of search and social data.

First, by making sure to use search and social content

themes to help inform display creative messaging.

This data should expand or enhance your knowledge of

your audience segments. Also, lean on your e-SEO tool

to understand the prominence of top publishers

among key searches and social thought leadership.

Your programmatic buying team can use this data to

optimize their placements. Lastly, ensure you’re driving

to relevant content.

Custom content opportunities through publisher

networks should be viewed as an extension of your

website’s own new content strategy. Figure out how

this content fits with your brand’s goals and its proper

format/s. Select the segments your content is targeting

and how your publisher partner plans to reach them.

Great content starts by helping the audience understand

WHY the information you’re presenting is important.

Using the examples above, this can be anything from

Trusted brands deliver content solutions.write strong headlines backed

with shallow content.

Pretenders

poor diagnosing criteria for HCPs to patients’ requests

for less-painful injections. Next, let them know what’s

important that they need to know. Perhaps this is a

better diagnosing solution or a less painful injection.

Lastly, tell them how. In an era of clickbait headlines,

solutions are rare. Trusted brands deliver—providing

solutions to their audiences’ problems.

And remember…this is an experience. Make sure you

tell your audience what to do next! You know your goal.

What actions need to be taken to get your patient or

physician closer to that goal? Whether they should

“Watch a patient testimonial video,” “download a

diagnosing guide,” or “sign up for updates” will vary

based on your brands’ goals, available assets, and

countless other factors.

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How do I measure if content is successful?

The magic of marketing in a digital era is realizing that data, if used properly, allows you to learn from your past

decisions to make better choices the next time around. Measurement is critical to this process. It validates (1) Who is

seeking information, (2) on what channels, (3) how often, and (4) where the opportunity exists to win through thought

leadership.

Now that you’re thinking about what to measure, let’s discuss how.

Know Your GOAL

Setting goals provides brands a baseline for measurement decision-making. Aligning your strategy around brand goals

should help you arrive at the key metrics worth measuring. Trying to reach more people? Or raise brand awareness?

Did new data show your drug class is superior for treatment? Having a clear direction will help drive what we choose

to measure.

Agree on a Timeframe

Setting goals provides brands a baseline for measurement decision-making. Aligning your strategy around brand goals

should help you arrive at the key metrics worth measuring. Trying to reach more people? Or raise brand awareness?

Did new data show your drug class is superior for treatment? Having a clear direction will help drive what we choose

to measure.

Determine Success Factors

Content marketing can enable brands to engage and educate both HCP and consumer audiences. The end results

we’re aiming to achieve are HCPs who are ready to prescribe to their patients and patients armed with information

who are prepared to talk to their doctors.

In order to get there, know what it will take to drive each audience’s decision making. Then assign the specific leading

and lagging indicators you want to measure to get them there. A few leading indicators include impressions, clicks,

reach, and on-site conversion. Lagging indicators often take longer to measure and include ROI analysis.

Incorporate Key Performance Indicators

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) allow brands to break down performance against their goals at the channel level.

Like other channels, content can be measured providing numerical values to both leading and lagging indicators.

At this point, you already know your strategic goals and the channels you’ll use to address your audience. Consider

the specific actions that you want your audience to complete—by content channel. Since no two websites, publisher

partners, or user-generated content hubs are built the same, this is where art and science converge.

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Develop a Content Measurement Template

Ahh…thank goodness for automation. Identifying data, mining it to form insights, organizing it to all make sense…that

all takes a lot of time. Fortunately, once you’ve completed the process once, brands can be sure they’re working

smart by templatizing reports in most BI platforms. This simplifies the ongoing reporting maintenance, allowing

brands to focus more of their time on action.

A measurement template should include:

• Initial goal(s)

• Overview of what happened during the campaign

• Things that worked best and what you learned from them

• Things that didn’t work so well and key learnings from them

All the above will help in providing insights from the current campaign and roadmap to ensure future campaign

success. Most importantly, measure the impact and understand that content - like most good things improves and

develops over time!

Conclusion

Our audiences are telling us they need great content. And as Benjamin Franklin says, “Either write something worth

reading or do something worth writing about.”

If your brand has an audience, there is most likely a stockpile of research available through search engines and social

channels describing exactly what they want to know. The first step is finding it. The good news is that you don’t have

to do it alone. Work with your search and social teams to help with the mining and segmentation of this data. Once

you understand the data, then it’s time to think about which gaps can be filled and goals accomplished.

Jose Ferreira Senior Vice President, Product and InnovationCompas, Inc.

Authors Contributors

Michael RanalliVP, Strategy CMI Media

Walter SchmidliAssociate Director, Social MediaCMI Media

Sandhya NairManager, Business Insights CMI Media

Justin FreidEVP, Growth and InnovationCMI Media

Dani BarskyAssociate Director, Media CMI Media