It’s no surprise that a proliferation of startups as well as established companies have entered the mHealth space. While that is good news for patients and clinicians, the ability for any of these mHealth brands to reach the very audiences they hope to help has become at best, difficult.
With patients searching for information at an all time high, the opportunity is ripe for your mHealth brand to make sure you are taking advantage of this phenomena by either starting or “tuning up” your company blog. A properly written and optimized blog will act like a business magnet, attracting traffic and (hopefully) influencing buying decisions for years to come.
I am a big fan of the benefits of business blogging and I often suggest blogging to our clients, when it fits into their company culture. I spend a good amount of time scanning and reading articles and blogs every day and recently came across these blogging tips from Jeff Hayden.
Jeff wrote the following list to help you avoid some typical business blog mistakes, and I think you’ll appreciate his tips along with his humor:
6 Mistakes to Avoid on Your mHealth Blog
- Don’t write in the dead zone
Commenting on breaking news is smart since timely relevance attracts interest. But there’s a definite timeliness window; fall outside it and you always lose. Either immediately post your thoughts on breaking news or wait months or years to let time and hindsight provide the spark for re-imagining the topic. - Don’t play the catchy headline game
Headlines need to spark interest, but misleading or over-selling is the blog kiss of death. Never write a post based solely on a catchy headline, and never tack on a click-generating headline unless those are the last clicks you actually want to generate. Be clear, straightforward, and whenever possible, include the benefit to the reader. - Don’t write because it’s on your calendar
Lots of experts say publishing on a schedule is necessary to establish predictability and build an audience. They’re probably right, but schedule or not, writing a throwaway post just to maintain a schedule is a waste of your reader’s time—and your time. - Don’t try to be Bill Simmons
ESPN’s Bill Simmons’s Sports Guy columns are a cool blend of sports, movies, TV, and pop culture, written without pretense of neutrality. He’s arguably the most popular sports columnist in America—and one of the most imitated. If you’re struggling to find your style, just write like you speak. You may not build a huge audience … but you will build a long-term audience. - Avoid writing “I Think” posts
Qualifying words make sense if you’re a lawyer or working in compliance for a financial services firm and need to make sure you don’t make promises you have to keep. Otherwise, be bold and direct. Take a stand. Don’t share rambling, unfocused thoughts; provide solutions. - Don’t preach to your choir
Readers want to learn new things and take new perspectives. While you should never be contrary just for the sake of contrariness, write and respond thoughtfully and your readers will too, and they’ll gain respect for your opinions even when—sometimes especially when—they don’t agree.
Part of my daily routine is staying current by reading as much as I can about communications in general and mHealth specifically. I always appreciate the advice from industry experts like Jeff, and when I find information of value, I’ll post it here. I’d like to hear from you as well, so please let me know what you think.
And if you want to learn more, download our Free Business Blogging Tip Sheet.
