Strong Audio Strategy Can Boost Your Health Care Brand in New Ways
// By Lisa D. Ellis //
Have you incorporated audio content in your health care communications strategy? If not, you could be missing an opportunity to engage prospective patients who live in your service communities, and to position your organization as a leader to referring physicians across the country. Learn how one health system leads in this area, and find out why so many people are listening.
While some health systems dabble in producing radio content and developing podcasts to educate employees, staff, or patients about key medical facts, University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City breaks new ground with an extremely comprehensive broadcast strategy that steers away from PR and focuses on covering very real — and often controversial — issues for its audience. The content and messages are wrapped up in provocative language unusual for a health system. But the delivery is right on target and people seem to respond to the directness. As a result, the strategy is strengthening brand in a very authentic way and capturing people’s attention.
The Scope Is Born
Kathy Wilets, director of media relations and content marketing at University of Utah Health
To understand the success of this approach, rewind to a few years ago. In 2013, Utah Health began exploring the potential of using radio and podcasts as a way to communicate with area residents and also to connect with medical students throughout the nation.
“We had a new CEO at the time who saw the value of audio content so she charged the communication team with creating an audio broadcast strategy,” explains Kathy Wilets, director of media relations and content marketing for the health system.
The first step in the process was to hire radio broadcaster Scot Singpiel, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the field. Together, he and Wilets created a radio station they named The Scope, which now consists of radio and podcast segments.