SOCIAL VIDEO MARKETING A POWERFUL TOOL TO DRIVE PATIENT ENGAGEMENT

You already know that the social media environment is vibrant and interactive. But what would happen if you were to bring social, video, and marketing together? Well, for starters, you would get a powerful tool for boosting patient engagement and increasing conversion rates—a win-win by any marketing standards! So the fact that social video marketing can work fantastically in this highly viral space should not come as a surprise. If social video marketing is an area you have not given much thought to, now is your chance.

THE POWER OF SOCIAL VIDEO MARKETING

Visual elements have become an important aspect of social media marketing. A very large majority of the social audience would much prefer watching a video about a product or service as opposed to reading about it. Additionally, visual content enjoys a higher sharing potential compared to text content. So yes, while quality text content is a must-have of any marketing strategy, when you factor in visual elements such as video within your marketing strategy, you are effectively increasing the conversion potential of your brand messages.

THE LATEST STATS SHOW THAT SOCIAL VIDEO IS JUST GOING TO GET BIGGER:

• Video accounts for 66% of global internet traffic *
• By 2018, this figure will touch 79%
• 6 BILLION HOURS of video are watched on YouTube each month
• YouTube makes for 28% of all Google searches
• Instagram videos deliver TWICE the engagement potential than photos
• More snaps are shared on Snapchat each day than what is collectively shared over Facebook and Instagram
• 5 TWEETS each second feature a Vine link

LEADING SOCIAL VIDEO PLATFORMS FOR COSMETIC SURGERY BRANDS

One of the best ways for cosmetic surgery practices to effectively encourage their patients get their brand messages out and in front of a wider audience is by focusing on social video marketing. While YouTube is the number one contender when it comes to video platforms, a number of other visual-based social sites are quickly becoming brand favorites.

YOUTUBE

As the second largest search engine in the world after Google, YouTube is a great place to get started.

• YouTube reaches more adults in the 18-34 age bracket in the US compared to any cable network
• YouTube's monthly visits surpass 1,000,000,000

INSTAGRAM

Completely sold out on the sharing element, Instagram is ideal for sharing of photos and videos that are edited by digital filters.

• 200 million monthly active users
• Great for telling your practice story by sharing lifestyle shorts of the brand's persona or previews of new products or services

VIMEO

High-quality and aesthetically pleasing videos are the hallmark traits of Vimeo. It is hipper, happening, and a “way to go” platform for brands that give quality content importance over reach potential.

• 100 million visitors come to Vimeo each month
• Close to 250,000 websites actively use Vimeo

GOOGLE HANGOUTS

A video chat service, Google hangouts is a user-friendly platform. That it is a Google product should be more than enough of an introduction.

• Excellent platform for sharing videos, files, and presentations
• As a part of Google Plus, your Hangout Videos have a better chance of ranking high in Google SERPs

VINE

This platform is ideal for creating short, looping, and beautiful videos in a fun yet simple way. And although Vine is relatively new, it is growing at a phenomenal rate.

• Stop-motion videos are highly popular among brands u Using hashtags while publishing a Vine video is one way of increasing its marketability to select niches.

SOCIAL VIDEO MARKETING: BEST PRACTICES AND TIPS

Social video marketing can help in brand building and help you connect with a wider target audience. There is no denying that video is one of the most effective ways of bringing your brand messages to life. However, your job does not end with simply posting a video. Social is all about interaction; your patients need to engage with your video content, contribute their ideas, and actively share your videos. Keep the following in mind while building a robust social video marketing strategy.

• Populate your social networks with fresh and highly relevant video on a consistent and regular basis. This increases the shareable quotient of your content and can help you win rich SEO ranking dividends.
• Create an emotional connection with your audience. Your videos can tell a story, they can capture a patient's joy, or show how your service changed someone's life; bottom line, your videos need to show unique ways in which your audience can benefit from your product/services.
• Add more voice to your video channel by infusing usergenerated content. A great way to incorporate user-generated content into your video channel is by encouraging patients to upload videos about their experiences and story with your practice. They can be great brand evangelists— use them!
• Encourage your patients to share your videos by adding sharing options. Add sharing tools next to every video, on your website, and any other place where your videos appear.
• Humor can be double-edged sword, so use it wisely. No doubt, humor can drive interaction and increase shareability of your videos; however, the focus should be on the content rather than simply generating laughs.
• Drive conversations by paying attention and responding to patients as and when they engaging with your video. This not only shows your audience that you are listening to what they're saying, but by responding you show that you are open to their views, queries, and suggestions.

ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES

Before planning out your social video marketing strategy, list out your priorities clearly. Do you want to boost views or do you want to earn more shares and comments, or simply stir up a social buzz about your cosmetic surgery practice? Also when it comes to social video marketing, preference should lie on gaining more quality engagement as opposed to views. Even if your video earns a million views, if it doesn't stir people's opinions about your brand, then it really has not delivered. So yes, while social video marketing can help build brand awareness, it should also provide an active environment for relationship building and increasing conversion.

Naren Arulrajah is President and CEO of Ekwa.com. Ekwa Marketing is a complete Internet marketing company that focuses on SEO, social media marketing, and the online reputations of dermatologists and plastic surgeons in the US, Canada, and the UK. Visit them online at www.ekwa.com.