This article was last updated on Feb. 19. 2024 to reflect most recent information and statistics.
Traditional approaches to marketing your practice or ASC are continually evolving, like technology and standard practices. Despite the ongoing changes, the proven results of these currently common marketing tactics remain vital to promoting your location. The changing landscape has left many with the question, “What is the best way to promote my practice or ASC?”
For many, the answer has become the increased integration of video into their marketing plans. Research has shown that visitors to a website prefer watching videos rather than reading large blocks of text.
According to Synthesia.io, video content has shown improvement in engagement, reach, and brand trust. Below are some statistics provided by the site that showcase how strong video content can assist you:
- Viewers retain 95% of a message when watching a video, compared to 10% when reading text.
- When there is a video overlay on the screen, there is an 80% chance that viewers will look at it.
- Visual content is processed by the human brain 60,000x faster than text alone.
Patient Reach and Building Trust
One significant advantage to the use of video as a tool for promotion is a vastly increased reach compared to traditional blog posts or other current marketing efforts. As a result, your content impacts a broader audience, leading to increased patient volume and improved recruiting efforts.
Along with increased reach, video content improves brand trust with consumers (your patients). In today’s internet age, patients are far more likely to perform independent research before reaching out to schedule a visit to your location. The addition of video content helps practices and ASCs showcase their staff while also demonstrating expertise and creating the basis of a relationship with potential new patients.
In healthcare, one common form of video content is patient testimonials. In this format, patients tell their experiences with their healthcare provider. For potential patients, hearing stories directly from a source ( a current patient) rather than written on a site in text by your staff provides a considerable boost in brand trust. It can become a valuable tool in increasing patient volume.
Video and Social Media
SocialPilot states that, in 2024, video-based content will make up 82% of all internet traffic. Combine this knowledge with the fact that, according to the University of Maine, there are 4.8 billion people worldwide who utilize social media (52.2% of the world’s population and 92.7% of all internet users) and your possibilities for reach are endless.
While initially hesitant, healthcare providers, including physicians and ASCs, are becoming increasingly comfortable with the concept of maximizing this ever present avenue of patient communication and marketing. Social media is no longer simply for providing life updates, posting photos of your vacation, or even looking for a job, it is a central hub of information and people that can offer providers the chance to get targeted information directly in front of a desired audience.
When creating a plan of attack for social media video marketing, consider the following questions to best optimize your strategy:
- What type of content am I posting? (Talent Acquisition, Brand Awareness, Thought Leadership)
- What is my target audience? (Patients and their families, Nurses, Physicians)
- What platform is best for my content? (Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok)
Not all content is suited for every platform. For example, a post outlining the benefits of joining your center is not suited for TikTok or Instagram, and would be best posted on a professional website like LinkedIn. Similarly, an education video regarding a specific procedure, such as the process of receiving a colonoscopy, may be suited for patient facing platforms like Facebook.
Patient Education
Similarly to adding videos to improve trust in your ASC as a brand, this format can also be utilized for patient education campaigns. Using video, in addition to typical physical handouts such as pamphlets and packets, helps provide a comprehensive education on important topics for patients.
Placing these videos in your patient portal also provides a centralized hub for storage and easy access. This also reduces confusion when discussing content with patients.
Choosing to embrace video content for your website and patient portal opens to door to continuing education and the opportunity to reach a larger audience, impacting your patient volume and physician recruitment efforts.
