As we embark on the early stages of 2023, Look Left continues to share thoughts from our resident Smartypants on areas where organizations should focus their PR and marketing efforts (check out Look Left Lookaheads for infrastructure and security). This time, we turn our attention to digital health.
Lean into healthcare-facing apps to keep business running
Bryan Scanlon, Principal: The staffing shortage in the healthcare industry is worse than ever. Companies have to get more done with less human power, which has accelerated the adoption of modern technology. Just like the business world relies on Gusto, Zoom, Slack and Google to run their companies, we're going to see more apps tailored to the healthcare world hit the market in 2023.
Keep up to date with the shifting keyword landscape
Matt Raven, Vice President, Head of Digital: In 2022, monthly organic searches for "digital health" (3.6k) outpaced searches for "health tech" (2.9k) for the first time — demonstrating an evolving trend in the industry. To adapt, health tech brands should begin optimizing existing content around these shifting terms and invest in new assets that are optimized around the digital health keyword category to satisfy changing user behaviors.
Expand your bench of SMEs to include unique voices
Davida Dinerman, Vice President, Health Tech Practice Lead: The rise of digital native healthcare leaders will impact healthcare organizations and how they market their companies. These executives don't feel obligated to maintain the status quo — they want to connect with customers, partners, and influencers seeking information outside traditional media relations. This includes slack and substack communities and one-off media outlets with hyper-focused audiences.
There are great opportunities for CISOs, CTOs, CMOs, Chief People Officers, and those in product and development who can talk about their work. The media understands the importance of cross-pollinating perspectives from a variety of verticals. Their insights also add to the company's narrative. Expand the bench and boost the company's voice.
Develop content with emerging trends and personas in mind
David Sprague, Senior Content and Media Strategist: If your organization has something relevant to say about vertical clouds for the healthcare industry, this is the year to create and elevate content highlighting your expertise on the topic. In fact, Gartner sees it as a top trend for 2023. And with the seemingly never-ending expanse of data-related compliance regulations, innovative vertical cloud content could be a unique opportunity to put your market differentiation on display.
John Masserini, Media and Social Strategist: Developers are driving the movement to digital health — don't forget to create content for them. While it may be obvious to build a beautiful UX for frontline practitioners, focusing on products that will also improve the lives of developers in healthcare is crucial. The healthcare industry is often seen as a slow-moving monolith. But with the number of small, digital-focused practices growing exponentially, developers are just as important to the success of these practices as those working directly with patients.
Health data will remain hot — make sure you have a fresh take
Hollie Krause, Content and Media Strategist: It’s all about quality. The nation is now producing more data than ever, driving our stories and conversations. Anyone can run a survey or pull data, but being able to provide actionable insights, productive thought leadership, and actively say something is another story. Using reliable data securely and strategically for storytelling and trend forecasting will help identify leaders in the health tech space and break companies out of the noise.
Have a cool digital health story to tell but need to figure out how to tell it? Learn how Look Left can help create, enhance, and share it with the right audiences.
