We understand that content creation is absolutely necessary and represents the cornerstone of any thriving brand online today. From increased traffic to brand awareness, the ROI of content creation is clear; however, the challenges associated with consistently churning out physical therapy content can be overwhelming. Such challenges include:
Finding the time to hire a skilled writer or craft the content ourselves
Coming up with fresh topics and consistently blogging to keep traffic flowing
Optimizing content for SEO in hopes of getting found in the SERPs
Although we always strive for more content, many brands often overlook the importance of getting the absolute most out of the content that you already have. Chances are there’s content on your site that could be bringing in more business, granted you understand how to optimize it.
There actionable steps you can take today to begin optimizing both your future and past blog content. With the following tips in mind, you can make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to content marketing.
It’s no secret that physical therapy practices should harness the power of social media. The extent to which you can boost your current content, though, may surprise you. For example, consider the following possibilities for your latest blog post:
Sharing the post on various social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter, including keywords in your copy
Get creative with your sharing copy: ask readers for questions and comments to encourage engagement
Post your content to forums and sites such as Yahoo! Answers as means of building your brand up a resource
In addition getting your content in front of more eyeballs, social sharing is also a positive signal to search engines and your SEO efforts. In short, always take the time to boost your posts through the various social channels as a means of building a following and backlinks.
Beyond simply sharing your content, you can also repurpose what you already have to gain additional traction via social media.
For example, you can turn data from a physical therapy case study into a Slideshare presentation or turn quotes from an expert interview into an image to tweet out to your followers. Any help “tips” or “how-to” style content would be perfect in video or infographic format, too. If you have lots of long-form content, get the most mileage out of it as you possibly can by getting creative.
Building an email list represents a fantastic means of reaching users directly; however, we often are at a loss as to what to send to our readers. Consider crafting emails and newsletters based around your existing physical therapy content. Again, anyone who’s opted-in will want to hear from you with expert advice and information.
To encourage opens and clicks, make sure to turn on the “wow” factor with shocking content and case studies. Any crazy pain management tips? Hacks to help lower your hospital bill? The more you grab your reader's’ attention, the more likely they are to take action.
Perhaps the most important yet most overlooked action you can take is optimizing your previous blog posts for SEO. For example, if you only recently started researching keywords for your physical therapy blog, you should go back and rework your former content to reflect your research. The next time your content is re-indexed by Google, you can beef up your SEO strength: likewise, older pages have more authority to search engines which is also a plus.
So, which aspects of your content can you optimize? For starters, make sure that you do the following to each post in order to get the most out of each and every blog post:
Ensure that each article has an image with an appropriate alt-tag
Sprinkle keywords throughout your content; however, make sure to insult them naturally and don’t overdo it
Make sure your articles are at least 500 words, ideally
Update the title and H1/H2 tags to reflect your keywords
Make sure to link to existing content on your site in addition to other pages with high domain authority
Obviously there are a lot of moving pieces to optimizing your content, just as there’s a lot to do when it comes to managing a successful physical therapy blog. If you’re stuck on SEO or aren’t sure how to move forward with your future content strategy, let PatientSites help.
Get started with a Free Evergreen Marketing Blueprint to learn how you can create long-term assets that will attract new patients for years to come.