By: Emma Bentley Ruzicka

We’ve covered the fundamentals of creating a digital grateful patient program and explored three sample models. Now let’s dive into the content that can make a digital grateful program successful and engaging.

Content is a critical piece of any digital grateful patient program, and there are several types that can be used to engage your patients. The content you use should be determined by the type of model you’ve chosen and the goals you want to achieve.

While digital grateful patient programs should be unique to the organizations they represent, some content is nearly universal. This includes:

• Medical stories or updates
• Patient stories, particularly stories that relate to the recipient’s experience 
• Impact statistics or infographics
• Testimonials, especially those that include photos or videos

This content can be structured in many different ways. In addition to the more standard e-newsletters or blog posts, consider including quizzes, surveys, videos, or podcast episodes. As your organization develops the mix of content that aligns best with your mission and patient interests, keep the following tips in mind:

Make It Engaging

Offer opportunities for patients to share their own stories, contribute images, or record videos that can be sent directly to their doctors or care providers. Patients who respond to these calls to action are primed to become donors.

Keep It Fresh

Content should be updated regularly. New content will keep patients engaged and coming back for more. Make sure that your content includes a mix of modalities, including text-, audio-, and video-based messages. Not only does this mix of content types keep patients engaged, but it also ensures that your organization is reaching patients who may have difficulty accessing a particular content type.

Offer More

As the pandemic has continued, some healthcare organizations have found ways to integrate timely information regarding disease spread or mitigation techniques into their digital content. This content can be invaluable for the recipient and their community and can increase trust among a prospective donor pool. Don’t be afraid to share relevant health content; when healthcare organizations talk about health, patients listen. 

Use What You’ve Got

Healthcare organizations are home to countless experts in their field. Can one of your organization’s dietitians create a recipe that can become a fun printable? Would your physical therapy team be willing to record a short exercise video? How about conducting an interview with a doctor whose research has just been published in a medical journal, with opportunities for patients to submit questions? Let your amazing team inspire your content!

Whatever content you choose to include in your digital grateful patient program, make sure that it is compelling, informative, and relevant to your patients. With a little creativity, you can create a program that will engage your patients and pave the way for successful fundraising.

Need help navigating the digital grateful patient program content maze or with other digital fundraising strategies? Let’s chat!