The Power of Video

According to a recent report on video marketing usage in 2017, every six out of 10 businesses utilize video in their digital marketing strategy and those that are using it are seeing an average 84% increase in purchases and a 76% overall increase in traffic back to their websites. As well, according to Forbes, social media accounts with more than 10 million followers tend to have one thing in common: they’re posting video directly to social media the most and they’re increasing their usage of video marketing by an average 35% year over year. Considering these numbers, if you’re not using video marketing to the advantage of your medical aesthetics clinic, then it’s likely your competitor is and you’re falling well behind.

Still not convinced to get on board? Consider the following benefits of video as well as a few quick tips on creating video content that converts, so you can get creative with your digital marketing strategies and reap a higher return on your investment (ROI).

Top Benefits of Video Marketing

Increase Online Engagement

A study of Facebook video content noted that native videos—those posted directly to the platform rather than those linked from YouTube or other video posting platform—garnered 530% more comments and engaged users for longer. A 477% higher share rate was also reported. Mobile users lead the pack with 92% sharing a video with others. Emotional, humorous, or educational videos are more likely to call users to engage with and share the content more often, so be sure to consider the emotional impact of your videos and focus in on creating shareable content to encourage further engagement.

Make a Lasting Impression

It’s a fact: videos make better impressions. Being closer to an in-person interaction compared to text, videos can connect you to prospective patients on a more emotional and intimate level. Additionally, 80% of consumers report that they are more likely to remember a video they saw in the last month. That recall ratio is quite impressive considering that 55% of online users watch videos daily, making for a lot of video watching each month! For an even stronger impression, consider more creative approaches to video marketing that may increase shares and comments. These increased interactions create a much more memorable impression and build brand awareness.

Lower Your Unsubscribe Rate

According to recent reports, simply adding the word “video” to the subject line of an email can not only boost your open rates but it can also help to decrease unsubscribe rates. As you may well know, it’s important to limit email marketing content so as to avoid spamming your subscribers, leading them to hit that unsubscribe button. While video content can help prevent subscribers from dropping off your list, you also want to ensure you don’t overuse it, as effectiveness will weaken with overuse. Having said that, with a reported 200–300% increase in click-throughs, video can be a lucrative tool for announcing new services or major upcoming events.

Establish Patient Trust

Patient trust is essential to creating a positive patient-provider relationship and building continued patient loyalty. Consultation bookings, conversion rates, patient satisfaction, treatment results, and referrals all revolve around patient trust and video is the perfect way to build that foundation. Video marketing can allow your clinic’s brand values and personality to shine, while offering valuable information to the prospective patient. In fact, 90% of consumers say they find videos helpful in informing their purchasing decisions. By utilizing video in your overall marketing strategy, you’re enabling prospective patients to better connect with your clinic and form a positive first impression, laying a foundation for patient trust before they even step into your office and prepping for an improved conversion rate following that initial consultation.

Boost Your Website’s SEO

Easily increase your website’s search engine optimization and stand out from your competitors by embedding videos to your website. Search engines prioritize content that engages users. This is measured by click-through rates, visitors, and time spent on a site, among other data. Entice more prospective patients to your page with video content that not only engages users and keeps them on your site for longer, but also adds value to your page and acts as a more dynamic first touchpoint to begin the patient lifecycle. With 76% of businesses surveyed reporting a rise in traffic to their website as a result of video content, it seems at least worth the investment to try adding a high-quality introductory video to your homepage.

Get a Better ROI for Your Marketing Dollars

According to one recent survey, of the 63% of businesses that reported using video marketing, 83% reported a good ROI. So good in fact that 99% said they planned to continue to use videos and 82% would be investing even more money into video marketing. For these businesses, the money spent on quality video creation paid off. As well, similar to the value of high-quality before-and-after photo galleries, video content can be repurposed across all marketing channels online. Consider using videos in-office to better explain services to patients during consultations or in waiting rooms to help educate patients on other service offerings as they await their appointment.

Capture and Convert with Explainer Videos

Explainer videos are worth highlighting. Explainer videos are instructional or educational videos that show prospective patients how a treatment or product works and its overall benefits. Of all the businesses surveyed regarding their use of explainer videos, 62% reported that they have created and used an explainer video, 56% have posted the video on their website’s homepage, 97% reported that their explainer video increased consumers’ understanding of their products or services, and 81% credited their explainer video for an increase in sales. As an added bonus, more than half of these businesses noted that the video reduced the number of inquiry calls they fielded regarding questions about their products or services, freeing up staff to take on other roles and tasks. As for conversion rates, 91% of consumers reported watching explainer videos and 84% of those consumers made a purchase as a result.

Tips for Creating Video Content That Converts

To ensure you are producing high-quality video marketing content that converts for a higher ROI, consider the following six quick tips. 

1. Favor embedded videos: Metrics show native videos posted to Facebook alone gathered 10-times the number of shares versus linked videos. The same holds true across other social media platforms.
2. Capture attention quick: Statistics note that viewers’ attention drops around the 10-second mark, though it’s even sooner on Facebook.
3. Pay attention to length: After you’ve captured viewers’ attention, it’s important to temper video length. LinkedIn recommends less than 30 seconds for building brand awareness, up to 90 seconds for funnel marketing videos, and no longer than 10 minutes for longer-form product stories, such as patient experiences—although the three-to-five-minute mark would be ideal.
4. Include closed captions: Just 15% of social media videos are actually watched with the sound on. To ensure a better performance for your video, include closed captions, descriptive images, or even infographics to ensure you’re still getting your point across if the sound is off. Even if videos don’t include much talking, including closed captions to explain what is occurring in the visuals can benefit accessibility.
5. Add a link or caption to social posts: For videos posted to your social media channels, don’t forget to use the space for accompanying text and a link to funnel traffic. On Facebook, 44% of users always read the captions that accompany videos while an additional 45% sometimes read them. On LinkedIn, video posts that include captions and links report a 45% higher engagement rate, so be sure you use that space!   
6. Get creative: If videos are a regular part of your marketing strategy, vary your approach and topic. Consider videos for introducing new staff hires or introductions, announcing exciting business news or upcoming events, launching new services or promotions, offering insight into your clinic’s work culture, explaining complex services, offering an educational explainer on post-treatment skin care, highlighting giveback campaigns, telling a patient story, or even offering a sneak peek for VIP events you’re hosting or attending.

The Takeaway Point

The marketing options possible with video continue to grow and consumers are responding. At this point, the only limitation to tapping into the power of video marketing is your creativity and willingness to dive in. Video marketing can feel complex and overwhelming, and these feelings can become amplified the moment you consider what’s already on your long to-do list. For those whose time is already stretched thin, consider investing a portion of your marketing budget into hiring a third-party video marketing company or contracting a freelance videographer in your area. As we have seen by the numbers, the engagement and clickthrough rates reported for videos are high, making at least testing out this strategy well worth the investment.   

Alternatively, teaming up with a trusted device manufacturer like Venus Concept could allow you to tap into our video marketing resources that review medical aesthetic treatments and technologies to better explain the benefits to prospective patients. In addition to having access to a library of professionally produced videos, as a Venus Concept partner, you’ll also receive ongoing guidance and support from our Venus Practice Consultants to help market and build out your business for a higher ROI. Learn more about the unique benefits of a Venus Concept partnership and explore our lineup of cutting-edge medical aesthetic machines, from versatile multi-treatment platforms to compact tabletop units. Contact an expert today to get started.