Video content has become the preferred medium for content consumption across various industries, including healthcare. The numbers speak for themselves:
- 5 billion internet users are expected to consume digital video content in 2023 (Statista)
- 91% of businesses surveyed use video in their marketing strategy (Wyzowl)
- 92% Australian respondents claim that digital video content is their most used media service (Statista)
- Including a video in marketing emails can increase click-through rates by 200-300% (Forrester)
- Websites featuring video content have a 4.8% conversion rate vs those without it at 2.9%. (WordStream)
To stay abreast, healthcare providers can leverage video marketing to educate patients, showcase services, and build trust. This article explores the strategies and benefits of using video content in healthcare marketing to enhance patient education and engagement.
Benefits of Healthcare Video Marketing
Patient-Centric Content
Video content helps patients make informed decisions about their health by providing information in a format that is easier to understand. For individuals with low health literacy, videos can simplify complex medical information with visual cues, making these more accessible and engaging. Additionally, videos can ease fear and anxiety by allowing patients to see and hear from healthcare providers before their appointments. Consequently, this can reduce uncertainty and build trust.
Building Trust
Trust is crucial in healthcare, and video storytelling can be used to tap emotions and build trust with patients. By showcasing the medical team and facilities through video, patients can feel more comfortable and confident in their healthcare providers. This approach helps humanise the healthcare experience, making it more relatable and personal.
SEO and Search Rankings
Video content can significantly improve search engine rankings. With video SEO, healthcare providers can rank higher in search results, making their content more visible to potential patients. Additionally, video content can be repurposed for various marketing channels, such as social media and email campaigns, increasing its reach and engagement.
Engagement and Retention
Video content is more engaging than text-based content. In fact, it is estimated that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text. This high retention rate ensures that patients understand and remember the information provided, which is essential for effective patient education.
Accessibility
Videos can be easily shared across multiple platforms, reaching a broader audience. This accessibility is particularly beneficial for patients who may not have access to traditional healthcare resources or prefer to consume information digitally.
Video Marketing Healthcare
Educational Videos
Educational videos are an excellent way to provide valuable information to patients. These videos can include explanations of medical procedures, disease prevention tips, and health management advice. For example, a video demonstrating diabetes management can empower patients with the knowledge they need to lead healthier lives.
Patient Testimonials
Patient testimonial videos establish trust and credibility by showcasing real-life experiences. Hearing directly from satisfied patients can reassure potential clients and increase their likelihood of selecting your healthcare services.
Doctor and Staff Introductions
Introducing your medical team via video helps to personalize your practice. Patients find reassurance in seeing and hearing directly from the doctors and staff who will provide their care.
Virtual Tours
Virtual tours of your facility can make prospective patients feel more at ease. Showing your clean, state-of-the-art facilities can reduce anxiety and make your practice more inviting.
Health Tips and Advice
Short, informative videos offering health tips can position your practice as a helpful resource. Topics can range from seasonal health tips to advice on managing chronic conditions. It is imperative that healthcare practisers create helpful and accurate videos to combat those that spread misinformation and can cause harm. In a 2024 paper, researchers revealed that most TikTok videos on sinusitis released by nonmedical influencers posted were inaccurate.
Best Practices for Healthcare Video Marketing
Keep it Concise
Since attention spans are dwindling, strive to produce videos that run for less than two minutes. Interestingly, Vidyard reported that in 2023, 66% of those who used their video platform finished a video that was less than a minute long. Focus on delivering your message clearly and concisely.
Use Storytelling Techniques
When presented in a story format, information can be easier to remember. As such, incorporating storytelling techniques can make your videos more impactful.
Here are some examples:
- Character Development: Introduce patient testimonials or stories that highlight individuals who have undergone successful treatments or achieved significant health improvements with your services. For example, share a detailed account of a patient’s journey from diagnosis through treatment and recovery, focusing on their personal challenges and triumphs.
- Plot Structure: Structure marketing campaigns to follow a narrative arc that mirrors a patient’s healthcare journey. Begin with the patient’s initial symptoms or concerns (beginning), highlight the diagnosis and treatment options (middle), showcase the positive outcomes or recovery (climax), and conclude with ongoing support and wellness tips (resolution).
- Conflict and Resolution: Highlight the challenges patients face when managing chronic conditions or undergoing treatments and emphasise how your healthcare solutions provide effective resolutions. For instance, illustrate how a new medication or therapy alleviates symptoms and improves quality of life for patients.
- Setting and Atmosphere: Use visuals and storytelling to set the atmosphere of care and compassion in your healthcare facility. Show scenes of comfortable patient rooms, state-of-the-art equipment, and caring medical staff to reassure potential patients about the quality of care they can expect.
- Theme and Message: Identify core themes such as patient empowerment, preventive care, or personalized treatment approaches, and weave them into your marketing content. For example, emphasise the importance of early detection and proactive health screening through a series of educational videos.
- Point of View: Share stories from different perspectives, including patients, healthcare providers, and caregivers, to provide a well-rounded view of the healthcare experience. Each perspective can offer unique insights and foster empathy among your audience.
- Foreshadowing and Suspense: Create teasers and social media posts on upcoming healthcare initiatives, events, or advancements to generate excitement and anticipation among your audience.
- Symbolism and Imagery: Use symbolic imagery, such as visuals of healing hands or peaceful nature scenes, to convey feelings of comfort, trust, and hope associated with your healthcare brand.
- Narrative Voice and Tone: Maintain a consistent voice and tone that aligns with your brand values and resonates with your target audience, whether it’s authoritative and informative or warm and empathetic.
- Pacing and Timing: Adjust the pacing of your storytelling to suit different stages of the patient journey. For example, deliver detailed information about treatments and procedures in a structured manner during the decision-making phase, and provide ongoing support and educational content post-treatment.
By integrating these storytelling techniques into healthcare marketing strategies, providers can effectively communicate their expertise, build stronger connections with patients, and ultimately drive engagement and loyalty to their healthcare services.
High-Quality Production
Investing in quality equipment or hiring a skilled production team is crucial to ensure your videos and graphics are top-notch. Clear audio and sharp visuals will reflect well on your practice. Also, people are more likely to watch a video if it’s visually appealing.
Engaging Thumbnails and Titles
Create eye-catching thumbnails and compelling titles to attract viewers. A good thumbnail and title can distinguish between a video being watched or ignored.
When creating a thumbnail for healthcare marketing videos, ensure it includes relevant visuals such as a medical professional or a healthcare setting to instantly convey the video’s topic. Use high-quality images with clear, readable text that summarises the video’s key message or benefits. Lastly, maintain consistency with your brand colours and style to reinforce brand identity and attract viewers interested in healthcare content.
Include a Call to Action
End your videos with a clear Call to Action (CTA.) Whether scheduling an appointment, subscribing to your newsletter, or visiting your website, guide your viewers on what to do next. For instance, at the end of a video discussing the benefits of a new healthcare service, a clear CTA could be:
“Ready to improve your health? Schedule your consultation today to learn more!”
This CTA is direct and encourages immediate engagement from viewers interested in learning more about the service.
Additionally, a well-crafted CTA should create a sense of urgency or highlight the unique value proposition of the healthcare offering. For example:
“Limited time offer! Click here to download your free health guide now!”
This prompts viewers to act quickly to take advantage of the valuable resource being offered.
Lastly, it’s essential to position the CTA prominently within the video, either verbally and visually near the end or as an overlay on the screen. This ensures that viewers are aware of the next steps they can take after watching the video, maximising the effectiveness of the healthcare marketing campaign.
Optimise for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Include relevant keywords into your video titles, descriptions, and tags to improve search engine visibility. Also, consider adding transcripts to your videos to enhance SEO.
For example, you can conduct keyword research to identify relevant terms and phrases that potential patients might search for, such as “best paediatric dentist near me” or “tips for managing diabetes.” Integrate these keywords seamlessly into your video title, description, and tags to enhance visibility on search engines.
Next, optimise your video thumbnail and title to attract clicks and engagement. Ensure the thumbnail is visually appealing and relevant to the healthcare topic, and the title is compelling yet keyword-rich, like “Expert Tips: Managing Diabetes Through Diet and Exercise.”
Third, encourage engagement through high-quality content that addresses common healthcare concerns or provides valuable information. This can include patient testimonials, educational content about treatments or procedures, or interviews with healthcare professionals discussing health topics.
Then, promote your videos across multiple platforms, including your website, social media channels, and healthcare directories. Embedding videos on relevant blog posts or landing pages can increase organic traffic and engagement.
Lastly, monitor and analyse performance metrics such as views, watch time, and engagement rates using analytics tools. Adjust your SEO strategy based on these insights to continually improve visibility and reach for your healthcare marketing videos.
Leverage Social Media
Share your videos across social media platforms to reach a broader audience. Encourage viewers to like, comment, and share your content to increase its reach.
Optimise for Mobile Viewing
It is no surprise that more and more people use their phones to watch a video. On a global scale, a 2017 estimate showed that 57% of videos are watched on smartphones. That is why it is important your video medical content is optimised for mobile viewing so that it can be easily watched on smartphones and tablets.
Add Subtitles and Captions
It is important to note that some viewers may not have access to the audio in your healthcare video. Interestingly, in a Verizon Media and Publicis Media’s study involving 5,616 American consumers, 69% indicated they turned off the sound while watching video in public. Hence, adding subtitles and captions broadens the accessibility of your videos to a larger audience
Use a Variety of Video Styles
Don’t just stick to one type of video. Experiment with different styles and formats to find what works best for your audience.
Test and Analyse
Once you’ve published your videos, it’s important to test and analyse the results. For example, track viewer engagement metrics such as likes, shares, and comments to gauge audience interaction. Also, you can use analytics tools to track the performance of your videos. Pay attention to metrics such as view counts and conversion rates to understand what works and what doesn’t. More specifically, if you released your video on Facebook, you can use its Audience Insights to know the best time to release content. Then, adjust your approach based on these insights to optimise your video content strategy effectively.
Using Video for Healthcare Marketing and Education
Patient Education and Engagement
Healthcare providers can employ video innovatively to educate patients about their conditions, treatment plans, and essential self-care practices. Through video format, medical professionals can make complex medical concepts more digestible and even demonstrate intricate procedures through graphics, among others.
Healthcare providers can also leverage video to foster patient engagement by sharing testimonials, wellness tips, and interactive Q&A sessions. This approach not only enhances patient education but also strengthens the patient-provider relationship, promoting better healthcare outcomes.
Brand Awareness
When practisers create accurate, helpful, and engaging video content such as doctor interviews and instructional series on healthcare, they become trusted authorities in their fields. This strategy not only enhances their credibility but also broadens their audience reach. Sharing these videos across diverse platforms such as social media, websites, and online communities amplifies visibility and attracts a wider audience. As a result, they reinforce their position as a go-to resource in healthcare.
Integrating video content into your healthcare marketing strategy can substantially augment your practice’s visibility, patient engagement, and trustworthiness. Creating high-quality, informative, and engaging videos can effectively communicate your expertise, humanise your practice, and ultimately drive more patients to your services. By following the best practices and utilising various types of video content, you can leverage the power of video marketing to educate patients, showcase services, and build trust.
How Practice Proof Can Help
At Practice Proof, we understand the complexities of running a healthcare practice, and our mission is straightforward: to support your practice’s growth with a comprehensive suite of services and software solutions. With this, you can focus on patient care without worry. Our team specialise in a range of services from video and podcast production, website design and development, SEO to social media management and content creation. We tailor each strategy to your practice’s unique goals and challenges, employing advanced analytics to track progress, measure ROI, and refine strategies based on data-driven insights.
We prioritise transparency, communication, and collaboration, aiming not just to be a service provider but a trusted partner in your practice’s success. By taking a patient-centric approach, we ensure that every marketing initiative aligns with your practice’s values and objectives. Whether you’re looking to attract more patients, increase revenue, or strengthen your brand presence, Practice Proof is committed to delivering measurable results through a customized marketing and technology strategy. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and discover how Practice Proof can grow your healthcare practice through effective and targeted marketing solutions.
