Top Blog Formats Your Medical Practice Should Consider

An Overview of Medical Blogging

From tips from a healthcare provider to advice from an industry thought leader, there’s a ton of healthcare-related information floating around the Internet. The healthcare industry is ever-changing. And as the industry continues to change, more and more information is being shared every day. And one of the most popular ways to share, and also consume, medical information is through blogs. And yes, some blogs may be a little far fetched and not very practical, but there are numerous blogs that are very useful, informative, and educational.

Importance of Blogging

“Why would I want to add yet another blog about my specialty if there are already thousands of blogs about my specialty online?” Good question. And I have a good answer.

For starters, it’s one way of promoting your medical practice while being “discreet”. When you use blogs to provide any medical updates to your patients (or potential patients), it can increase your search rankings. And by sharing valuable information on a regular basis, you can ultimately position yourself as a thought leader.

Blogs can also help with patient loyalty, and at the same time, help you attract new patients. In fact, your website traffic can increase 6x when you have a blog on your website. Don’t look surprised - yes, it’s true. Having a blogging strategy can definitely increase your website traffic! However, don’t be content with just one blog per month. On average, if you want to see real results, you have to post at least four to eight blogs monthly.

So, why blog?

Sad to say, but not all doctors see the importance of having a website - let alone a blog. They tend to ignore the benefits of marketing their medical clinic online because they’re too traditional, set in their ways, or don’t prioritize marketing. However, a whopping 22.2 billion blog posts are read every month by over 409 million readers! That’s an astounding number, and that should definitely be a wake-up call if you don’t believe in blogging.

And yes, there are a lot of bloggers these days. So, it’s understandable that one of your concerns would be that you’d be wasting your time and effort with blogging because there’s no guarantee that your target audience would even read your posts. Let me alleviate your worries - with the number of Internet users continuously rising each year, there will be people looking for information on the topic you’re covering. However, if you want to make sure that they find you, you have to incorporate SEO. Use SEO to make sure all your blogs have been optimized to increase your chances of being at the top pages of search engines.

In addition, businesses who invest in content marketing receive 97 percent more links to their website. To put it simply, if you want to increase the number of places that will link back to your website, you have to share content. If you want to create a deeper connection with your audience and be on top of the food chain in your specialty, medical blogging is one of your strongest assets.

Awesome Blog Formats That You Should Consider

List Format

This is, by far, one of the most popular blog formats. Simply put, this type of format features content in a list format. Its goal is to grab the attention of the reader. List blog posts are clear because their titles are usually being associated with a number. This is also the perfect format if you’re still new with the whole “blog writing” thing. This is the best format for beginner bloggers. All you have to do is present the idea in an upfront matter and you’re good to go.

Question and Answer (Q&A) Format

If you want to go for something simple yet informative and valuable, this is the perfect type of blog for you. A question and answer format is an edited interview between an interviewer and interviewee. This type of blog format can help you create a good relationship with the experts in the industry. You might not know this but quite a few people are interested in reading Q&A blogs.

Infographic Format

When you use visual images to represent your data or information, you are using the infographic format. Infographics are a collection of images, texts, and charts that show an easier way to understand an overview of your topic. This is perfect if you are planning to compile data and statistics. Plus, infographics are more shareable compared to other formats. All you have to do is ensure that you have enticing design and you’re all set!

How-to Format

The most popular blog that helps businesses increase their followers and subscribers on social media is the how-to blog format. Aside from it being educational and informative, they’re also easier to write while not compromising the value it brings to the readers.

The how-to format is also great if you want to generate more traffic from organic search. This format can help provide a clear platform when you’re trying to educate your target audience about a topic or task that they have no idea how to do. Just don’t forget to incorporate the words “How To” in your title, it will help with ensuring that your blog has a bigger impact.

E.g: “Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction” vs “How To Treat Erectile Dysfunction”

Aside from words, another effective way of creating this blog format is to provide visual support. Include an instructional video or infographics to back up your claims.

To Wrap Things Up

Back in the day, blogs were written by almost everyone who had an opinion about something. And blogs were more like online diaries where a person expressed their personal (and sometimes biased) thoughts and reactions rather than a source of information. However, as time evolved, so did blogs. Now, blogs are one of the most utilized information mediums and hubs for helpful/educational advice and information.

Blogs are highly encouraged in the healthcare industry. Being part of an industry filled with fierce competition, blogs can give you an advantage over your competitors. But, with so much on your plate already, we understand if you don’t have the time to personally write blog posts every month. However, don’t worry - DrCatalyst can help you! Our team of experienced medical content writers can write a few SEO- optimized blog posts for you each week, helping to attract more visitors to your site.

Interested? Schedule a meeting with us. Together, let’s grow your medical practice one blog at a time! Click here!

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