Insight

Ready, Set, Inspire! A CONTENT STRATEGY Q&A WITH HILL ARY MYERS W H AT H A S T O happen before a blog entry posts, a magazine prints, or an email is deployed for these elements to be effective healthcare marketing tools? True North Custom Editorial Director Hillary Myers explains how applying strategy when creating such content helps produce a campaign that hits the mark. Insight: How does True North look at content strategy differently? Myers: We think of content strategy as more than the creation and production of materials. It's the plan to use content to help meet the quantifiable goals of an organization. If a client has a content strategy and just wants us to produce the content, we can do that, or we can also provide them with the strategy, production, and delivery in their desired channel. Insight: What are the essential elements of good content strategy? Myers: A fully formed content strategy should include clear goals; a plan for how content will help meet those goals; audience information; channel selections; a timetable; tactics for integrating campaigns into existing marketing; ways to measure and, in the case of digital delivery, optimize campaign success; and the reasons behind all of it. Insight: When should content strategy be developed? Myers: Ideally, content strategy is in place before any campaigns launch or marketing collateral is produced. It's important to understand the objectives beforehand. Otherwise, content doesn't have direction. It may still be good, but what is its purpose? Insight: What role does CRM play in content strategy? Myers: CRM gives you additional insight into who your customers are. For example, CRM data may show that you already have a profitable group of orthopedic patients in a specific area. We can utilize that data to identify others who meet the same demographics in terms of age, industry, or location. Used the right way, CRM adds solid input to strategy and helps guide our content choices. Insight: What are some of the most common goals True North clients want to achieve with content strategy? Myers: We pride ourselves on being able to help clients reach a variety of goals, but we do see themes among them. Some of our specific areas of expertise include service line growth, physician referral development, patient engagement and education to reduce readmissions, employee engagement, and brand awareness, perception, and preference. "Content strategy is the motivation and inspiration that informs the production cycle. It's how we help clients find their True North." —Hillary Myers, Editorial Director, True North Custom Hillary Myers Editorial Director T R U E N O R T H C U S T O M . C O M TRUENORTHCUSTOM.COM INSIGHT V12N4 11 best practices in CONTENT AND DATA STRATEGY

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