The Benefits of Sharing Video for Medical, Eye, and Dental Practices

Medical and dental practices need to reach patients in engaging ways. One of the most engaging ways is by sharing videos and doing lives. It might seem like a lot of work, but there are several benefits to adding video to your social media marketing strategy. Plus, your patients and target audience are often searching for expert information from people like you and video is a great way to communicate that information! 

Let’s take a look at those benefits, plus different ways you can incorporate video into your strategy. 

The Benefits of Sharing Videos Online

Videos are engaging and the various platforms boost this type of content in their algorithm. This means that videos are shared to a wider audience compared to other types of content. Not only does video help broaden your patient base by reaching new audiences, it also helps to create community and build trust between your practice and your audience. When your audience feels they are part of a positive community, they are more likely to trust the person or practice sharing that content. As a medical or dental practice, building trust with patients is one of the most important keys to success for your practice!

Sharing video can also make you and your practice a thought leader in your industry. This can help open up new opportunities for your practice through the relationships you build with fellow leaders in your industry! 

Video Ideas for Your Practice

Now that you know the benefits, let’s take a look at some ideas to help you get started in building your video social media strategy. 

Q&As

Question and answer sessions are a great way to address patients’ most frequently asked questions about your practice or a specific health concern. This can be pre-recorded or can be done live. Doing lives might seem scary at first, but it can be a great way to connect with your audience in the moment and further build on the community around your practice. Lives are also highly engaging, allowing you to answer questions as they come into the chat in real time. You can go live on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, just to name a few! 

Short Videos with Need-to-Know Info

Instagram and Facebook Reels, Shorts on YouTube, and TikTok are great places to share small bits of information your audience needs to know. These videos are generally between one and three minutes long, depending on the platform. Remember to keep the topic specific, rather than broad and general. For example, a dental practice could share their tips on picking the right toothbrush, or an eye practice could show the latest styles of glasses they are offering. For thought leadership, you could share your own personal thoughts on a research study, or the latest technique or procedure in your industry. 

Long-Form Videos with In-Depth Information

YouTube is the place to share longer form content. These videos are usually five minutes or longer and are used to share more in-depth information. For example, you can break down everything your patients need to know about a specific disease, or on the thought leadership end, share a vlog of a trip to an industry conference. Don’t forget that YouTube allows you to clip your long-form videos into Shorts, so make sure to organize your long-form video into sections or chunks, and to consider wording that allows you to share shorter soundbites from the long-form content. You can get more use out of your YouTube videos by embedding them in your practice blog posts. This will make your blog post more likely to show up in searches while also making your blogs more engaging. 

Key Takeaways

Video is important to any successful social media strategy. Audiences and patients love to see the faces behind the practice, so don’t forget to allow your staff to shine in these videos as well! Also, mixing it up with lives, short-form, and long-form content gives you an opportunity to share different information and expert knowledge that your audience is looking for. With video in your strategy, you can create a community around your practice built on trust and engagement!