Tweeting, Blogging, SEO and Strategy for Medical Editors

Tweeting, Blogging, SEO, and Strategy: Online Content Planning for Medical EditorsBrande N. Martin, MA

American Medical Writers Association Conference 2013

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Goals of Today’s Sessions

• Learn about o The Changing Role of Editors in the

Online/Digital Spaceo What is Content Strategy?o Ways to Plan Online Contento Integrated Communication Strategies

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About Me: Brande Martin, MA

Content Strategy, Communications, & Editorial Management Professional

• The College of American Pathologists• Medscape/WebMD • Northern Illinois University• American Dental Association • American Medical Association • Rapid Science Publishers (now part of Wolters

Kluwer)

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The Word is Out!: Content, Content Is Everywhere…

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The Changing Content Spaces

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The Traditional Role of a Medical Editor

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• Working for o news outlet (Reuters Health), o online medical journal (JAMA), oro other online sources (Medscape)

• Edit and fact check content • Understand and use style manuals• Write/Rewrite content

• Identify and prioritize topics to cover• Give assignments to writers/editors• Maintain an editorial calendar• May oversee/train writers and other editors

© 2013 Brande Martin. All rights reserved. 7

Our New Editorial Responsibilities

• All of the traditional tasks plus…

o Web Content Strategy

o Marketing Strategy

o Social Media Strategy

© 2013 College of American Pathologists. All rights reserved. 8

Online Content Planning

• Step 1: Plan a content strategy• Step 2: Focus on your audience needs• Step 3: Write/Edit/Deliver Good Content• Step 4: Repurpose/Integrate content for

social and email (and mobile) channels• Step 5: Measure and manage the content


Content is King!: Content Strategy


•Can user find the content?

What is the content that meets the audience’s needs?

Up-to-date contentEditorial Calendars

Content Owners/ Subject Matter Experts

Our Audiences

• Consumers • Patients• Healthcare Professionals


Patients’/Consumers’ Online Use for Health Info

• 81% of US adults use the internet • 59% say they have looked online for health

information in the past yearSource: Pew Research Center, Health Online 2013; Jan. 15, 2013

http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Health-online.aspx

• 52% of US adults gather health information on their smartphones

Source: Pew Research Center, Mobile Health 2012; Nov. 8, 2012http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Health-online.aspx


• 33% of consumers use social media sites for health-related matters, including seeking health information…

Source: Demi & Cooper Advertising and DC Interactive Group, Rising Use of Social & Mobile in Healthcare: Inforgraphic; 2012

http://thesparkreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/SparkReportHealthcareGraphicLarge.jpg


Content Development Strategy

• Who is the audience you trying to reach with your content?

• What are the goals for the content?• What topics are of most interest to my

audience?• What type of content should I plan to add

(write/edit) to the Web site?• What content should I remove from the Web

site?• How should I plan the editorial calendar?


Writing the Content

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)Definition:SEO is the process of affecting the visibility of

a Web site or a Web page in a search engine's "natural" or unpaid ("organic") search results.

Write Quality Content!


Keywordso Determine best keywords for your landing

pages or pages where you want users to visit

o Add to page – headlines/titles/descriptions

o Meta-data: page title and descriptiono Use Google Adwords



http://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo

Social Media Strategy

• Use Twitter or Facebooko promote content on your siteo encourage audience engagement

• How to do thiso Repurpose content from your site o Come up with questions on the topic that

engage readerso Use graphics/clever copywriting content

Goal: Drive audience back to the Web site


Example: Cleveland Clinic Web site


234 FB likes

Posted 4/17/2013

Example: Cleveland Clinic Facebook


846 Likes346 Shares

Posted today 11/7/2013


Example: Cleveland Clinic Twitter Feed

• Bloggingo Have doctor write a blog about the topico Have a patient write a blog telling a

personal story about the topic


Source: http://thesparkreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/SparkReportHealthcareGraphicLarge.jpg

Example: Cleveland Clinic – Featured Expert Bloggers


Informed Decision-Making for Content Plan

• Follow the trendso What topics are most popular <<stress>>o What are most common patient health

concerns, illnesses, conditionso What events are happening (breast

cancer awareness month, heart healthy month)

• Follow your best judgment• Assess competition (what are others

covering)


• Work with your business intelligence, digital team, or Internet services team

• Assess and review your analytics (statistical trends)o Unique page viewso Conversion Goal Rates <<sign

ups/order>>o Referrer pages


Case Study

• You write patient health education materials and post the following on your organization’s Web site:o Fact sheet on weight loss (HTML page, not a

downloadable PDF)o Call-to-action for audience to sign up for a new

monthly newsletter on weight loss <<Pilot newsletter>>

• Goal: You want users to come to Web site to sign up for the monthly newsletter

• Topic: Weight Loss• Audience: Women 18-55 years old


Content Plan/Editorial Calendar

• What types of content from the weight loss fact sheet can you repurpose for other channels (ie, Twitter, blog, or print)?

• Recipes• Fad Diets• Weight Loss Plans• Exercise Tips


Editorial Calendar

• When will you plan to release the content on weight loss in the different channels (editorial calendar)?

• Fall: College Semester Begins• Winter: Holidays• Spring: Wedding• Summer: Swim Suit Season


Keyword List

• List the top keywords (groupings) that a user may consider when searching for the topic on weight loss

• Weight Loss• Obesity• Dieting• Fad Diets• Quick weight loss


Tracking/Analytics

• Did you have good conversion with signs up for the newsletter?o Track for 3 months or more to get decent

trend


• Never report standalone metric in your data trendsTrack at least 2 metrics for comparison o Goal Conversion o Visits


Key Points

• Medical editors must consider new content strategies

• Online content planning includes web, social, and mobile strategies

• Always remember your audience’s needs• Always write quality content• Track, measure, and analyze your data for

best content results


Resources

• Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorsonhttp://contentstrategy.com/

• Aha Media Group – Content Strategyhttp://www.ahamediagroup.com/index.html

• Search Engine Land: SEOhttp://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo

• How to analyze, interpret and report data trends in Google Analyticshttp://www.seotakeaways.com/analyze-interpret-report-data-trends-google-analytics/


QUESTIONS?THANK YOU

Follow me on Twitter: @brandemartin

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://brandemartin.com


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