Lisa Wells: 'Blogging is not a fad'

To save time and resources, many HME providers are cutting back on digital marketing. HME News recently spoke to Lisa Wells, president of Get Social Consulting and author of Get Social: How to Use Social Media for Healthcare Marketing, about the importance of blogging and how to improve your search engine ranking.

HME News: Are blogs relevant?

Lisa Wells: Blogging is not a fad; it is a core marketing strategy. It allows you to connect with your customers on different levels and helps them understand that you care about their lifestyle, not just what they buy from you. It also helps people see you as a respected professional (authority) on other aspects of their life, which will allow you to get either a bigger share of their wallet or they'll refer their friends to you.  

HME: Should all providers have blogs?

Wells: I would not advise undertaking a blog unless you're going to keep it current and publish on a regular basis. Otherwise, it does more to hurt your appearance because it looks stale if it's been six months since you've posted anything new. 

HME: What are the key elements of an SEO-friendly blog post?

Wells: A blog has to have at least 300 words to be catalogued for search engine purposes, but the optimal reading length is somewhere between 500 to 1,000 words. Once you get over 1,000, you lose the attention of your readership.

HME: What are some of the common mistakes you've seen people make when it comes to blogging?

Wells: People may not have any pictures in their posts or they may only have one and that really taints the experience for the reader, because blogging is part of the digital experience and digital is visual.