How To Build a Thought Leadership Engine In Healthcare
Hospitals and healthcare systems, whether urban, community or rural, face a unique set of challenges from a thought leadership standpoint. From limited resources to patient outreach, leaders at these organizations can often struggle to make their voices heard in broader medical conversations. But we have found that thought leadership in healthcare can be a powerful tool for elevating your brand, allowing our clients to share expert insights, innovations, and success stories that build trust and influence policy.
In this blog, we’ll explore how COHN views healthcare thought leadership in the broader marketing and communications context to amplify voices in any healthcare system, helping them stand out in a competitive field and improve patient outcomes through credible, expert-driven content.
The Importance of Thought Leadership in Healthcare
Through content marketing and media outreach, thought leadership in healthcare can help providers establish credibility by sharing insights that address the unique challenges their communities face. By amplifying the voices of professionals, organizations can better serve their communities and have a broader influence on the healthcare industry.
Case Studies: Craig Hospital and Rural Physicians Group
COHN’s work with Craig Hospital is a perfect example of how thought leadership can elevate a healthcare organization and its leaders. We began our work with Craig in 2021, still deep into the COVID-19 pandemic. Through dozens of conversations with leaders, clinical staff, volunteers, patients and their families, we learned that Craig is beyond just a “special place” in healthcare. There were countless examples of people, policies, care methods and stories that were not just a little unique—they were examples that could truly only happen at Craig Hospital.
This led to our advertising campaign, “Only at Craig,” which highlighted the hospital’s unique approach to patient care. Within the “Only at Craig” campaign, COHN used a multi-channel strategy that included an internal-facing podcast with the same name, which reinforced Craig’s thought leadership and culture—while also launching an external podcast hosted by Craig’s President and CEO Jandel Allen-Davis called “Unstoppable” wherein Janel offers thoughts and insights from healthcare professionals on the show.
You can read more about our incredible work with Craig Hospital, as well as the truly inspirational care they give to patients, in our case study.
Similarly, COHN helped Rural Physicians Group develop a comprehensive thought leadership platform that positioned them as experts in rural healthcare. By crafting expert-driven content and amplifying their voice through media outreach, COHN helped establish Rural Physicians Group as a trusted name in rural healthcare. Take a look at the video we made for Rural Physicians Group that helped tell this story with compelling storytelling and visuals.
Challenges in Building a Thought Leadership Engine for Healthcare Systems
Building a thought leadership engine isn’t without its challenges; limited resources and staff can make it difficult to maintain a consistent content creation strategy. Regulatory barriers also add complexity. Healthcare organizations must navigate strict regulations like HIPAA when sharing stories or insights, ensuring that all content is compliant while remaining impactful.
Understanding all those challenges, however, we still think it’s a worthy pursuit for hospitals and healthcare systems as PR and thought leadership can engender trust even more than most advertising and marketing tactics. It works!
Strategies We Used to Build a Thought Leadership Engine
At COHN, we approach the development of thought leadership strategies through the lens of healthcare content marketing, media outreach, and social media engagement. By creating articles, white papers, and blog posts that focus on healthcare innovation and best practices, we work to turn healthcare professionals into thought leaders, industry experts and resources for the media. This content can be a key part of your marketing strategy, helping you reach your target audience and engage decision-makers.
Moreover, we aim to establish long-term relationships with healthcare publications and more general audience media, ensuring that our clients’ voices reach a broader audience. And of course, we always will rely on social media to amplify key messages, engage healthcare influencers and drive conversations around the issues that matter most. When developing a healthcare marketing plan, thought leadership should be a core component, integrated with other marketing initiatives.
How COHN Can Help Build a Thought Leadership Engine For You
COHN has a wealth of experience in crafting thought leadership strategies tailored to the unique needs of healthcare providers and systems. By partnering with COHN, healthcare organizations can develop a personalized thought leadership engine that elevates their visibility, builds trust, and establishes their authority in the healthcare space. Through strategic content creation and targeted media outreach, we help our clients achieve higher levels of patient satisfaction and become recognized thought leaders in their field. Contact COHN today for a free consultation on developing your healthcare thought leadership strategy.
