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Hey again — it's Steve with Healthcare Marketing Vitals!

One of the most powerful tools in your practice marketing arsenal is sitting right in your pocket—your smartphone's camera.

Video has become the dominant form of online communication, with patients now watching treatment walk-throughs rather than just reading about them.

Meanwhile, short-form video is changing how patients learn about and choose providers.

Yet most providers still underutilize video on their websites and social campaigns.

That’s a huge opportunity you have to outcompete your market!

And no, I’m not talking about trying to make a viral video. That’s not the goal.

This is about speaking directly to patient needs while building authentic connections—before competitors capture that attention.

This week, we're diving into video strategies that address Healthcare Marketing Roadblock #1 (No Visibility) and Roadblock #3 (Poor Market Positioning).

In This Week’s Email:

• [1 min] Thoughts for the Week: Grow Evergreen Content

• [4 min] Video Marketing: The Missing Piece in Your Healthcare Strategy

• [10 sec] Quick Wins: 3 Short Videos to Create this Week

• [10 sec] By the Numbers: Video Marketing Statistics for Practices

• [30 sec] In the Know: Use Media to Show Bedside Manner, The Growing Women’s Health-Tech Market, and Thinking of Patients Differently

TOGETHER WITH MASTERS IN MARKETING

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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Grow Evergreen Content

Recently, I consulted with a multi-location practice looking to enhance their marketing.

Despite spending six figures on profitable ad campaigns, they struggled to fill more patient slots.

Mind you, I don’t run their marketing but from time to time we have a meeting where I go over their strategy and provide some guidance.

So we went through the usual marketing checklist and for the most part they’re on track, but one thing stood out.

No video on their website.

Despite all the work they put into maintaining a strong and consistent social media presence, they’re not capturing any video to put on their site.

• No testimonials

• No provider introductions

• No services or treatment explainers

• No patient education of any kind

All of that great content they’re putting out on social media to disappear in a day and then on the website—nothing!

While the type of content they’re creating isn’t exactly the same as what they should add to their site, creating it requires the same exact skills and only slightly more effort.

The major difference is that if content only lives on social media then it’s ephemeral, while content on your site is evergreen—meaning you create it once and it pays dividends for months and years to come.

Video is one of the many tools at your disposal and most practices are behind the curve on this compared to other industries.

You will absolutely stand out if you add a few key videos to your site.

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SPOTLIGHT

Video Marketing: The Missing Piece in Your Healthcare Strategy

4 min. read

Video content will make up 82% of internet traffic in 2025.

This reflects a change in media consumption habits and provides a ripe opportunity for healthcare practices to communicate with prospective (and current) patients if they want to beat large-budget competitors.

But you need to do it right.

Let's break down what's working, what to create, and how to do it effectively.

Why Video Matters More Than Ever in Healthcare

The numbers tell a compelling story about video's dominance in healthcare marketing:

• 73% of consumers prefer learning about products and services through video rather than text.

• 81% of patients use YouTube to find healthcare information.

• 1 in 5 Americans consult TikTok for health advice before contacting a physician—with the most sought-out categories being anxiety, depression and weight loss advice.

“So what? I need local patients—why would I bother with video for the whole world?”

A few reasons.

1. If the whole world sees it on YouTube or Instagram, but 99% of them live too far away to be patients—you’ve still reached the 1% who could.

2. Video isn’t just for social media—it’s for your website and patient engagement materials (think marketing newsletters, educational materials pre- or post- appointment) as well.

3. Unlike text, video creates an emotional connection and is worth well more than a thousand words.

Patients like to see real people sharing experiences and providers explaining procedures with confidence.

You can give them a feel for your practice's environment before they even walk through your doors.

Four Key Videos Providers Should Have

1. Patient Testimonials

Nothing builds trust like hearing from satisfied patients.

An impressive 86% of viewers say they're more likely to trust a doctor after watching patient testimonial videos.

Keys to effective testimonial videos:

• Keep them authentic and concise (2-3 minutes maximum)

• Focus on transformation stories that show clear before/after outcomes

• Include B-roll footage of your facility and treatments

• Ensure HIPAA compliance with proper releases

For social media platforms, repurpose your testimonials to create shorter 30-60 second versions that capture the emotional core of the patient's experience.

2. Provider Introductions

Help patients feel comfortable with your team before they even schedule an appointment:

• Brief professional background and specialties

• Personal philosophy of care

• Why they chose healthcare as a profession

• Glimpses of their personality outside the office

These videos humanize your practice and reduce the anxiety many feel when meeting a new healthcare provider, giving an idea of the bedside manner they may encounter.

3. Educational Content

Position yourself as the authority in your specialty by creating educational videos:

• Procedure explanations that reduce patient anxiety

• Treatment options and expected outcomes

• Common condition overviews

• Preventive care guidance

These serve double duty: informing current patients while attracting new ones searching for answers, when coupled with proper video SEO.

4. FAQ Videos

Address the questions patients ask most frequently:

• Create short (under 60 seconds) videos

• One question per video for easy consumption

• Group by topic (insurance, procedures, recovery)

• Use a consistent, branded format

This serves dual duty—reducing staff time spent answering the same questions repeatedly while providing value to prospective patients.

Video Length & Platform Strategy

Platform and purpose should dictate video length:

• YouTube: Both short and long-form content

• Instagram/Facebook Reels: 15-60 seconds

• TikTok: 15-60 seconds

• Website: 2-3 minutes for testimonials, up to 5 minutes for detailed procedures on your service pages

  • You can do even longer videos for YouTube, but you should chop them up into multiple smaller videos (up to 5 minutes) for your website

Creating Videos Without Breaking the Bank

You don't need a Hollywood budget to create effective healthcare videos:

Smartphone Basics:

• Take advantage of natural light by a window and use a fill light to reduce shadows

• Use a tripod for stable, professional footage

• Invest in a simple lapel microphone for clear audio ($20-50)—patients will forgive bad video more easily than bad audio

• Film in a quiet, professional environment and pay attention to what’s in your video background!

Simple Editing Tools:

Whether sharing on social media, your website, or both you’ll want to include captions. There are many AI tools now to do that for you quickly.

I personally use Canva to add captions for clients because it’s easy, and I do it once we’ve already done all the other editing.

• CapCut (free, mobile and desktop)

• iMovie (free for Mac/iOS users)

• Canva (some free features, but worth paying for)

Distribution Strategy: Where to Share

Creating great videos is only half the battle—you need a strategic approach to distribution:

• Your website: Embed videos on relevant service pages, include an introductory video on your home page, provider videos on their pages, and use a relevant introductory or service video on your ads landing pages

• YouTube: The second largest search engine after Google is YouTube (63% of searches), followed by TikTok (25%).

• Social media: Tailored to each platform's audience and your Ideal Patient Persona’s most-frequented platform

• Email marketing: Videos in email increase click rates by 65%. You’ll want to add a still from the video linked to the video itself, or page it’s listed on.

• Waiting room displays: Perfect for educational content

Remember: The goal of healthcare video marketing isn't perfection—it's connection. Start small with one type of video, perfect your process, then expand. Even one well-produced patient testimonial can significantly impact your practice's visibility and credibility.

QUICK WINS

🎥 Video Actions to Take This Week

1️⃣ Provider Intro: Record a 60-second video of your most personable provider answering "Why did you choose healthcare?" Use natural light and your smartphone.

2️⃣ Patient Testimonial: Ask your next satisfied patient if they'd share a 90-second story about their experience. Focus on their initial concern and how you helped.

3️⃣ FAQ Answer: Film a 45-second response to your most frequently asked patient question. Add captions and embed it on your website's FAQ page.

✅ Bonus Tip: Upload all three videos to your Google Business Profile to boost your visibility immediately!

BY THE NUMBERS

Why Video is Critical

1. Around 71% of healthcare-related searches on YouTube are focused on finding information about specific medical conditions and treatments.

2. 90% of people watch short-form video content in their free time—with mobile YouTube dominating.

3. 93% of marketers report that video has helped them acquire new customers, whether via showcasing a product or service, sharing a customer testimonial, or highlighting special offers.

IN THE KNOW

Key Articles this Week

1. Use Media to Show Your Bedside Manner: With patient trust at historic lows, healthcare marketers should use media as a mechanism for care rather than just advertising. Creating empathetic experiences, like migraine-friendly content that reduces sensory triggers instead of interrupting with ads, can rebuild trust and improve outcomes. Read more

2. Women's Health Tech Market to Surpass $81.2 Billion by 2029: The women's health technologies market is projected to grow at 5.7% CAGR, reaching $81.2 billion by 2029, with breast cancer treatments leading the segment. Growing awareness and an aging female population are key growth drivers. Read more

3. Think Consumer, Not Patient: In marketing, healthcare brands should treat patients as consumers with expectations for seamless, personalized experiences similar to retail brands. Those adopting consumer-brand thinking—focusing on patient choice, emotional engagement, and lifetime value—are seeing significant market share growth. Read more

When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help

I help brand new, small, and medium practices fill their appointment slots through digital marketing using blended search marketing campaigns.

1. Hit "reply” to any email and drop me a line. Tell your story, share your marketing struggles, or just say hi. I read every email.

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That’s All for Now

Have a great week—lights…camera…ACTION!

See You Next Week,

Steve

P.S. Need help getting started? Reply to this email with "SCRIPTS" and I'll send you my proven provider introduction script templates that make filming quick and painless within 24 hours!