While Julie is on vacation, Susan Levy, Publisher of wellfedheart.com and dedicated reader of The Main Artery, will contribute as a guest blogger.
One of the topics that Julie has written about recently on this blog is the power of social media as a communications channel and about not being afraid to share messages from other reliable sources. I call it “sending our people out into the universe”.
But, just how does it work? After all, people “go away” from your site. Will they hit that back arrow? Will you just lose them…out there in the universe…or worse, to another health care site?
You’ve heard it before and it’s absolutely true — providing valuable content that has perceived value to the reader is exactly what makes people want to return to your site time after time. It’s like that old saying, “Hold tightly with an open hand.”
So even though I usually spend my days in cardiovascular marketing, this past week I viewed the most powerful YouTube public health video I’ve seen in years. I linked to it from the Providence Health System in Oregon’s eNewsletter. Now, more than ever, I feel connected to Providence and their messages, both on their site and out in the universe. And, I just feel compelled to share it with everyone I know, both professionally and personally.
Now, that’s the power of the Internet – at its best delivering sight, sound, and the emotion that a thoughtful story can deliver. Given all the new distribution channels available to us today, as long as the health content you are providing is of value to your audience, even if they go “out into the universe”, they’ll also always come back.
Susan develops strategies and marketing tactics for health care organizations. With more than 20 million in print, her customized heart-healthy booklet of recipes has been used by cardiovascular centers in more than 35 states. Due to its success, and at the suggestion of hospital chefs and dietitians, The Well-Fed Heart online library was created. Susan’s blog, In My Experience, links current news in health care, research, and trends to her life as a marketer.
