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It is clear that your online presence is not enough anymore. Visitors to your Web site want to see not only a sophisticated and clear delivery of your brand, but something more compelling.
Marketing that has been lifted from the pages of magazines and newspapers and pasted onto your Web site is not captivating. Your vision needs to be sent straight into the ether in the form of new programs, Web site updates, and online marketing videos—that is where your target market will be looking for your latest services and products.
According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, more than 50% of the US population will watch online videos this year. During July 2007 alone, market research company comScore noted that Americans watched 9 billion online videos. There is no doubt the market you are trying to attract helps make up those numbers. Where do you begin?
YOUR MARKETING BLUEPRINT
Marketing gives you a platform from which to build trust in your services and products as you shape new demand for them.
You must design a plan that will help you achieve your goals and provide prospective patients with the information needed to help them make the crucial decision to choose your practice.
Answering the following questions will provide a solid marketing plan that will help guide you every step of the way:
- What do you want to achieve?
- How would you describe your brand identity?
- What is your niche?
- What are the unique benefits and advantages of your services and products?
- Who is your target market?
- What is your marketing budget?
- When was the last time you edited or updated your Web site?
- When did you last review Web traffic reports from your hosting company?
- Do you have a designated marketing specialist on your staff or access to a consultant that you can turn to for professional advice?
- Are your leads tracked and followed up on a consistent basis?
- What are the marketing tactics you will employ?
After you have answered these questions, you will need to decide on the types of marketing to use, such as press releases, direct mailers, or newspaper ads.
Your Web site is the number one way to educate and attract customers.
A comprehensive, interactive, and robust Web site can showcase your practice, so take control of what your visitors see by adding video to their experience. This can be an extremely powerful medium, with its ability to engage visitors as well as the search engine optimization value and measurement opportunities it allows. The trick is to create the right video(s) for your practice.
SHOOTING FOR SUCCESS
Online video is a powerful tool, but without remarkable content your efforts will be wasted. Keep in mind that you do not need to produce a slick, professional video to have the greatest impact on your viewer.
Your video can still be done effectively on a shoestring budget with a video camera and office computer. The idea is to introduce yourself, your practice, and your services in a way that draws people to you.
Whether or not you decide to do it yourself or hire a professional to write, film, edit, and upload your video, you will need to incorporate some specific elements. These include the following:
- A visual scheme—From the beginning to the end, your video should present a consistent theme that reflects your brand identity through color, background, motion, graphics, and type fonts.
- Dynamic, fast-paced delivery—Two minutes is an appropriate length for this type of marketing. Be sure your video is prominently displayed and titled to evoke the interest of viewers on your Web site as well as online searchers. Also, let the viewer know it is a short video. Use this as an opportunity not only to educate, but also to entertain.
- Viewers can relate to it—Your video should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It should also engage the viewer on an emotional level. For example, tell the story of a patient from the moment she enters your practice for a treatment (or series of treatments). Carry the action from the entrance into the treatment room, through a short explanation of the procedure and onto the actual treatment. Be sure to include before-and-after images as well as the patient’s visible reaction to seeing the change and the reactions of family and friends.
- Music that enhances—Choose the mood, select your music, and let it carry the visitor from shot to shot. Effective video powerfully combines sound and vision toward a perfect synergy.
- A good voice—When choosing a narrator, listen for elements that match the friendly but authoritative or well-informed tone you are attempting to communicate to your viewer.
- Slogans and buzzwords—Include recurring buzzwords supported by text and graphics, which can help create a sense of continuity among the segments of the video.
- A message not dependent upon audio—Even if you turn the audio off, the key message contained in the video should still carry through.
- A call to action—Let your viewers know the next step and what they should do next.
CALCULATING SUCCESS
In addition to these elements, how can you help ensure the success of your video marketing efforts? TubeMogul, a free multisite video uploading service, has calculated a formula for success: .50C + .15M + .20T + .15P = Success. Let’s look at what this means.
50%C, or Content and Production—this stands for your storyline, style, lighting, and overall production value that make online viewers notice you (even those who may not necessarily be looking for your services).
15%M, or Metadata—the underlying technology in the host Web site that allows Internet search engines to find and index your video. Elements that you have control over include the video’s title, keywords, descriptions, and categories that will help people find your video.
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See also “The Future Is Here” by Robert C. Silkey in the June 2007 issue of PSP. |
15%P, or Promotion—good old-fashioned marketing—and 20%T, or Thumbnail, which is the graphical image that an online viewer will see before deciding whether or not to watch the video. Carefully select the image that best captures the essence of your video.
Imagination, consumer education, and an understanding of what your prospects want to know (rather than what you want to sell) are absolute musts.
An online video should be designed to convey key benefits within a short amount of time but in a memorable way so that your viewers will want to meet you in person for a consultation.
To further enhance the experience (and also add a way to measure your video’s success), consider adding a limited-time offer or discount, or a new product when viewers mention a key phrase from your video.
Be remarkable. Go for an emotional reaction so that you can really connect with the viewer and maximize the marketing potential of online video.
Cheryl Whitman has been a beauty-industry consultant for more than 30 years. As founder and CEO of Beautiful Forever, Whitman developed the Medical Spa Success System, a turnkey educational success system and consulting services package that helps clients jump-start successful medical spa businesses. She can be reached at .
