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The concept of content marketing has been around for far longer than you might guess. Over the past couple of decades, it has evolved in response to broad changes in technology, consumer behavior and marketing practices, becoming a central strategy in healthcare marketing.

Historical perspective

Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack (1732) and John Deere's The Furrow (1895) laid the groundwork for content marketing in general. Healthcare-specific content marketing also began to take shape in the late 19th century. In 1888, Johnson & Johnson launched one of the earliest examples of healthcare content marketing: Modern Methods of Antiseptic Wound Treatment, a publication designed to teach doctors about advances in wound care.

This approach—providing valuable educational content to healthcare professionals and patients without directly promoting products—became a cornerstone of healthcare marketing.

Current definition

Content marketing is now seen as "a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action," according to the Content Marketing Institute.

In healthcare, this definition extends to providing information that:

• Engages patients and healthcare professionals.
• Addresses specific health concerns.
• Promotes better health outcomes.

New perspectives

Content marketing evolves as new tools and trends reshape best practices, including:

1. Digital engagement. While early content marketing relied solely on print media, the digital revolution has expanded the channels and formats available.

2. Social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok have introduced more passive content consumption alongside specific searches.

3. Brand storytelling. There's been a growing focus on creating emotional connections with audiences by using narrative elements to convey an organization's identity, values and purpose.

4. Data-driven strategies. Analytics tools have allowed for more targeted and measurable content marketing efforts.

5. Multichannel approach. Content marketing now spans a wide variety of formats, including direct mail, blogs, videos, podcasts and social media posts.

6. Search analytics. The growth of online search has made search engine optimization (SEO) an integral part of content marketing strategies.

7. Audience value. There's been a shift from focusing on promotional content to providing genuine value and solving audience problems.

8. Personalization. Advanced technologies have enabled content experiences to be tailored to individual users.

Content marketing has become an essential component of the marketing mix for hospitals and health systems, helping them address their audiences' need for online health information that is accessible, reliable and relatable.

Categories: Marketing