(Pro)motion Pictures

Entrepreneur and public speaker Seth Godin once said “marketing is no longer about the stuff you make, but the stories you tell.” In the digital age, one of the best mediums for telling our stories is video. Are you using it? If not, why not?

There’s no denying that marketing has changed – the explosion of social media and self-generated content means we’re seeing an appetite for something that feels authentic – something that Donald Trump has recently used very effectively. Gone are the days when people were solely interested in looking at a product, understanding its features and advantages and so on. Today, they’re more interested in who you are. What’s your story? What’s the story behind this product or service? Anyone who’s ever enjoyed a film or TV show can understand why video is an outstanding storytelling medium – so if you want to appeal to today’s consumers, it’s an invaluable way to promote yourself.

Ophthalmology is no exception – if you want to promote your practice and attract new patients, video can have a huge effect. Many practices are already online, with websites and a social media presence. But if you want to have the biggest impact, video could be the way to go. There are many ways you can use video, but there are also obstacles that can hold you back from trying (see “Barriers to Video”). Two of these – concerns about your brand, and about permanence, can be overcome by embracing video rather than fearing it. And as for the price – this isn’t nearly the issue it was years ago.

Why Use Video?

Patient education

Many rather professional-looking videos are made for this purpose, with features such as animations to demonstrate how parts of the body work.

Profiles

These are typically the domain of large companies with very significant budgets – large corporations might spend thousands of dollars to get a big, high production value profile video done. Historically, these types of video have been out of the reach of most entrepreneurs and new businesses.

Service descriptions

Organizations may describe their services on video – either how things are done, or descriptions of the products they offer.

Testimonials

Patient testimonials are increasingly common – healthcare organizations ask patients to speak on video about their experiences.

Patient interviews

This is a more extended version of a testimonial, where someone interviews the patient about their experience. This can provide a little bit more depth than a testimonial, and can be an extremely useful exercise.

Case studies

Here, we follow the patient through the process involved in having a procedure. Many of these are quite heavily scripted – although this isn’t always a negative point. They’re prepared, they’re polished, and they tell a story.

Frequently asked questions

These can be aimed at the patient, and relate to the questions they might ask, or can be used for internal training. If you have staff who are working in your clinic who aren’t answering questions in the way you’d prefer, these videos can encourage them to use your words and methods when dealing with enquires.

Community engagement

This is where social media comes in to the mix – this type of video can engage patients or prospects with your brand, and help them understand a bit more about you and your background. More the domain of amateur video, whether it’s Facebook, Periscope, or any platform that allows you to create live video. The nice thing about these platforms is that they encourage real-time engagement and interaction from your audience. For example, a doctor could announce that they plan to hold a live Q&A at 8 o’clock on a Wednesday and answer any questions people pose to them about a particular subject area – that can be extremely engaging for your audience.

Webinars

This is a more formalized approach to community engagement that gives you a bit more control of the content. Often it will be in the form of a series of webinars, and also involves engaging with the community, who can communicate with you using the webinar software.

Counting the cost

The expense of producing video is all down to what you’re making. There are three main levels: premium, professional, and amateur. Premium video is the type used by Hollywood – it’s incredibly expensive, very high quality, and something you might use for a television advert. But it’s overkill for everyday practice promotion. Why? It can cost between $20,000 and $50,000 for just a few minutes of film.

Next, there’s professional video. The benefits include the predictable, good quality: you know what it’s going to look like before you pay for it. The risk is that it can be a little boring and self-centered – but it doesn’t have to be! If you’re careful about choosing the story the video follows, and keeping things as genuine as possible, it will be engaging. Don’t just talk about yourself – talk directly to your audience, and try and empathize with your patients’ needs. A few minutes of professional video could cost you $1,000 to $3,000, but if you’re smart about how you plan and coordinate the filming, you can get the cost lowered.

Finally, there’s amateur video; the footage you film yourself. It has a bit of a bad name, but it shouldn’t – and it offers some great benefits. The risk is (of course) variable quality, which depends entirely on your own talent and the tools you use (see “Straight to Video”). That can be scary for people, but it’s something you can overcome. You might not necessarily use this type of video for a business profile, or a service description, unless you’re really confident you can deliver something close to professional. There is some practice involved, and you need to learn how to plan, film, produce, and upload video. However, it’s well worth the effort.

The total cost of the kit I use (and you don’t need everything – for example all of the tripods, or two lights or microphones), came to under $400 when I last priced it. That’s incredibly affordable – even if you try it, and don’t like it, it’s not a big risk. So why not go for it?

Playing it straight

So we’re ready to make a video. But what do people want to see? The answer, corny as it might sound, is: the real you. They want honesty. That means speaking off the cuff; talking from experience. You don’t want to read rigidly from a script and pretend to be someone you’re not. They also want honesty in patient testimonials – they want to hear the great, the good, and perhaps even the so-so. It doesn’t all have to be perfect – although luckily, in ophthalmology there tend to be a lot of glowing testimonials.

People also want to get involved, and interact during live videos and webinars. They want the opportunity to comment and ask questions in real-time. This is where social media streaming options (such as Facebook Live and Periscope) can be invaluable.

In my opinion, consumers are changing (see “Video: Some Statistics”). They’ve become a lot more sophisticated, and they know nonsense when they see it. So if you’re confident about your services and your practice, and feel good about what you do, there should be absolutely nothing in the way of you getting out there so that people can see that confidence in your eyes, and hear it in your voice. So why wait? Get filming and show them what you’re all about.

Rod Solar is the Director of Client Services with LiveseySolar (www.liveseysolar.com), and is responsible for delivering sales, customer service and communications training to LiveseySolar’s clients.