The Strategy:

The Arkansas Children’s content marketing plan focused on the utilization of all digital channels to build awareness around the brand, help drive business outcomes and support the Arkansas Children’s team as it transitions from a tactical MarCom focus to strategic, data-driven marketing efforts. We encouraged Arkansas Children’s to combine its two blogs (Happy Healthy Blog and Patient Stories) into one blog to streamline all traffic into one source. Content for the blog was organized using designated tags and specific keywords, which made it easier to find content, allowing for the creation of an ebook and increased organic rankings via search engine optimization. 

On the social media side, Facebook and Instagram were used to distribute consistent, engaging content, specifically through the use of video. With research showing that videos receive higher engagement than images or links alone, live video was utilized on Facebook to feature Arkansas Children’s physicians and other resources while allowing audiences to interact with them directly. Instagram was used to tease blog stories and videos with shorter clips, while also publishing infographics for patient education and the promotion of events, special observances and new doctors. 

We encouraged Arkansas Children’s to make use of Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube to achieve their content marketing goals. On Twitter, we advocated for the use of relevant hashtags on all tweets, while being engaged with their audience and providing a response when applicable. The approach on LinkedIn was broadened from HR and recruitment to include engagement with other healthcare influencers to expand the network of referring physicians and other professional groups, as well as targeting regional physicians with promoted posts and ads that drive them toward physician-oriented content, newsletters or an email signup form. Much like videos on Facebook and Instagram, YouTube was utilized to increase brand visibility, educate patients and establish Arkansas Children’s as a thought leader and authority in health care.

The Results:

To ensure that Arkansas Children’s achieved its goals, we provided a content marketing workflow guide, which provided a step-by-step process from ideation and creation through tracking and reuse. We also created a content marketing lifecycle directory, outlining the practice of strategizing, planning, producing, promoting, analyzing and amplifying content. These guides were utilized by the Arkansas Children’s team on all of its content marketing efforts to ensure a consistent approach and an optimum outcome. 

Our team provided content creation for the newly formed blog. The subject matter ranged from timely information for parents such as back-to-school vaccinations in August and helmet safety during the summer months to telling the stories of the many inspirational patients, nurses and doctors at Arkansas Children’s. The blog was also utilized to promote and drive traffic to specific events or services like a car seat check event and the number of volunteer opportunities available at Arkansas Children’s.