Content marketing is a tool in just about every marketer’s toolkit, but how often are healthcare marketers leveraging a comprehensive content marketing strategy to meet clinical recruiting goals?

Healthcare systems face historic challenges recruiting new talent. According to a hiring report, nearly half of HR teams are struggling to find talent. Factors contributing to the talent shortage include an aging workforce, employee burnout, and a deficit of residency slots available for medical school graduates to keep up with the growing demand.

Personnel shortages are top of mind for hospital CEOs, who rank workforce challenges as their top concern and financial challenges second, according to the American College of Healthcare Executives. In this climate, health systems are understandably investing in retaining talent they already have. What they may not realize is that when they invest in tools, training, and programs to retain employees, they can double the impact of their efforts by crafting a recruitment message that tells the story of their commitment to employee growth and well-being.

The Role of Content in Healthcare Recruitment

Every unique tool, training, and program that is part of a healthcare system’s commitment to a positive caregiver experience is also an opportunity for the organization to tell its story, give its people a voice, and create content that brings that commitment to life. A job listing can only convey a fraction of an employer’s value proposition. Content gives employers the opportunity to tell a more complete story.

Harvard Business Review conducted research on what makes healthcare employees want to stay in their jobs, and according to hundreds of thousands of physicians, nurses, and other caregivers, “their organizations’ commitment to quality and patient-centered care was among the top drivers of their likelihood to stay.” HBR went on to say, “Competitive pay and other support options are essential to recruiting caregivers, of course, but organizational culture, including a commitment to excellence, is what makes them stay.”

Adequately representing a culture is almost impossible in the span of a job listing. The only way to give prospective healthcare talent a complete understanding of an employer’s culture is to employ an omni-channel content strategy.

Why Brand Should Be the Foundation of Healthcare Recruitment Content Marketing

Having a clear understanding of who you are, what you stand for as a health system, and how this motivates your caregivers is at the heart of any effective content strategy. This foundation should guide the messaging that will resonate with potential applicants. In fact, potential applicants often look for company information on philosophy, culture, and policies before connecting with a recruiter.

Prospective employees want to visualize themselves working in a healthcare system that is both personally and professionally rewarding. Healthcare marketers should consider their brand’s promise — to be on the forefront of healthcare breakthroughs or to make advanced care accessible to remote populations — and illustrate this commitment by using relatable personalities and captivating narratives that bring to life remarkable statistics, testimonials, and accolades.

How to Identify Content Opportunities in Retention Strategies

Once you understand what to look for in your retention efforts, you can begin spotting opportunities to leverage them for recruitment. Follow the steps below to start doubling the return on your investment.

1. Audit Retention Efforts

An audit provides clarity around what is working and what is not working in your retention efforts. Useful audit sources can include employee engagement surveys, exit interviews, and stay interviews. These sources may identify the catalysts that influence whether talent chooses to leave or stay. Use the findings to identify the things that resonate most with your current employees; chances are these will also resonate with prospective employees who will be a good cultural fit for your organization.

2. Define Caregiver Value Proposition and Employee Experience

Large, complex healthcare systems must clearly articulate how they will meet their commitment to employees. The best caregiver value propositions enable new hires to quickly understand why they should join the healthcare system and remain there. This means healthcare marketers should first focus on understanding what motivates their talent to stay, and then incorporate those findings into content that highlights how the healthcare system upholds its promises to employees.

3. Develop Content That Communicates Your Employer Brand

Healthcare marketers can create content that showcases their unique culture, values, and employee experience. This can include:

• Patient stories that capture the impact caregivers make in patients’ lives.
• Caregiver stories that show real employees progressing and excelling within the organization. Stories can range from revealing a glimpse into one’s everyday routine to applauding the positive impact they make on their community.
• Stories of quality improvement initiatives that demonstrate how management aims to create a culture of excellence for all staff to provide the best possible care with measurable results.
• Stories of clinical advances, research, and innovation that position the healthcare system as a leader in life-saving diagnostics and treatments.

Healthcare marketers should use a variety of formats to tell these stories. For example, employ social media takeovers, or record one-on-one interviews. Videos, blogs, and photos can all work together to create a comprehensive picture of the healthcare system’s brand and value proposition.

Hackensack Meridian Health Celebrates Front-Line Heroes

In 2020, New Jersey-based, 18-hospital system Hackensack Meridian Health honored its front-line providers as humble heroes. “UNMASKED: Chronicles from the Front Lines” was a captivating 10-part video series, showcasing the heartfelt stories of team members from across the network. In unprecedented times, they courageously shared their struggles, moments of frustration, and the profound connections they formed. This series beautifully captures the essence of their experiences in stark, black-and-white visuals.

In turn, Hackensack positioned itself as a hospital system that values its employees and prioritized providing critical support during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when employees needed it most.

Ready to Transform Your Retention Efforts into Powerful Recruitment Content?

A health system is more likely to attract prospective applicants when the applicants can see themselves not only making a difference in patient care, but also being part of an inspiring and authentic work culture. Unlock Health can help you maximize the equity of your existing retention efforts by leveraging them for effective recruitment content. Contact us to get started.