Michael Epps Utley 
Are you looking for a fresh way to connect with prospective and current patients?
Videos could be an ideal way to do just that. Video is becoming increasingly popular as a medical marketing tool because it excels at explaining complex medical concepts and building patient comfort and trust.
This guide explains what you must know to become a medical video marketing pro.
Six Ways to Use Videos in Medical Marketing and Communications
1. Explainer Videos
Healthcare professionals can use explainer videos to educate and inform people about medical topics. They help viewers understand healthcare concepts while also demonstrating practice expertise.
Explainer videos are great for sharing information about medical conditions and improving overall health.
The best explainer videos are similar to the daily conversations medical professionals have with patients. They should feel personal and intimate.
2. How-To and Demo Videos
Demos and how-to videos show viewers how medical procedures are performed, which can help increase patient comfort and confidence. You can also use them to demonstrate the use of healthcare-related products, making it more likely patients will do so correctly. They can view them at home, which can help prevent them from skipping forgotten steps.
Safety procedure videos are another example of a how-to or demo. They demonstrate to patients that your facility and equipment are in good condition, making injuries and complications less likely. Safety videos can also inform patients about the correct ways to do things like exercise to help prevent accidents and injuries.
3. Corporate Videos
Corporate videos can explain important parts of your practice, including:
Staff experience
Areas of specialization
Facility tour
What it’s like to interact with your medical practice
Use corporate videos to reassure people about engaging with your healthcare operation.
4. Patient Testimonials
Patient testimonials allow people to share their experiences with your practice. Not only do they demonstrate credibility, but testimonials can also be excellent sources of comfort and guidance for prospective patients. People are more likely to trust information supplied by individuals similar to them than from businesses.
Create videos by having your patients share their experiences. It should be clear what their journey was before and after receiving treatment from your medical practice.
Ensure your patient videos comply with medical regulations and that participants complete all necessary paperwork.
5. FAQ Videos
People working at healthcare organizations are asked certain questions over and over again.
That’s why frequently asked question videos are among the most popular produced by medical practitioners.
By definition, FAQ videos answer frequently asked questions about a medical practice and healthcare products and services, making them great additions to FAQ pages. Many prefer video to written content, and some patients may not want to read FAQs.
Another plus about FAQ videos is that they allow practitioners to present themselves on their website, showing off their personality and demonstrating expertise.
6. Animations
Animated videos of medical processes and procedures offer a concise way to deliver complex information. For instance, medical conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease, cancer, and certain plastic surgeries can be challenging for patients and their loved ones to comprehend. An animated video can help you explain these things in a simple, step-by-step way using easy-to-understand animated images. In many cases, showing something like a surgery through video is a more palatable way for people to consume medical information.
Simple Ways to Optimize Your Healthcare Videos
Here are proven ways to optimize your medical practice video content.
1. Identify and Understand the Patients You’re Targeting
To create engaging videos, medical organizations must identify the people in their target market and understand their behavior patterns. It’s the only way to develop content they understand and find value in. Consider:
Age
Sex
Education
Language spoken
Location
Social status
Needs and wants
Healthcare requirements
Reasons for watching a video
Taking into account all these factors will help you produce videos that patients will appreciate.
2. Deliver Your Message Correctly
Make sure your videos are informational, educational, and entertaining. It’s also a best practice to play to your audience’s emotions.
3. Personalize Your Videos
Medical videos shouldn’t be too broad. For instance, children and seniors with heart disease have different issues and concerns, and the personalized videos you develop should address them.
4. Feature People
A human element makes your brand feel more approachable. It helps establish an emotional connection and trust between your practice and prospective and current patients.
5. Keep Videos Short and Impactful
The longer your video, the less likely people will view it to the end. A good benchmark for medical videos is to run between one and two minutes. If you need more time, it could be wise to develop a video series.
6. Engage Viewers Quickly
People have short attention spans. Open your videos with something arresting, such as a surprising statistic or fact, to get viewers' attention.
7. Include Subtitles
Even though it’s additional work when producing videos, adding subtitles is a great way to make your videos easier to understand and accessible to more people, including those who are hard of hearing. Fortunately, many video services now include automated captions (if you use these, just double-check that they’re accurate, as medical terminology is not always picked up properly).
8. Create Clear and Compelling Calls to Action (CTAs)
Make it obvious what you expect viewers to do after they watch your video, such as visiting your website or scheduling a consultation. Your CTA must be clear and convincing enough to get people to act.
Videos for Medical Practices: The Final Word
If your medical operation isn’t producing video content, it’s probably time to get started. Patients today expect them, and they help deliver a better healthcare experience. Leverage the ideas in this guide to quickly become a medical video expert.
Bonus Content: Learn more about making videos for business.
