Health Beat demonstrates just how to manage a blog

 

Spectrum Health’s Health Beat blog stands out both in terms of its management and execution as an exceptional example of how a blog should be conceived, coordinated and produced. It’s the first-place winner in the “Blog” category of Ragan’s 2018 Health Care Marketing and PR Awards.

The Health Beat team is composed of a managing editor, two photojournalists and a health care journalist. The blog also incorporates the work of freelancers and fellow Spectrum Health staff. The team works directly with service lines, accepting story pitches and coordinating resources. 

A multimedia manager promotes posts on Spectrum’s social media channels along with partner sites; articles are also promoted through email newsletters that serve a healthy number of subscribers. Posts are always well-written and supported with outstanding visuals. 

The site receives a staggering half-million visits per month, almost all of the traffic generated through social media. Some stories average more than 22 minutes of onscreen time (compared to a site average of just under four minutes). The content also supports Spectrum’s PR mission, providing media relations staff with fodder to pitch to the press. 

The blog’s home page is a lesson for any organization on how to feature content from a content marketing effort. Many posts offer very subtle opportunities for readers to engage with Spectrum Health’s services. Also telling is the number of comments posts attract, indicating readers are genuinely engaged with the content.

Congratulations to the team of Cheryl Welch, Jill Seidelman, Chris Clark, Sue Thoms and Taylor Ballek.