Recently, the healthcare mobile application sphere has grown tremendously in the healthcare industry. The healthcare apps are very valuable, given the rise in smartphone penetration and reliance on mobile devices for health management and care access. But it is difficult to launch a successful healthcare app in a crowded market. A sound content marketing strategy is where the fuel for your healthcare app to take off lies.
In this article, you are going to get key insights and a strategic framework on how to apply content marketing at each stage – from before, during and after the launch to get more healthcare mobile app discovery, adoption and retention, especially for solutions built via telemedicine app development services, it’s crucial to apply a strategic content approach. Additionally, we will also share some thoughts on some of the most recent healthcare app marketing trends you ought to focus on.
Let’s get started!
The Importance of Content Marketing for Healthcare App Launches
Content marketing basically refers to the act of creating and distributing something valuable, relevant, and consistent in order to acquire, engage, and hold people to help create impactful actions. For healthcare apps, content marketing aims to:
- Educate the target audience on health topics related to the app
- Build credibility and trust
- Raise awareness and drive discovery of the app
- Engage users to download and continuously use the app
- Retain users by delivering ongoing value
Content essentially plays a role in conveying the key messaging about your app and influences the user’s behavior at every stage of the buyer’s journey. The right content strategy can significantly impact the success of your healthcare app launch by:
- Building pre-launch buzz and an early adopter community
- Driving downloads during launch
- Increasing activations post-launch
- Boosting retention and reducing churn
If you are entering a crowded app market space for your healthcare app from Darly Solutions launch, deploying a strategic content marketing plan can yield a real impact of getting more noise cut through.
Crafting a Strategic Content Marketing Framework
A structured, strategic approach is vital for content marketing success. Here is a step-by-step framework:
Identify Goals and KPIs
Start by defining your key business goals and content marketing KPIs for each launch phase:
Pre-Launch Goals
- Increase brand awareness by __%
- Build an early adopter community of __ users
Launch Goals
- Drive __ app downloads in first month
- Achieve __% conversion rate from website visitors
Post-Launch Goals
- Increase activations by __% per month
- Retain at least __% of users after 3 months
Track relevant metrics like social shares, subscribers, downloads, activations, retention rate, engagement rate, etc., based on your business objectives.
Define Your Target Audience
Include clarity on who you are creating content for. Of your target healthcare app users, specify demographics, interests, pain points and motivation. Group them into primary and secondary audience buckets if needed.
Templates for buyer personas are helpful here. For content creation, each persona is outlined with details like bio, healthcare concerns, goals, tech behavior, etc.
Identify Content Themes and Topics
Conduct keyword research using tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify topics and questions your audience is interested in. This will help generate relevant content ideas.
Group ideas into content themes for each audience segment, like:
Primary Persona
- Managing diabetes with apps
- Mental wellness apps
- Apps for elderly care
Secondary Persona
- App credibility and security
- Comparing health app features
- Integrating health apps with devices
The themes should tie back to your app’s value proposition and address audience needs.
Map Content Across the Buyer’s Journey
Map content to the three buyer journey stages your audience goes through:
- Awareness Stage. Blog posts, guides, infographics, and videos on health conditions related to your app. Include general education, not directly promotional.
- Consideration Stage. Comparison articles on health app categories, evaluating features and credibility indicators like reviews or certifications.
- Decision Stage. Content on understanding health app benefits, what to expect when starting with the app, and user testimonials.
This allows tailored content for visitors in different stages.
Define Content Mix and Cadence
Determine the right content types and frequency across channels like:
- Blog article – 2x per month
- Social media infographic – 1x weekly
- Video interview with health expert – 1x monthly
- Email newsletter – 1x every 2 weeks
Consider budget, in-house vs. outsourced creation, promotion channels, etc., when deciding mix and cadence.
Promote and Distribute Broadly
Leverage all available platforms, including:
- Website and blog
- Social media channels
- Paid ads
- Influencer marketing
- Email lists
- App store listings
- Pitching to relevant external publications
Analyze Performance and Optimize
Measure what content resonates based on metrics for:
- Traffic and leads
- Social engagement
- Downloads and conversions
- User retention
Continuously refine your content marketing approach for maximum impact.
Strategic Content Marketing Before App Launch
Starting your content marketing efforts well in advance of launch is critical to priming the market and establishing mindshare.
Let’s explore effective pre-launch strategies:
Create Awareness Early
Start to create and distribute the educational content being created for your app’s target demographic around 6 to 12 months before the launch of the app. Let’s say, if you are building a women’s health and pregnancy app, publish the content around topics like fertility, prenatal nutrition, pregnancy self-care tips, etc.
This positions your brand as a subject matter expert even before the app exists. Building awareness early also gives adequate lead time to foster an engaged community.
Generate Pre-Launch Leads
Include clear call-to-actions (CTA) in your content to capture leads through:
- Email signup forms for updates
- Landing pages to pre-order the app
- Social channels to engage the brand
Offering exclusive perks and early access opportunities incentivizes visitors to convert to leads. This allows you to foster genuine advocates who will buzz about your app at launch.
Develop Content for App Store Optimization
Craft optimized app store content well in advance, like descriptions, icons, screenshots, videos, etc. Develop valuable app content like user guides and FAQs for the app store listing so it is ready to go live.
Creating informative content assets that align with what users search for can improve your app store discoverability.
Drive Momentum at Launch with Content
Carefully coordinated content efforts during the app launch period can propel initial downloads and conversions.
Launch with an Influencer Marketing Campaign
According to me, influencer marketing is using an individual who has a huge domain or social clout to promote your healthcare app to their engaged audience. Mixing up the marketing of influence, the influencer marketing industry is just days away from its $25 billion run rate.
Find out the relevant influencers in the health, wellness niches that you will be serving with your app offering. Collaborate with the micro or macro-influencers for a sponsored content partnership. For instance, a demo to their followers, an influencer review video on the app, or trying it out themselves.
Influencer content gets discovered by your perfect target demographic, which can lead to a surge in launch downloads.
Refresh Old Content
Assess existing awareness stage content on your website and update outdated information, broken links, formatting issues, etc. This improves overall content quality and SEO, which supports launch success.
Additionally, amplify evergreen content on social close to launch by promoting it with paid ads. This content already has a search volume indicating user interest.
Develop Launch Offers
Craft limited-time launch offers to incentivize downloads, like:
- Free 1-month premium access for the first 1000 users
- 50% off annual memberships
- Entry into the prize giveaway contest
Promote the launch offers across website banners, social promotions, and email outreach. The sense of urgency and exclusivity can boost conversions.
Sustaining Post-Launch Momentum with Content
The launch is only the beginning. Post-launch content marketing fuels continual user acquisition and retention.
Promote User-Generated Content
User-generated content like reviews, ratings, social shares, and usage stories is trusted by potential app users as it comes from real first-hand experiences.
- Prompt happy users to leave ratings and reviews on app stores. Highlight top reviews.
- Run user submission campaigns for app success stories. Repurpose submissions into social content.
- Monitor social media mentions of your app brand and engage with users.
Feature user content prominently across your properties to build credibility.
Develop Onboarding Content
Create dedicated content to help new users properly onboard into the app, like:
- “First 7 days with app” getting started guide
- On-demand video tutorials on using key features
- Email drip campaign with onboarding tips
This fast-tracks new users to experience core app value and improves retention.
Publish Ongoing Educational Content
Continue producing helpful, informative content showcasing your healthcare app’s value beyond launch. Ideas include:
- Expert interview series
- Panel discussions on health topics
- Telehealth usage trends reports
- Announcing new app updates and features
Your commitment as a healthcare partner, not a launch fad, is shown in ongoing content development.
Key Content Marketing Trends for Healthcare Apps
Healthcare is a dynamic space. By continuously adapting your content to follow new trends, you can keep topping up with users’ mindshare in a competitive market.
Here are some top trends to factor into your content strategy:
Spotlight on Mental Wellness
The pandemic triggered a global mental health crisis. Mintel reports that 20% of US adults experienced depression in 2024. There is growing consumer demand for mental wellness apps.
Create content positioning your app’s role in addressing issues like stress, sleep, anxiety, relationships, mindfulness, etc. User interest is strong.
Rise of Telehealth Apps
Telehealth adoption saw unprecedented growth recently. One medical study found 30% of consumers now use telehealth vs just 11% in 2019.
Showcase specialized content on how your app delivers virtual care. From video visits and remote monitoring to integrated testing capabilities, telehealth is a key trend.
Emphasis on App Credibility
Healthcare apps handle extremely sensitive user data. Highlighting security, privacy, credentials and evidence-based for your app builds crucial trust.
For example, communicate HIPAA compliance, publish clinical trial outcomes demonstrating efficacy, provide physician and expert advisory backgrounds, etc., through content.
Integration with Wearables and Devices
According to a study on MDPI, most healthcare apps will have integrated IoT in the near future.
Illustrate how your app captures biometric data from wearables, synchronizes with health tracking devices, and uses smart health monitoring tools for rich insights.
Video Content Surge
Video content consumption is exploding. Per HubSpot, 96% of people would rather watch a video to learn about a product than read about it.
Incorporate video across channels like demos on app capabilities, founder stories, customer testimonials, influencer reviews, behind-the-scenes of health experts, educational explainers, etc.
Wrapping Up
Cutting-edge technology is not enough to launch a pioneering healthcare app. The influence of your audience’s awareness, consideration, adoption and retention requires a strategic content marketing plan.
The reason to make content central to your strategy, as outlined in this guide’s frameworks, trends and pre- and post-launch tactics, is that, as part of your key strategy and capture of user mindshare, it stacks up against competition in your application space. This ultimately turns passively interested people into downloads, which is how you drive the pipeline to your app and people to become an app’s growth story.
It’s time to use content marketing to give your healthcare app that all-important push it needs to help people’s lives at scale. Let’s get started!
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