You are looking for ideas for blogging for a hospital, and we’re here to help. A hospital deals with crucial health matters daily. You may have patients who have terminal or otherwise serious conditions, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. They, and their relatives, may look to your blog for encouragement, so likability is critical. Here are seven tips that should aid you on your way.
Research
What’s relevant right now?
Do some research on what readers want to read about. Don’t just write about any old medical topic to fill space. There are ways of finding out what the most popular and timely topics are — the simplest would be to do a Google search. Another is to check the health section on a major news website, such as NPR or the New York Times. There are dozens of popular health and medical technology blogs out there, such as medGadget, where you can find interesting ideas for blog post topics that will appeal to your readers.
Ask staff members
Similarly, involve the hospital staff — ask doctors, nurses, and administrative staff what they’re being asked most these days, or what they would like to help patients with.
Get connected with comments
Read the comments on your blog and respond. This is another way of finding out what interests readers. You will be able to provide support and find ways to improve services. This will also give you ideas for new articles.
Promote engagement
Ask your readers questions. This is to generate participation and conversation and increase interest. At the end of each blog, you could include a question. It could be a question about if the post was helpful or how a reader has dealt with whatever the topic is in a different way. Whether they comment on the blog itself or on social media after you share it, you just want to get a conversation started.
Structure
Avoid jargon
Use plain and simple language on your blog, not a bunch of technical terms and explanations they don’t understand. This helps create trust and eliminates confusion. Patients appreciate compassion and kindness, and this shows through simple language.
Keep it accessible
Make your blog mobile-friendly and easy to digest. Use short paragraphs, graphics, and bullet points. A good length for most blog posts is 300-500 words, unless you’re covering a more complex topic.
Make it eye-catching
Include extras, such as videos, links, and graphics. Readers will want to share your information with friends and will be more interested. You will gain new readers.
Why should you be blogging?
Blogging will give more current information to readers than a newsletter and gives you substantial content to share on your social media profiles. It will be more interesting to readers than the traditional hospital website, because it’s a more personal way of communicating that’s updated regularly — or should be.
