Recently on our blog, we’ve been talking a lot about the importance of having an editorial calendar for your marketing and promotional content. We published a complete guide on how to create a content schedule and explained why every business benefits from having one.
Today, we are going to dive deeper into this topic and talk specifically about how a healthcare practice or facility can create a valuable healthcare marketing editorial calendar.
Step #1) Download Our Marketing Editorial Calendar
The first step is creating the framework for your editorial calendar.
You can skip over this first step by downloading our pre-made Excel template. The free download includes a list of content categories you need to consider while building a complete and cohesive editorial calendar.
If you choose to start from scratch and not use our free template, we recommend building your schedule in a spreadsheet. Include rows for every major content type as it relates to:
- Content marketing
- Social media
- Paid advertising
- On-property signage
- On-hold messaging
- Community relations and PR
We also suggest added rows near your date line where can assign themes, promos, and key events to certain time periods. This will allow you to classify and organize your content topics so you don’t miss any promo opportunities.
Step #2) Add Healthcare Awareness Dates
To help you develop themes for your content, start by adding relevant healthcare awareness dates to your calendar.
You don’t have to create content for every awareness date or event. Instead, choose the type of awareness initiatives that match your practice specialty. If you treat a broad patient base, select initiatives that have the most mass appeal.
To find a list of healthcare awareness dates for your calendar, check out the following resources:
Throughout this post, we will share an example of how a healthcare facility or private practice can use these tips to build their healthcare marketing content calendar. The examples show a sample calendar for a small pediatrician’s office.
In the image below, you can see how the pediatrician’s office would use the list of awareness initiatives and select the ones that relate most to their target patients and clients.
Step #3) Add Relevant Holidays
Once you add initiative dates that relate to healthcare, also add major holidays that are relevant to your audience. Use this comprehensive holiday list to review all of the important dates for the year.
Step #4) Add Special Promotions
As this point, you can use your healthcare marketing editorial calendar to plan promotions for the year to come. Look at the year as a whole and enter any special events, sales, or themes that you plan on sharing with your patients.
This may include informational workshops, discounted services, limited services, or internal awareness programs that your office or facility is planning.
Step #5) Plan Your Promotional Content
Now that every promotional event and idea for your year is laid out on your healthcare marketing editorial calendar, you can begin to plan the content to market those events and specials.
Look through the list of content types and assign the platforms you want to use to market your promotions. That will likely include:
- Paid advertising. To cast a wide net, use paid promotions to attract attention from a large audience.
- On-property signage. Promote to your current patients by posting information on in-office digital signage, posters, and brochures.
- Overhead messaging: Another way to alert patients in your office about promos is by sharing messages through your overhead system.
- On-hold marketing. Connect with current and potential patients by adding promotional messages to your hold message system.
- Content marketing. Create content that highlights your upcoming promotions through your website, blog, newsletter, and flyers.
When you have a healthcare marketing editorial calendar, it’s easy to align your promotions with your content planning. In this example, you can see how the pediatrician’s office used the paid advertising section to spark ideas for promoting their upcoming specials.
Step #6) Plan Your Educational & Engaging Content
After you create content plans to promote your upcoming specials, go through your calendar to add plans for informational and entertainment content.
Create content ideas that will educate and engage your patients while promoting healthy living initiatives. If you need ideas for what type of informational and entertaining content works in the healthcare field, check out this post on How to Create Content for your Healthcare Practice.
Also, use healthcare initiative dates and promotions to develop content ideas that you can share through content marketing, social media, and on-property signage.
Step #7) Plan Your Cross Promotions and Look for Opportunities
In the last step of the process, scan through your content plan as a whole. Viewing your entire calendar can spark ideas you may not have had otherwise.
Look at the content topics and identify ways to make them work together. Search for ways to repurpose content from one platform onto another, find opportunities to create content for platforms you typically do not use, or discover ways to combine your promotions.
Pay close attention to the section on Community Relations and PR in this step. These content ideas are often overlooked as they are difficult to develop on their own. But when paired with other content ideas in your calendar, you will likely find new ways to promote your healthcare facility and content.
In the example below, you can see how the pediatrician’s office found ways to develop and highlight their themes and upcoming promotions by scheduling press releases, speaking events, and in-person workshops.
Start Your Healthcare Marketing Editorial Calendar Right Now
When you compile all of your content in one places, it becomes much easier to create strategic, targeted, and cohesive marketing materials.
So, start planning your healthcare marketing editorial calendar today by downloading our free template. Then, use the tips in this post to fill your schedule with content that promotes your practice, engages your patients, and builds your authority in the healthcare field.