Bring a multichannel marketing approach to your print publication
Learn how a publication microsite can give your print content a second life and your social strategy more fuel.
The Coffey Team
We've talked about how print healthcare marketing can stand out in a busy digital world.
But the best print strategies also make smart use of digital content and channels. When you embrace an integrated approach to your hospital's publication, a world of possibilities opens up.
One of the most fruitful: a dedicated publication microsite. Along with a coordinated social media strategy, a publication microsite can help you:
- Present a strong, cohesive brand.
- Get the most out of your content.
- Reach and engage a wider mobile audience.
- Gain greater ROI across all your channels.
Why invest in a microsite for your publication?
Perhaps you've considered a microsite for targeted marketing campaigns. But a microsite can also be an effective online destination for your magazine or newsletter.
And as a multichannel marketing tool, it can do much more. You can use a publication microsite to:
Expand your storytelling. Print can be beautiful and tactile—but page sizes and word counts can also be confining. With an online version of your magazine, you can spread out and tell more in-depth stories. For example, you might feature a focused patient story in print and then send readers online for a deeper dive into the backstory.
You can also share richer visual media online, like videos and galleries of images. We featured an example of that in an earlier post: Gavin the therapy dog was a big draw.
Share valuable content. When it comes to gaining visitors to your microsite, unique is the key word. People need a compelling reason to click. Novel and specific content—highlighted with catchy teasers and strong calls to action within your publication—can inspire readers to make the journey from the printed page to your microsite.
Local content shines here. But if you have a digital health library, you can also look for content that helps readers make a personal connection between a compelling story and a concrete action they can take. For example, if you have a story about someone diagnosed with diabetes in your print piece, you could encourage readers to go online and assess their personal risk of type 2 diabetes on your microsite.
Engage a wider audience between print windows. Another limit to print is frequency. But with a microsite, you can push out content through your social channels—like compelling patient stories and timely health articles—to healthcare consumers anytime.
You'll get more mileage out your content, while reaching people beyond your print mailing list, who may prefer digital channels and mobile devices.
Pro tip: Use and reuse. With minor tweaks, you can use your publication teasers and calls to actions as social posts.
Increase traffic and conversions on your main site. This is a big one for ROI. With a microsite, you can make it easy and seamless for people to move from your print publication through your microsite to your hospital website, where they can:
- See and explore your services.
- Find providers and make appointments.
- Sign up for classes, seminars and events.
- Start a patient journey—see content that's most relevant to them and be empowered to act.
Promote your experts with engaging digital content. Your publication can also highlight microsite links to blog posts authored by or featuring physicians and other specialists in your organization. For example, Coffey partners with Fox Chase Cancer Center to create custom content for its Thrive blog, which offers reliable cancer information and support while increasing the visibility of its providers and driving traffic to their practices.
Save valuable space in your magazine. When multiple stakeholders clamor for space in your print publication, you may have to be choosy about what's in and what's out. A microsite can help take the pressure off deciding what makes the cut. Have new construction updates? Architectural renderings? Foundation Gala images or long donor lists? Making this type of content available online can make sure its seen by those who care the most without costing you print real estate.
Use data to adapt and improve
Having an online destination for your publication gives you something else that's valuable: hard data on print ROI. Here are some savvy measurement strategies to consider:
- Use trackable URLs to your microsite from print and social so that you can identify the campaign and source for microsite traffic.
- Provide links that encourage people to take steps toward conversion. And track those journeys in Google Analytics.
- Close the loop with your call center and billing department so that you can track revenue back to specific content.
It's one thing to have data and another to act on it. Make part of your strategy to take time with your analytics—to see user behaviors and results. Then you can adapt your editorial plans and strategies on the microsite, in print and on social based on what you learn.
Tying it all together: Talk integration with experts
Multichannel marketing can seem like solving a giant puzzle. Our team can help you build strong bridges between your print, digital and social channels. Call 888.805.9101 or email us to get the conversation started.
