In an era where consumers have multiple media choices just a click away, video is quickly becoming the answer to “where” people look for information. Video consumption happens around the clock.
Three hundred hours of video get uploaded to YouTube every minute. Snapchat has confirmed that users are watching 10 billion videos a day on the application, up from 8 billion in February. Last November, Facebook disclosed that its daily video views touched 8 billion.
These staggering numbers make it very clear that video consumption is at an all-time high. The reason why video platforms such as YouTube have succeeded so easily in pulling consumer attention is because they offer viewers a limitless library of on-demand content.
Easily accessible and neatly categorized content that is presented in a highly visual viewing medium and is ready for consumption as per the viewer’s convenience—it can’t get any more personalized than that.
This shift in consumer behavior and preference for customized and entertaining content means dental brands will also need to reexamine and revitalize their dental video marketing strategy.
Personalizing the Patient Journey
Dental patients look for information in a variety of places, such as on a practice’s website or in an app. What’s equally important to know is that discovery is increasingly happening on-the-go, which can only mean one thing: mobile.
Intent plays a big role when it comes to mobile searches. Your patients use mobile devices to actively look for information. So, there is an intent backed by a sense of urgency driven by the fact that digital patients want the right information in their exact moment of need. For example, 91% of smartphone users look for information or inspiration on their devices while they’re in the middle of a task.
Video is increasingly becoming the medium of choice for content consumption, as 48% of smartphone users are more likely to purchase from a brand that offers instructional video content on its mobile site or apps. Also, mobile is the medium of choice for online video consumption since it offers viewers easy access anywhere and at any time. For example:
- Online video viewing accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic;
- Video ads have an average click-through rate of 1.84%, which is the highest click-through rate of all digital ad formats;
- 90% of online shoppers said they find retailer videos helpful in making shopping and buying decisions, and retailers that provide online video to show off their products report that products with videos sell a lot more than products with no videos.
Most dental patients tend to be apprehensive about dental procedures. In fact, most patients will Google causes, symptoms, and treatment prior to making an appointment. A substantial number of them also will make a beeline to YouTube to watch related videos.
This is good news for dental brands. Preventive oral care videos give dental practices fantastic opportunities for connecting with their patients. So do videos on surgical procedures such as dental implants, in addition to videos on managing and treating conditions such as a dry socket.
Delivering Brand Experiences
Understanding the intent and expectations of your patients is key to creating videos that build brand connections. We have transitioned to a mobile-dominated media age. Consumers expect to be awed and seduced with content that is of great value. While it is important to focus on who your patients are, the greater focus has to be on identifying what they want.
First, find a space that your practice can fill. The big question to ask is what your practice can offer your patients that will meet their needs, wants, and interests. The best way to get this information is by asking your patients.
Create a questionnaire that your staff can hand out to patients while they wait in the office. The questionnaire also can be included in your newsletter. Or, you can engage your patients on social media to gain insight into their needs and questions—and also to know what time of day that they typically look for information. Once you have this data, it becomes easy to create video content that meets your patients’ needs.
Next, create content relevant to your patients’ expectations. Once you have identified how your practice can meet patient expectations, it is time to create relevant and useful content that adds value for your viewers. The great thing about dental content is that you can easily link different topics.
If you create a video about a dental implant procedure, you can inform viewers about after-care. If your topic is tooth extractions, you can create a corresponding video about possible complications that can arise from a wisdom tooth extraction. A search on Google or YouTube can easily show you common questions that searchers ask all the time.
Another way of pulling up ideas for videos is by looking at the comments under already uploaded dental videos. In a lot of cases, the negative comments can give you insight into what is lacking in the video, highlight an area that needs improvement, or even give you an idea about covering a new topic.
After that, optimize your video for all screens. Your patients watch videos over multiple devices, including their smartphones, tablets, computers, and TVs. So, your videos need to be viewable on all devices. This calls for a more holistic approach to video marketing.
With YouTube and other video hosting services such as Vimeo, you don’t have to worry about how your video will be displayed since they optimize videos posted there for viewing on any size screen and easy distribution. Practices that post videos elsewhere, though, need to keep a few things in mind:
- Ensure your website uses “responsive design” so any videos uploaded there can be viewed easily no matter what size screen the user is viewing it on.
- It is best to avoid text, including bulleted lists, since reading text on a smartphone can be very difficult even with responsive sites.
- If you’re using a smartphone to create your video, make sure you rotate the phone so the video is shot horizontally.
- Ensure your audio quality is as good as your video quality.
- Give your video an edit check before uploading.
Finally, use relevant video ads. Understanding viewer intent or context allows practices to plan messaging that is highly relevant to their patients’ interests. Most patients, particularly millennials, prefer ad-free content. The same holds true for video viewing as well.
YouTube’s skippable ad format, TrueView advertising, gives the viewer the choice to watch an ad or to skip it. Videos feature ads with a “Skip Ad” option. However, if someone chooses to watch your ad, it means your ad is covering an area of relevant interest.
You have a 5-second window before the Skip Ad option shows up. If you want viewers to watch your ad, then it needs to have a tone, style, and subject that appeals to the viewer. Ads that are humorous, emotional, or calming tend to see better recall and are more successful in creating brand awareness.
Conclusion
Highly relevant and useful videos can help your practice capture audience attention in their moments of need. Today, online videos are not just an entertainment avenue. Consumers are influenced by what they watch. YouTube has a whole generation of stars who have achieved celebrity status thanks to their audiences. The power of video has become extensive and ubiquitous. With careful planning, video can bring with it great potential for attracting new patients to your practice.
Naren Arulrajah is president and CEO of Ekwa Marketing, a complete Internet marketing company that focuses on search engine optimization, social media, marketing education, and the online reputations of dentists. With a team of more than 140 full-time marketers, it helps dentists who know where they want to go get there by dominating their market and growing their business significantly year after year. If you have questions about marketing your practice online, call 855 598-3320 to speak one-on-one with Naren.
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