Building Reputed Brands Through Online Content Strategies: A Quantitative Analysis of Australian Hospitals’ Websites

Abstract

Hospitals use their websites to reinforce their relationships with stakeholders and build the brand collectively; however, they face challenges such as patients’ new needs or strict legal frameworks. This paper analyzes how Australia’s best hospitals manage their websites to implement content strategies that help them build their brands collectively with stakeholders. We conducted a literature review about smart hospitals, their corporate communication initiatives, and their online content strategies. Then, we identified 40 brand indicators to analyze how Australia’s best hospitals used their websites to interact with healthcare professionals, patients, media companies, and shareholders. We proved that most hospitals had sections for these targets (healthcare professionals -72.06%-, patients -85.51%-, media companies -98.53%, shareholders 100%-); however, they only respected, on average, 14.06 brand indicators. We concluded that Australian hospitals should follow a more emotional communication approach, make their brands more present on their website, and increase their collaborations with media companies.