Viewpoint.pdf

Doctors now watch online videos almost as much as they watch TV. According to a Google and Manhattan Research study, they average six hours of online video viewing a week. Of greater significance for marketers, 85% of them take some action after watching a professional video—they either request a product sample, refer the content to a colleague or make a decision. 

Such stats reinforce that video can be an effective marketing tool for reaching healthcare professionals. The question is, Can you also make video cost-efficient? Let’s start with what not to do.

Don’t assume that you need just one video. Beyond physicians, you need to win over administrators, procurement specialists and CFOs. To be truly effective, the message and positioning in your videos must be relevant to each audience.

But don’t assume that means you need to produce completely different videos. If you approach the project strategically, you can turn one video production into multiple video segments—all with careful planning, skillful editing and tailored voice-overs. 

So how do you do this exactly? Here are three “dos” that have worked for our clients:

Make it modular. Just because you shoot one video doesn’t mean you only have to present it as a single piece. The beauty of video is that you can segment it into modules in which each tells the part of the story that a specific audience wants to hear. 

For example, to help one leading surgical device company launch a new product, we created a three-part video. One module demonstrated doctors using the new device. Another module, geared toward procurement specialists, compared the new product side by side with its predecessor. A third module presented the cost-benefit analysis to help CFOs justify the investment in the new device. 

Strung together as one video, the modules provided great training for sales reps. But as individual modules they homed in on the details necessary to convince each target audience to endorse the device’s purchase.

Leverage advances in digital animation. Today it’s less costly for video professionals to create sophisticated digital animation than live footage. Done well, animation can do away with the need for expensive sets and locations—even product demonstrators. And it ensures that your story is told accurately and that key points are highlighted.

Use your video in other marketing applications. Maximize video content by integrating it into your entire marketing plan. Extract and repurpose clips in online display ads, social-media posts and email marketing campaigns as well as on your website. And, of course, add the modules to your own YouTube channel. 

Any way you slice it, that one video you produced can be transformed into as many video assets as you need—all with more strategic planning up front and for less investment overall.