Keeping Physicians In-the-Know While Advancing Institutional Reputation
Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s online content hub delivers the latest discoveries, clinical innovations and leadership in the practice of medicine.
Challenge: In early 2023, Vanderbilt University Medical Center decided to rename and redesign its four-year-old website, then known as Discover, to clarify its mission and better align visually with Vanderbilt Health branding. To achieve this, C/A knew we needed to take a multifaceted approach, which included an overhaul of the site’s content and imagery, design and distribution strategies, placing an ever greater emphasis on calls to action and conversions for email subscribers, patient referrals, followers on social media and more.
Solution: We provided VUMC with enhanced content and conversion strategies and a refreshed design, then established a preference center, monthly newsletters and a year-round paid media program with focused targeting. The outcome: Discoveries in Medicine became a compelling new physician-focused content hub with farther reaching distribution, and a comprehensive content program that serves as a perennial reputation builder for the organization.
Strategy
In early 2023, VUMC decided to rename and redesign its four-year-old website, then known as Discover, to clarify its mission and better align visually with Vanderbilt Health branding. Today, this new iteration, Discoveries in Medicine, continues to be a well-established, high-quality, physician-facing content hub and reputation builder for Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
To capitalize on this infusion of fresh energy and renewed sense of purpose, C/A refined the content strategy it had created for Discover with the goal of continuing to help Discoveries in Medicine do what it does best — serve as a reputation-builder among peer physicians — while also positioning it to help VUMC address immediate needs around referrals and clinical recruitment.
There’s no content-for-the-sake-of-content on Discoveries in Medicine. Every article, infographic or podcast is chosen to be timely and relevant to physicians in their day-to-day needs. The editorial plan for the site leverages Discoveries in Medicine as a tool for forward-looking physicians to stay on top of the constant changes in medicine, positioning VUMC as a trusted resource.
And beyond just highlighting the programs and initiatives that set Vanderbilt Health apart, an important priority is helping physicians stay well-informed, collaborative and successful practitioners with the best care for patients always top of mind.
Design & Build
C/A designed Discoveries in Medicine as a site that reflects the cutting-edge breakthroughs occurring at VUMC, and one that’s nimble enough to communicate complex clinical content in an engaging manner — through a mix of articles, custom illustration and imagery.
Knowing that members of the VUMC team would be publishing regularly, our developers built the site in user-friendly WordPress to allow for easy and efficient updates on the back end.
Content & Art Direction
VUMC’s Discoveries in Medicine content is engaging and informative, but it’s also geared toward inspiring physician action. Vanderbilt physicians and researchers are featured as subject matter experts, and linked bios offer referring MDs access to more information. Prominent calls to action are embedded in the sidebar and within the articles, encouraging physicians to subscribe to the newsletter, refer patients, follow VUMC on social media, etc.
The imagery employed throughout the site — whether illustrated or photographed — is carefully curated to ensure an elevated, consistent aesthetic and to reflect VUMC’s diverse audiences.
Discoverability & Distribution
Email newsletters and year-round paid media distribution with focused targeting help get content in front of the right people. And while search volume for niche clinical terms can be minimal, we leverage keyword research to determine opportunities for new content types related to case studies and trends in medicine.
A preference center enables readers to identify topics of interest and encourages them to revisit the site through thematic emails that share the site’s most compelling content — not just the most recent. By weaving in strategic CTAs to encourage engagement, we put each send to work.
Conversion
The site’s content is meant to inspire conversions. With each editorial recommendation, the team determines the purpose for the piece, and every piece features a call to action to convert, such as make a referral or sign up for a newsletter.
Results
While reputational awareness and the impact the site has on industry rankings is an important metric, the success of the site is demonstrated through significant traffic growth and onsite engagement from readers, showcasing the relevance and importance of its content.
With more than 150,000 visits per year and readers engaging with 1.3 pages per visit, VUMC sees immense value in fostering ongoing connection with this audience.