As hospitals compete for increased patient volume and higher rankings on the US News & World Report Best Hospitals list, health care marketers need to be aggressive to ensure that their institutions stand out.

Seventh-three percent of patients turn to the Internet for health information, says IMI Healthcare at healthpopuli.com.

Marketers, what can you do to make sure your hospital is found when consumers are looking online for information?

One of the key components is making sure you are part of online health media coverage. Here are three simple steps to generate online buzz for your hospital.

Focus your media team's efforts on winning top-tier media coverage: With the convergence of media, any major news media outlet—TV, print, online or radio—will typically post its top stories on its online site. So if your hospital is featured on "Good Morning America," for example, you'll also likely turn up on www.abcnews.com.

And when patients search for health information, coverage from major online news sites typically appears at the top of search results. Getting your institution's medical expert featured in a news story means that those consumers who are searching will find your doctor instead of your competitor's.

Heed this warning, though—top-tier media outlets have become more aggressive in competing for ratings and eyeballs. Many leading outlets have developed stricter story requirements with TV networks asking more often for "exclusives" with your doctors and/or patients. Before agreeing to the outlet's conditions, weigh the pros and cons of offering exclusivity. Consider your future relationship with the outlet seeking exclusivity, as well with competing outlets that you won't be able to accommodate if you agree to the exclusive.

Become a trusted news source by creating your own news content: Online media outlets are now demanding multimedia elements to accompany their story. So be prepared to offer fully produced multimedia elements such as still photos, B-roll, sound bites and graphics created in news style to help tell your story.

Give outlets—especially top-tier media—the option to produce their own content by offering interview, B-roll and photo opportunities. Also be prepared with multiple patients in different cities for reporters who prefer to do their own interviews.

Create a user-friendly online newsroom: Having the services and treatments that you want to promote featured on an easy-to-access online newsroom gives your institution a greater chance at being found. Be sure that your newsroom includes information that can be used by consumers as well as the news media. Include a mix of written information and multimedia elements that are easy for consumers to view and share and easy for the media to download in multiple formats, including high resolution, broadcast quality video.

Many medical institutions have firewalls that prevent others from accessing and downloading their content. In this case, look for a partner who specializes in multimedia newsrooms who can provide a branded site that looks and feels like your institution.