Mastering Healthcare Content Strategy: How Governance Prevents Content Chaos [Part 1]
Why does content governance matter?
At some point, every healthcare content manager faces the realization that their once-thriving website isn’t what it used to be. Without intentional upkeep and adaptation, content starts to sprawl over time, inconsistencies creep in, and previously engaging pieces grow stale.
Nowhere is this issue more prevalent than in health systems, pharmaceutical companies, and other healthcare organizations where multiple websites, siloed departments, and regulatory review processes can make effective content governance a never-ending treadmill.
Of course, this decline doesn’t happen overnight—it’s the slow result of neglecting to prioritize content governance. We call it “content chaos,” and it can cost healthcare brands big-time.
Here are the most significant ways that a lack of content governance can negatively impact your content marketing strategy:
1. Reputational Risk
Inaccurate, poorly vetted, or otherwise problematic content can not only damage your standing with patients, HCPs, and the public, but it could also put you in legal jeopardy.
2. Squandered Investment
According to Little Black Book, “[a]n estimated $5.5 billion is spent each year on content that never sees the light of day, with about 70% of marketing materials gathering digital dust.”1 Too often time is wasted on pursuing requests that should be deprioritized, creating duplicative materials, or sifting for content that’s missing sufficient metadata - and this can really add up.
3. Gen-AI Competition
In the age of AI, two aspects of content are becoming paramount - optimizing for AI-based search engines, and ensuring its quality trumps what is readily available through generative sources. Unfortunately, this adds yet another layer of effort to content workflows and curation, which is impossible if you’re spending too much time just managing your current content engine.
4. Inter-Team Conflict
Teams across products, locations, or departments can struggle with friction throughout the content lifecycle if governance programs are not in place to define roles and responsibilities, and establish rules for ongoing content creation, content workflows, and content retirement.
5. Knowledge Management
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 66% of marketers have been in their role for less than 3 years2, underlining how shallow institutional knowledge can be, as well as the importance of content governance protocols that endure.
How to get started...
Keeping your healthcare content marketing relevant and aligned with goals requires ongoing effort, coordination, and a clear plan to bring all stakeholders on board. It may not seem like the most urgent task, but it can make or break your brand’s credibility.
In our next article, we’ll delve into lessons, practical strategies and real-world examples that demonstrate how to overcome common hurdles and achieve lasting success in your content strategy and governance efforts.
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