Research shows providers' online reputation plays an important role in making an appointment.
Patients often look at providers’ online reputations before booking an appointment, according to a survey conducted by Solutionreach, a patient engagement firm, and if a practice uses video on its website, it is 53 percent more likely to rank first on Google.Practices can use video to not only appeal to potential new patients, but also to engage existing patients on social media and educate them between visits. However, to use video successfully, Solutionreach recommends the following.
Keep it short
People have short attention spans, particularly for online content, so keep videos as brief as possible. An educational video about a particular procedure might be longer than a few minutes, but anything more than eight minutes should be broken down into multiple videos.
Think like a patient
Think about common questions patients ask and create content in a language and tone that will appeal to them. Complex medical terminology will not help patients, so translate into plain language. Educational videos for existing patients may need a more serious tone than videos aimed at prospective patients that are more about the practice and clinicians.
Demonstrate your expertise
72 percent of patients look for health information online, so show them that you are the expert and provide them the education you want them to see. Videos could explain a particular procedure or discuss common symptoms of a disease or side effects of medication.
Make it shareworthy
Make any video content you create engaging and easy to share. Videos should be fun and grab people’s attention. A “meet our staff” video can be as funny as you want. The more engaging the video is, the more likely it will be shared. To make sharing easier, embed links on the web page to social media sites.
