Blog Boom: Create Video Posts Your Healthcare Fans Will Love
Suddenly, it seems, there’s an explosive interest in video blog posts. This spike in popularity suggests that healthcare marketing professionals may want to add v-posts to their social media and Internet marketing mix.
It’s tempting to think that video blog posts didn’t exist two nanoseconds ago. Then—out of the digital darkness—boom! Two-minute or less visual posts are the rage, engaging social media audiences like nothing else.
Popular? Yes. But, as seasoned hospitals and provider social media pros recognize, video blog posts have been around for more than a decade. One of the forces making them white-hot with socially connected audiences is the mainstream availability of mobile devices, smartphones and tablets.
Many hospitals and professional practices are leading the adoption curve and routinely include brief video posts, podcasts and other elements for variety in their publishing lineup. Visually presented information—with color, motion, sound, etc.—is naturally more attention getting and engaging than the written word alone.
Simple visual content is a valuable plus with search engines that you can create quickly and at a relatively low cost. Here are a few tips for getting started and creating video posts your healthcare fans will love.
1. Have a clear vision, purpose or theme. Don’t use video for the sake of video. Material intended for your existing blog needs to be consistent with your editorial thrust. If you create new posts for a different audience or purpose than your blog, create a new home, such as a YouTube Channel, for the new material.
2. Define your audience and know what interests them. The key words here are “define” and “interest.” Appealing to the wrong audience is a mistake, but boring is a definite tune-out.
3. Choose topics that are visual (and interesting). Avoid a static, on-camera “talking head.” Instead, show, demonstrate, illustrate or actively do something that utilizes the visual format.
4. Make one clear point. Provide a specific deliverable. Leave your audience with a defined bit of knowledge; potentially something that is suitable for sharing with others. (Perhaps a training capsule in an easy, three-step process, or how-to wellness tip or technique.)
5. Observe basic production values and standards. For a blog post, the audience does not expect perfection. But everyone notices—and is distracted by—a shaking image, a poor quality audio track, or a scattered or stumbling presentation. Follow a script, have a beginning, middle and end, use a decent quality camera and microphone.
For video blog posts, you don’t need a high-end digital video camera ($1,000 to five figures), video editing software (several hundred to $1,000), plus microphones, lights and accessories. We’re talking about brief (about a minute and a half) video segments that are posted to your hospital or healthcare blog.
Elements that require special equipment, are lengthy, elaborate, intended for broadcast (TV commercials), or have a high level of importance (documentary, board presentations) are not do-it-yourself productions. Get professional assistance for the big stuff.
For more Healthcare Video Marketing Secrets, click through to our instructional seven-part video series.
