Social media drives half of the traffic to Spectrum Health’s digital publication

 

Spectrum Health must be doing something right to win first place in Ragan’s 2016 Health Care PR and Marketing Awards for both “Content Marketing/Brand Journalism” and “Digital Publication.” “Health Beat,” Spectrum’s content portal, is at the heart of both entries. The overall content marketing effort includes other components, such as an opt-in and welcome series, a dedicated Facebook page, and email updates. The publication itself, though, stands on its own. 

The content features health news, articles, photos, videos, slideshows and infographics funneled into 16 themed content areas that cover topics like “Children’s Health” and “Aging Well.” All of the Spectrum’s service lines are represented in “Health Beat.” A marketing content specialist has been assigned to each category, with a managing editor overseeing the work to ensure consistently consumer-friendly information that shines a light on Spectrum’s values, its personnel and providers, and its patients’ journeys. 

In fact, the staff members of “Health Beat” see themselves as the news media of the organization, creating the original platform for content that is frequently repurposed for distribution through other channels. 

This dedication to a newsroom approach to sharing Spectrum’s stories and those of its patients has produced nearly half a million unique visits in less than a year, with almost half of that traffic coming from social media. 

For a digital publication that’s achieved spectacular results with impressive, brand-journalism-focused content, we congratulate Cheryl Welch, Jill Seidelman, Chris Clark, Diane Benson and Sue Thoms.