The Game Changer

Jason Borody talks about the shift in Online Marketing.

In the increasingly visual world of social media and digital marketing, it’s no surprise that the use of video in content marketing is on the rise. And, it’s certainly not a tactic that should be taken lightly. Video helps deliver information in a quick and simplified format to your prospective patients, colleagues and the healthcare industry as a whole. While video marketing is frequently an afterthought, its value demands a top position in your content marketing plan.

Digital video is often thought of as viral content on YouTube, video ads on Facebook or website homepage videos that tell a brand’s story. However, many healthcare businesses are experiencing great success by using video throughout the entire patient journey to help them build better relationships, educate and manage patients, and improve patient satisfaction.

MIX

Video marketing can be a powerful platform to showcase your business with a high return on investment (ROI). Progressive medical practices that create regular video content, will not only gain online viewers but will also be likely to attract more patients into their waiting room. Video content opens opportunities for medical clinics and hospitals to present information in an effective way that:
• Educates patients & doctors about complicated or new procedures and treatments.
• Details streamlined treatment & recovery information.
• Markets a doctor’s unique services to their targeted patients.
• Gives people a better insight into who they are and what to expect
from the practice, hospital, or products.

There are four types of videos that medical businesses use regularly for their video marketing strategies. Each has a specific purpose, which will help one to accomplish their required objectives.“Welcome” videos
This type of video introduces a practice or hospital as a whole to its potential patients and clientele. In this video the viewer meets the doctors, key staff and gets a feel for the environment or facility they will be visiting while also gaining knowledge of their services to help make the decision-making process easier. “Facebook Live” videos
With over 74% of marketers planning to increase their video content in 2018, video content on social media platforms is expected to drive over 80% of all online consumer traffic by 2019. Facebook users  spend 3X more time watching live videos than traditional videos. Moreover, the Facebook Live feature enables one to stream live events without ever leaving Facebook. To maximise its marketing potential, medical practices and hospitals could use the live stream video for:
• Broadcast events (pre-event, during the
event and after the event).
• Live openings / product launches.
• Interviews.
• A ‘waiting room’ for audiences.
• Performing a targeted task / job. “Meet the Doctor” videos
This is a common form of video used by medical clinics. The viewer is given a sense of a physician’s personality and manner. Most people will assume a doctor is competent, however, when selecting their specific doctor a patient will choose someone they like and trust. Video is a terrific medium for allowing people to get a feel for who you are and quickly form an opinion as to whether they trust you to provide their care. “Patient Education” videos
This type of film is like a short “show-and tell” video in which a doctor can cover key information about a particular procedure or treatment. Physicians explain the procedure in detail, showing diagrams,“before and after” pictures and even segments of the procedure being performed. It is proven that online patient education videos can deliver 10 times the response rate than static text and graphics. This is because 33% of consumers are more likely to use social media to find healthcare information before consulting a doctor. More than 60% of businesses believe that using interactive, personalised video, has directly led to increased revenue. Similarly to how a salesperson who meets and greets every customer who walks
through the door can increase sales and customer satisfaction, so too video can drive engagement.

WHAT NOW?

It’s clear that video marketing is a major game changer, but it’s not enough to simply post a video on YouTube and expect the phone to start ringing off the hook.

Before you get started on recording your first video, make sure you have a video strategy in place. A good strategy will help you create interactive, personalised videos that will allow patients to navigate your site and discover the content they are seeking at their discretion, breaking down complex messages into easily digestible and relevant pieces of information and demonstrating that you know who they are, what they want and why you’re the healthcare professional that can fulfil those needs. At Vividus Marketing we help hospitals, medical practices and pharmaceutical firms, keep up with the ‘digital arms race’ by helping them come up with easy to implement strategies. It’s important for each medical firm to adapt to their patient trends and build out their
digital offerings annually.

The content in this article was published in The Private Practice Summer 2017/18 edition. Download the print version by clicking below.