ELIZABETH
DOSHAN
MARKETING EXECUTIVE
University of Michigan Medicine - Content Case Study
CHALLENGE:
Michigan Medicine is a premier academic medical center, nationally recognized in a broad range of adult and pediatric services. They wanted to position themselves as a global storyteller of medicine, reaching diverse audiences - from everyday people to industry professionals. We were asked to develop a content strategy that would help strengthen Michigan Medicine's reputation for leading healthcare innovation, cutting-edge research and medical education with medical professionals while continuing to position the health system as a reliable choice for quality healthcare for Michigan residents and a credible source for health and wellness content online.
SOLUTION:
We found that Michigan Medicine was trying to be all things to all people. This was not proving to be successful. Our solution was to divide and conquer, crafting diverse online content experiences that were tailored to each audience - everyday people and industry professionals.
We designed, developed and launched two content hubs - Michigan Health Lab and Michigan Health Blgo - and assembled an Audience Engine team to execute the content strategy for each in partnership with Michigan Medicine's in-house content creators and service line marketing managers.
We developed content distribution strategies for each of the content hubs, launching new email newsletters and social channels for the Michigan Health Lab audience and helping to support Michigan Medicine's existing consumer-facing social channels.
Michigan Health Lab is the destination for shaping and sharing the future of health. It is where cutting-edge research news and premier patient stories combine, for an audience passionate about health innovation.
Michigan Health Blog serves regular doses of health news and wellness tips. It is where readers managing health conditions, caring for loved ones and simply seeking to live well find information and support.
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THE WORK:
In the first year of the program, we produced a total of 549 pieces of content across both content hubs, developed more than 2,314 social posts, sent 108 email newsletters, and helped create tailor-made content packages for Michigan Medicine's priority service lines and special marketing initiatives.
We produced a wide variety of content - including infographics, quizzes, and motion graphics - to engage our target audiences, and partnered with Michigan Medicine's internal media team to incorporate video into the content mix for both content hubs.
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RESULTS:
We developed a custom, paid social media process that leveraged some of the more unique and engaging pieces of content that resonated especially well with the medical professionals audience to drive Michigan Health Lab traffic. Combined, these 10 top performers drove 39% of all traffic to the site and were responsible for over 37,000 engagements across different social channels.
We ended the year having reached some significant milestones:
151%
Year-over-year increase in pageviews*
Average month-over-month increase in traffic
45%
Average month-over-month growth in pageviews from organic search
60%
25%
Average month-over-month social audience growth
**Competitors growing less than 3%
Twitter and 32% Facebook social engagement rates
**Competitors engagement rates are less than 10%
51%
49%
Email open rate and 30% click rate for Health Blog
Email open rate and 20% click rate for Lab Blog
**Industry standard: 26% open rate and 5% click rate
39%
Growth in traffic from newsletters to the blogs*
100%
*Compared to UofMHealthBlogs.org