‘Marketing’ and ‘healthcare’ might not be two words you’d commonly put together. From eye doctors to dermatologists, healthcare providers are very different from for-profit businesses, so the idea of marketing their services might come as a surprise.
But marketing can do so much more than just push sales. Great marketing strategy also educates, informs, and entertains its audience. And what could be a more important topic to educate people on than their health?
That’s why healthcare organizations need to embrace the power of digital marketing. And a huge part of that is working with video!
Video has become a dominant force in content marketing for a reason — it’s how people prefer to entertain and educate themselves. On average, consumers watch 16 hours of online video a week, and 84% said that watching a brand video had convinced them to buy a service or product!
What’s more, video is also a crucial part of helping prospective patients find you. In fact, did you know that YouTube is the web’s second-largest search engine, processing more than 3 billion searches every month?!
Picture this — instead of scrolling through a wall of text when they visit your clinic’s website, patients are greeted with a colorful, animated video that walks them through the services you offer and how to access them.
Doesn’t that sound like a more enjoyable experience? That’s why smart healthcare practitioners, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations are getting ahead of the game and harnessing the power of video in their marketing tactics.
Here’s your ultimate guide on how to join them.
How video is changing healthcare
Healthcare marketing needs to evolve, because healthcare itself is changing more quickly than ever before. This sector has been just as transformed by technology as the rest of society, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated those changes drastically.
Whether it’s smartphone apps, or wearable sensors, technology is a more and more important part of how we access healthcare. Telehealth, or virtual physician visits, is one trend that’s risen dramatically over the last couple years — these services are 38 times more popular than they were before COVID-19!
All this progress means that healthcare marketing needs to come into the 21st century, too. Not only do we need to meet the needs of today’s consumers, who prefer video, but some of this tech requires serious explaining! Video (like tutorials and demos) is one of the best ways we can teach people how to make the most of these exciting new healthcare options.
Basically, times are changing in the health sector (in a good way). Your healthcare marketing plan needs to catch up, and showcase all the exciting, lifesaving innovations happening in healthcare today. Video is the obvious way to get there, whether you’re inbound or outbound, B2B or B2C, or focusing on video email marketing or more into social media marketing.
Unlock your creativity with PlayPlay's innovative video maker, enabling you to easily create marketing videos that leave a lasting impact on your target audience.
The challenges of video marketing for healthcare
Today, healthcare professionals are waking up to how valuable modern marketing techniques can be to connect with patients, and help them make informed decisions about their health.
But plenty of people in the health care sector, including marketers, still have concerns about trying out new things — including viral video marketing.
Lack of resources and lack of creative video presentation ideas are the two most common barriers that hold marketers back from trying out video for healthcare. With our best tips, learn how to make a presentation and start creating videos quickly !
Lack of resources
Healthcare workers are some of the most overworked, stressed-out people on the planet. Often, the idea of trying to learn an entirely new marketing technique like video can feel like just one more thing to worry about.
Marketing budgets at many health organizations are already stretched thin, not to mention that doctors aren’t (usually) worried about lead generation or building a funnel the way most businesses might be. In this kind of situation, allocating money and energy to a new video marketing campaign might feel difficult to justify.
Some of your colleagues might even be worried that using video could make them seem overly trendy or frivolous. But don’t forget that not too long ago, having a social media presence at all was uncommon for healthcare organizations!
To overcome this challenge, you don’t need an enormous budget — just be sure to choose your tools carefully. The right video creation tool will make the process smooth and easy, with features like built-in templates, stock media libraries, and automatic subtitling.
Lack of ideas
Especially if you aren’t already familiar with the language of video marketing, you might feel like you’re staring at a blank slate when you try to come up with ideas for new marketing videos.
As a healthcare organization, you might feel this especially strongly, since so much of your work centers around stories and information that are protected by doctor-patient confidentiality.
Luckily, there’s no need to go it alone on your video marketing efforts. Ideas are everywhere, both within your own company and outside of it. Try proposing a brainstorming session with your customer support or sales teams. They’ll have real-life insight into your patients’ or clients’ burning questions, and the common struggles that lead them to seek out your service. How can you address those concerns through video?
Another great place to start is your competition. What organizations do you think are doing amazing work in your niche or specialty around targeting the same audience as you? What are they doing in terms of video marketing strategy? Do some research, collect a few good ideas, and see how you could adapt them for your organization.
7 video marketing ideas for your healthcare organization
The possibilities are endless with video — but there’s still some go-to categories that are a good place to start.
Here’s a rundown of the main types of healthcare marketing videos.
Explainer and awareness videos
These videos aim to inform or educate their viewer. If your clinic is working on a hot-button or topical issue, or wants to share information on how people can improve their health, explainer videos are a great way to do that.
Think of explainer or awareness videos as educating people on a useful topic you’re knowledgeable about, rather than explicitly promoting you and your clinic. Not only does that help your viewers, but it establishes your expertise!
How-to videos and demos
These videos teach your viewers how to do something that’s related to healthcare, whether closely or not!
In the above example, St. Elizabeth Healthcare thought outside the box by walking their audience through healthy, nutritious video recipes.
You can also make a demo to show off the value of your healthcare-related product or service, like Salesforce did with their physician-specific product Health Cloud in the other example above.
In either case, video makes the experience of learning something new more memorable and interesting for your audience.
Facility tour
Let’s be real. For many, many people, healthcare facilities are places of stress and anxiety. That’s why it can be so powerful to demystify them through video. Then sharing them on your social media channels, or as a way to drive traffic to your website!
In the example above, UCLA walks us through their Mattel Children’s Hospital facility — and makes a place for sick kids seem a whole lot less scary!
Interview with staff
When patients can get to know your staff before visiting, it humanizes your whole organization and can soothe a lot of those pre-appointment nerves.
Video interviews can be super-short, or a little bit longer. They’ll give your staff and physicians a chance to share about their education, experience, and expertise. That helps them build trust with patients, and rapport with their professional colleagues — both important business goals.
Patient testimonials
Some of the most powerful stories a future patient can hear are from other people who’ve gone through what they have. That’s why patient testimonials can be a source of reassurance, guidance, and valuable connection for anyone who’s preparing to become a patient of your clinic, no matter how big or small the procedure they need.
These videos are perfect for sharing on your social media channels, with potential customers, or on your website’s landing page.
Of course, you’ll only tell patients’ stories with permission. In fact, you’ll seek out patients who are happy and excited to share. These testimonials can help future patients, show off your expertise, and provide real-life examples of what it’s like to be cared for by your organization — truly a win-win both for doctors, and the people they serve.
FAQs and AMAs with a healthcare practitioner
Who hasn’t come up with a dozen random, burning questions that they’d love to ask a healthcare professional (maybe at night, while you’re trying to sleep)?! That’s exactly why this video strategy is such a great idea.
It’s a particularly good fit for social media live streaming, since your doctor can answer audience questions in real time. But it can also work on other platforms — just collect your audience’s questions ahead of time!
In this example, dermatologist Dr. Shereene Idriss answers some of the Internet’s most-Googled skincare questions. But Dr. Idriss has already made a name for herself answering health questions online — followers love her IG Live Q&A sessions, and she also has an active YouTube account.
Telehealth tutorial videos
Telehealth is a revolution in convenience and ease of care, and more people are taking advantage of it than ever!
But that new technology does come with a learning curve. Actionable, promotional video tutorials are the perfect way to guide your audience through it.
Quick, clear tutorial videos get your audience comfortable with the basics of a telehealth platform — so they can start making healthcare fit into their schedule!
Best practices for your healthcare marketing videos
Video marketing comes with a few ‘golden rules.’ These apply to all kinds of videos, healthcare or not.
Follow these guidelines to make sure your video is clear, informative, and even a little bit fun! That way, you’ll have the best chance of getting good ROI and creating a video that has the impact you want.
Here’s what you need to know about making videos that are entertaining, professional-looking, and easy to understand.
Keep it short and simple
Internet attention spans are shorter than ever. People expect your video to deliver what they need right away — if it doesn’t, they’re going to close your website or scroll on by.
In general, videos for the Internet should never be longer than 5 or 10 minutes. In fact, many of the videos you make will be just one minute or less, especially if they’re part of your social media marketing plan. So keep your video succinct, informative, and to-the-point, especially during its opening moments!
Tell a story
No matter how short or long it is, effective internet marketing needs to tell a story — and that includes your video.
Video storytelling is what keep people focused and engaged. Otherwise, your video can start to feel like a dry school lecture, and who’s going to stick around for that?
Whether you’re telling the story of a mom who beat breast cancer, or how a new telehealth platform will make our lives easier, find the narrative thread that will keep viewers on board the entire time.
Focus on useful information and education
Even if your goal is entertainment, make sure your viewers get something out of the experience.
We all want to learn more about how to take better care of our health and our bodies, and healthcare marketers have a unique opportunity to provide that through engaging video. Learn more on how to make engaging videos!
Not sure what to share? Be guided by what your viewers — and patients — are looking for. Are your doctors always being asked about post-procedure aftercare? Is your reception team bombarded with questions about your online booking system?
This is your chance to answer those patient questions. and solve their problems before they even need to ask.
Write a good script
A good script will help you accomplish many of the other points on this list. Scripting helps you share information, tell a story, and keep things simple and clear.
Write a script even if you think you don’t need one. It will be invaluable, even for surprising formats like 10-second welcome videos and Instagram Livestreams. On video, every second counts. You can’t waste a single on-screen moment searching for the right words to say.
Nail the tone
Healthcare is a sensitive topic, so you’ll want to approach your video with plenty of compassion and care.
The ideal tone for a healthcare video is clear, but positive. Don’t beat around the bush when sharing the information your viewers need, but never, ever make things seem negative, dramatic, or scary.
Think of your video as an extension of how your doctors interact with patients in real life — reassuring, calm, and empathetic.
Get the right gear
No one’s expecting you to build a Hollywood-style production studio. But to turn out high-quality footage that lives up to your brand standards, you’re going to need some basic equipment.
At a minimum, you’ll need a camera (smartphone is fine), a microphone, and some lighting. This is how you keep your video consistent and high-quality, both in terms of image and audio. Without these three key pieces of equipment, you’re at the mercy of the ambient lights wherever you’re filming, and your phone’s built-in microphone.
There’s no need to splurge and get the most expensive option for any of these must-haves. Just pull together a dedicated kit so you know you can produce video that’s actually worth using.
Use high quality stock media
It’s likely that you won’t be working only with original footage you’ve shot yourself. Even if you do produce some original content, like patient and video interviews, you’ll want to edit it together with great-quality stock media, to help you illustrate the story you’re trying to tell.
Some video editors, like PlayPlay, come with an included library of stock images and video footage. Since good-quality stock media can be expensive, this is a good way to save your team some money, not to mention headaches and time.
Always add subtitles
In the age of social media, most people are going to watch your video on mobile — and a lot of the time, they’ll have their device on mute.
That means your video needs to be able to communicate just as well without sound. Without subtitles, the script you worked so hard on will get completely lost if anyone has their volume turned down while watching.
Subtitles also mean hearing-impaired people can enjoy your video too. That’s a very important consideration for healthcare providers!
Choose the music wisely
Music is one of those things that can either amp up the impact and punch of a video, or cause it to fall completely flat.
Experiment with different royalty-free soundtracks to see which ones work the best with your video. A tool like PlayPlay, which comes with a library of music clips included, makes this stage easy and effortless.
Use a video creator with good motion graphics
Animations are a simple way to make your video more dynamic, entertaining, and attention-getting. If you can, choose a video creator that makes it easy to add in motion graphics like animated title cards or moving text and graphics that illustrate your video’s message.
In combination with great footage and crystal-clear sound, motion graphics give you one more way to drive your story home.
Optimize for your platform
Don’t think you can just create one video, then post it everywhere. Videos for LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, or any other video-centric platform will look very different in terms of length, file type, dimensions, and more.
Do your research, and make sure that you’re publishing the kind of video that users are used to seeing.
Time to create!
As you can see, the video options for healthcare are endless. Everyone in the medical field, from administrators to marketers to actual physicians, wants to educate patients so they can make informed choices and avoid health-related stress and anxiety.
Video is a natural way to do that. Patients respond to video — it might be the most human, relatable way to communicate online. And what’s more, with tools like PlayPlay, creating online videos can be intuitive, affordable, and even fun.
So don’t wait around. Get out there and start connecting with your patients today!
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