Blog elevated by empathetic insights from Doctor Moms

 

The idea of having a doctor who is also a mother write a pediatric-focused blog was a good one, but it also put strain on an already busy member of the Dayton Children’s Hospital staff. Enter the new idea of a group blog authored by a “Dr. Mom Squad.”

Established based on the recognition that mothers make the vast majority of a family’s health care decisions, the blog now features at least one new post each week covering topics that inspire readers to talk and share, such as night terrors and bedwetting. The blog’s great content wasn’t happenstance. 

Once the bloggers were recruited, they were also trained. An editorial calendar dictated topics and ensured posts were published on a regular schedule. A social media campaign, along with traditional advertising, was employed to boost awareness of the blog. By itself, the blog is worthy of recognition based on the top-drawer content and its use of current events to inform content choice—one post addressed the Sandy Hook shooting, one focused on CVS’s decision to stop selling tobacco products, and one was titled, “Everybody’s talking about ‘twerking’—are your kids?” 

The results the Dr. Mom Squad blog achieved earn it a first-place win in the Best Blog category of Ragan’s 2014 Health Care PR and Marketing Awards, with a 295 percent increase in page views accounting for nearly 6,000 views per month (nearly 12,000 in 2014). The blog has resulted in media interviews for the doctors, enhancing the hospital’s local reputation, and has led to referrals to the hospital. 

Our hat’s off to Dayton Children’s Hospital’s Grace Jones for this noteworthy entry.

Want to get recognized for your hard work? Find out about Ragan and PR Daily’s award programs here: http://www.ragan.com/Awards/RaganAwardsPrograms.aspx.