Creating Content for the Web Medical Public Affairs/Integrated Marketing & Branding

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding What is content? Information made available through some medium (written word, illustration, music, etc.) Includes text but also Photos Graphics Infographics Audio Video Blogs

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Why is content important? It’s why people come to your website Content is king: Even Google says you need plenty of rich information about your subject matter that provides value to your audience This can improve your site’s search rank (where your site appears in search results lists)

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding What’s my goal? Tell my story Promote my mission Attract visitors Increase visibility Build reputation …

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Show, don’t tell Use stories or examples to explain abstract concepts Be descriptive and specific Use strong, active verbs E.g. 1 “We are a leader in the field of basket weaving.” X E.g. 2 “We use the best weavers and finest materials to produce beautiful, high quality baskets.” ✔

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Know thy audience Write and structure your site for your audience (not your organization): General public? Donors? Patients? Students? Potential hires? Faculty? Employees?

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Be engaging Tell a story Use simple terms and active language people outside the organization can relate to Avoid jargon/business speak Use metaphors, be creative Speak to your readers, not at them – be conversational Don’t be afraid to use ‘we,’ ‘you’ – write like you would write to a friend Start with the most important/compelling points to draw the reader in

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Keep it active “We did this,” not “This was done.” If you can add “by zombies” after the verb, it’s passive! E.g. “The experiment was done… by zombies” x “We did the experiment.” ✓

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Be brief Edit your content down, then edit some more Less than 500 words per page, ideally Use short sentences and paragraphs People tend to scan, not read web content Break up text with: Subheadings Lists Images Captions Callouts

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Review your content Have others look at it Proofread, edit Do a content audit of your site Revisit it frequently Does it need updating? Are any links broken/out-of-date? Can you repurpose it for another part of your site/social media/marketing materials

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Samples Sample No. 1 (long, hard to read, passive) Sample No. 2 (short, scannable, active) Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most popular places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446). In 1996, six of the most-visited places in Nebraska were: Fort Robinson State Park Scotts Bluff National Monument Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum Carthenge Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park Source:

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Samples Sample No. 1 (long, hard to read, passive) Sample No. 2 (short, scannable, active) Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most popular places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446). In 1996, six of the most-visited places in Nebraska were: Fort Robinson State Park Scotts Bluff National Monument Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum Carthenge Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park by zombies! x Source:

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Samples Sample No. 1 (long, hard to read, passive) Sample No. 2 (short, scannable, active) Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most popular places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446). In 1996, six of the most-visited places in Nebraska were: Fort Robinson State Park Scotts Bluff National Monument Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum Carthenge Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park by zombies! x Source: Hard to read list (use bullets)

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Use multiple content elements Headers Links Lists Keywords Call to Action Images Video

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Headers (H1) Keep them short - one line, if possible Make them descriptive - what’s this about (in one line)? Include keywords - words/phrases people might Google Be clever (but not so clever you’re not being clear) Remember: the header may double as the page’s URL – make it descriptive to guide your reader. E.g. Subheaders (H2) All about content Use subheaders to break up text and help direct readers

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Links Use links in the body of your text – they stand out and give readers clear information about what they are reading Make the link informative: ‘For more information, see the CDC’s Parasites page.’ is better than ‘For more information, see this link.’

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Lists Lists are easier to scan than paragraphs Use bullets or numbers to list multiple ideas Example of a list: Make it short: don’t use too may points. Call it out: bold important sections. Make it descriptive: describe each point succinctly. Make it snappy: keep each bullet short and to the point. 1. One 2. Two 3. Three 4. Four 5. Five

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Sample list Sample No. 1 (long, hard to read, passive) Sample No. 2 (short, scannable, active) Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most popular places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446). In 1996, six of the most-visited places in Nebraska were: Fort Robinson State Park Scotts Bluff National Monument Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum Carthenge Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park Source:

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Keywords Use the words your audience uses to search (e.g. ‘content’ or ‘writing’) – use analytics to find this info Include keywords in: title headers/subheaders image captions/ALT text page description/meta data (max 150 char.):

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Call to action What do you want people to do with this information? Often a button: Apply Share Download Register Give Call Make an appointment Visit

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding A picture is worth… Add high resolution images, but optimize for web (correct file size, sharp, not blurry) Caption your image with useful info (keywords, etc.) Make sure you are allowed to use the image (photographer and subject permission – HIPAA) Add TITLE text (seen on hover over) and ALT text (seen when image won’t load) Make sure images are relevant and up-to-date The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous works of art in the world.

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Video Great if you have strong visuals Keep it short (ideally under 4 mins.) As with text, tell a story Include a transcript Use a video sharing service like YouTube or Vimeo to: help users find your content avoid having to host it on your own site

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Other content types Presentations – SlideShare is useful for sharing PowerPoint or other forms of presentations Infographics – powerful when illustrating complex data Audio – can help tell testimonial-style stories (where there is no video), to go along with a slideshow, for podcasts Blogs – less formal outlet for content (e.g. to express opinions); keep it updated by posting frequently

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Blogs

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Infographics Visually display data in a clear, concise way Draw attention to a specific point Show differences/contrasts in information

Medical Public Affairs Integrated Marketing & Branding Resources Writing for the Web by Jakob Nielson/NNGroup (web articles) Writing for the Web Clarity and Readability Checklist for Content Creators by Meet Content (blog) Clarity and Readability Checklist for Content Creators Creating Valuable Content by Leap of Faith Web Design (pdf checklist) Creating Valuable Content 34 Tips and Tricks for Planning and Creating Content by HubSpot (pdf download) 34 Tips and Tricks for Planning and Creating Content Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson & Melissa Rach (book) Content Strategy for the Web

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