Connect with patients through video

Video has been growing in popularity for some time. Look at the growth of YouTube, which has over one billion active users and 30 million visitors per day. Video is engaging, and it can say a lot in a short amount of time. Why does this matter in healthcare? The industry is looking for better ways to attract, engage, and interact with patients who are more likely to change providers for a better experience

Solutionreach’s Patient-Provider Relationship Study showed that one in eight patients left a provider in the past year and a quarter of them indicated they left because of poor experience. They want better communication, better service, and more convenience.

In addition, with 84 percent of patients looking at providers’ online reputations before booking, video is also a great way to introduce patients to your practice. If a practice uses video on their website, they are 53 percent more likely to show up first on Google.

Practices can use video to appeal to patients looking for a new provider, engage existing patients on social media, and educate and entertain patients between visits. To use video successfully however, there are some things to keep in mind:

Be concise:
Because people have such a short attention span, videos need to be short and sweet. A birthday greeting is easy to keep at a few seconds, but education about a procedure might be longer. If the content is going to be more than eight to 10 minutes, consider breaking it down into a series of shorter videos.

Think like a patient:
Videos for patients should be geared to patients. Think about common questions patients ask. Make sure the content is in a language and tone that will appeal to patients. Using complex medical terminology probably isn’t the right approach. However, educational videos for existing patients may need a slightly more serious tone than videos for prospective patients that are more about the practice and providers.

Show you are the expert:
Seventy-two percent of patients look for health information online. Demonstrate to them that you are the expert and provide the education you want them to see.

Make it shareworthy
Finally, and most importantly, make any video content you create engaging and easy to share. Videos should be fun and grab people’s attention. A birthday greeting or “meet our staff” video can be as funny as you want. You might tone it down a bit for education on a procedure, but it can still be fun. The added bonus is that the more engaging the video is, the more likely it is to be shared.
With these best practices in mind, any practice can create videos to help their practice connect with patients.

You don’t need a lot of fancy recording equipment. Today, a good smartphone or tablet and internet connection are enough to get started.

Josh Weiner, is chief operating officer for Solutionreach.