Healthcare Marketing: Video, Storytelling, and Content Strategy

By Andrés Zapata, D.Sc. \ October 29, 2024

Since everyone in healthcare marketing is clued into the immense power of storytelling with video, sophisticated marketers have to level up their output to cut through the noise, protect differentiation, and leverage their investments. 

Video is undoubtedly one of the best ways to tell a good story. Unfortunately, making a video can be costly because it requires a lot of creative, tactical, and technical acumen. 

After what can be a substantial investment of time, effort, and resources, can the video storytelling process be leveraged to do more than just boost donations, solidify brand loyalty, promote new treatments, and attract new patients? Yep. 

A killer video can do all of those things. But it can also drive an amplifying and masterful content strategy. Before we dig into how to get a robust content strategy from a video production effort, let’s first explore the obvious and powerful reasons healthcare marketers use video to tell stories. 

Boosting donations by showing impact 

People want to get “the feels” about the impact of their donation when they give. They want to feel connected to the outcomes and lives changed by their contribution. Through video, healthcare organizations can tell stories that do just that. For example, a hospital could showcase a heartwarming patient recovery journey made possible by donor support. A new treatment center made possible by philanthropy could feature patients and healthcare workers thriving there. Potential donors are more compelled to loosen their purse strings when they see how their donations can directly impact lives.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) made that happen in its “Breakthrough” grateful patients and family campaign. CHOP features videos that share powerful stories of its patients’ experiences and medical breakthroughs. These videos connect emotionally with viewers and encourage philanthropic support.

Similar but different from the CHOP example above, this “Miracles Happen Here” campaign is a fundraising video for high-level donors produced by our collaborators at Storyfarm.

Building brand loyalty through transparency and care

People trust brands that are authentic, open, and consistent. With video, hospitals, clinics, treatment centers, and other healthcare organizations can offer patients a behind-the-scenes peek at their staff, processes, and commitment to excellence. This approach shores up trust and builds loyalty.

For example, Cleveland Clinic’s videos build strong brand equity through empathy. They champion patients and acknowledge that everyone has a story, a fear, and a hope. 

Promoting new treatments

Regarding new treatments, especially something as emotionally and politically charged as a vaccine, video can play a crucial role in breaking down barriers, addressing biases, and overcoming misinformation. Videos can help explain the science behind the treatment, address common concerns, and show actual patients who have benefited from it.

During the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, many healthcare providers used video to tackle misinformation. We’re particularly proud of our award-winning work with Chase Brexton to help overcome COVID-19 vaccination stigma and misinformation among the LGBTQIA+ community. Apart from providing critically important information, the video proves that speaking your audience’s language—and having some fun—can be effective even when dealing with serious healthcare topics. 

Here’s another video, also produced by Storyfarm, that focuses on telling powerful George Washington University Hospital patient stories. Powerful, right?

Finding new providers and patients

Believe it or not, word of mouth continues to be one of the most effective marketing tactics. Blending word-of-mouth testimonials and video taps into the fundamental psychology influencing how we feel, remember, and behave in irresistible ways.  

This technique is often used to recruit patients and providers. Here is a great example of a provider recruitment video we worked on for Shepperd Pratt, the largest private mental health hospital in the United States. 

 

Now to the point: extend the video production effort to hatch a multichannel and comprehensive content strategy

The stories told through video don’t have to live in isolation—they can be stretched or clipped to support an intentionally broader and cohesive content strategy. For example, a video to boost vaccinations can be embedded in blog posts and articles supporting a larger search engine optimization strategy. Social media content, from static images to short-form video clips, can reinforce the same narrative, driving traffic to the website or longer content pieces. Each platform—Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn—offers a chance to adapt the story to fit its strengths, amplifying reach and engagement.

Ok, fine, where to start?

Content strategy and video marketing are not new, and blending the two is not revolutionary. But it’s important to change how we think about video. Instead of thinking and planning for video as the single outcome, consider video as part of a larger strategy. Use the video creation process to encompass and gather other assets needed to support a comprehensive content strategy.  

Just like all marketing strategies, start with goal setting, and then… 

1. Goal setting. In our experience, the best strategic goals are discrete, simple, and communicable. For example, “This campaign’s goal is to increase provider applications by 10% next year.”   
2. Audience identification and research. Campaigns often have multiple audiences. Prioritize who you’re trying to reach—a prospective patient has different needs than a potential referrer—and learn as much as possible about them. When necessary and possible, supplement existing data with interviews, focus groups, and surveys.   
3. Content audit and planning. Review what you already have, assess its effectiveness, and determine how it fits your new strategy. Note what’s missing to inform the next step. 
4. Content types and channels. Plan and schedule when and where content will be published. This helps ensure regular content distribution aligned with key dates or events and creates an asset production punch list. 
5. Create the content. To do this well, take great notes during interviews. The notes will inspire stories and provide quotes that can be used in blogs and articles. Plan for an additional photographer or videographer to take b-roll or stills during the shoots. 
6. Measurement and analytics. Establish key performance indicators that align with your content goals, such as engagement rates, website traffic, leads generated, views, and conversion rates. Regularly review analytics to understand what is working and what isn’t, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
7. Feedback and adaptation. Use comments, social media interactions, and customer feedback to gauge the response to your content. Refine and update your content strategy based on feedback and analytics to improve future content efforts.

Everyone loves a good story, especially one that’s told well. With rising competition and production costs, healthcare marketers can use a sanctioned video project to develop a comprehensive content strategy to amplify the reach and impact of the initiative’s strategic goals.