Why is benchmarking important for healthcare organisations?

In the healthcare sector, expectations placed on organisations continue to rise. Patients, carers and the public want faster communication, clearer updates and a stronger sense of connection with the services responsible for their care. 

Digital communication is now an essential part of how healthcare organisations listen to their communities, share accurate information and build trust.

But amongst all of the great work that is being done, many organisations still ask the same question: How do we know if we are performing well online?

This is where benchmarking becomes essential. By comparing your digital performance with that of similar healthcare organisations, you gain a level of insight that is impossible to achieve by looking at your own data alone.

Benchmarking provides context. It helps you understand whether your results show success or highlight opportunities for improvement. Most importantly, it gives you the confidence to make informed decisions about your digital strategy.

This blog explores the benefits of benchmarking against other healthcare organisations and how the Orlo benchmarking tool makes the process easier and far more powerful.

Digital teams in healthcare collect huge amounts of data from reach, engagement, response times, patient sentiment and more. While these metrics are important, they only become truly meaningful when viewed alongside comparable data from similar organisations.

If you see that your engagement rate has risen over the last quarter, that is positive. But if benchmarking data shows that most healthcare organisations have increased theirs at a much faster rate, the picture changes. Benchmarking provides a clearer sense of reality and shows whether your organisation is keeping pace with sector-wide trends.

Benchmarking is not just about identifying gaps; it is also a powerful way to learn from success.

By observing healthcare organisations that excel on social media, you can understand which types of content resonate most effectively with patients and the public. You can see how others handle service updates, waiting time information, public health messaging or urgent announcements. This can inspire new ideas for your own channels, help refine your tone of voice and highlight ways to simplify communication around complex or sensitive topics.

Social media is often the first place people turn when they are worried about a service, seeking reassurance or expressing frustration. This means reputation can shift quickly.

Benchmarking allows you to see how other healthcare organisations respond to sensitive issues such as service pressures, appointment delays or changes to care pathways. You can observe the tone they use, the clarity of their messaging and the level of transparency they provide. These insights help you shape communications that are calm, consistent and trustworthy.

Healthcare is under intense public and regulatory scrutiny, and being an honest, trusted online source is extremely important.  Benchmarking helps you understand what the sector now considers “standard practice”, particularly during periods of pressure or crisis.

If most healthcare organisations are using short videos to explain complex changes, this signals a shift in expectations. If others are running live Q&A sessions during incidents or service changes, this highlights opportunities for more open engagement. Benchmarking helps you stay aligned with emerging norms, strengthening trust with patients, partners and regulators.

While benchmarking offers significant value, collecting and analysing data manually can be time-consuming and complex. This is where Orlo’s Benchmarking tool makes a real difference.

Designed with public sector organisations in mind, including healthcare, it brings together digital performance data from across the sector and presents it in a clear, intuitive format.

With the Benchmarking tool, you can monitor your peers, take inspiration from their channels and understand what works well and what doesn’t. You can then turn these insights into a more informed, effective digital strategy.

This enables your team to stay proactive, adapt messaging in real time and respond to changing public needs and expectations.

Ultimately, knowledge is power. Instead of relying on assumptions, you can create clear, shareable reports that support confident, evidence-based decisions. Whether you need a high-level overview or a deeper dive into campaign performance, Orlo helps you see the full picture.

Benchmarking is no longer a “nice to have”. It is an essential part of understanding how your online content is really doing and is vital when it comes to building communication strategies that genuinely support patients and communities.

With the Orlo’s Benchmarking tool, healthcare organisations can unlock insights that enable faster responses, clearer communication and greater transparency. By learning from peers, spotting trends early and making confident decisions, teams can deliver real value where it matters most.

Healthcare organisations work tirelessly to support the public, and strong digital communication is central to that mission. With Orlo, you have the tools needed to elevate your approach and ensure your organisation leads the way.

For more information on benchmarking, why not watch our webinar on exactly how it works? Although it uses Local Government examples, the principles are highly relevant for healthcare organisations. You can watch on demand here.

Or, if you would like to see how the Orlo Benchmarking Tool can support your team, I would be delighted to show you more. Contact me at cerys.davies@orlo.tech