Thanks to the help of sites such as YouTube and Vimeo, video has become an important asset to storytelling and information sharing on the Web. YouTube alone boasts having “more than 1 billion unique users each month.” With that statistic, I’m surprised at the number of practices that lack robust, informative, and up-to-date videos.
Why Should You Have Video?
Visual aid: While writing is a one-dimensional tool to convey information, video can provide 3 different visual cues. Audio, video, and copy can all be used in video. And while some people prefer to read paragraphs, many people learn best through multimedia. If you are explaining a complex procedure, storytelling might be easiest through a video so the client can actually see what is happening.
Personalization: Showing doctors or staff in action can help people connect on a personal level. So much more can be expressed through body language than could ever be achieved in a body of text. Creating emotional appeal can be key to capturing more clientele.
Google ranking: Having relevant videos can actually improve your Google search rankings. Google’s complex search bots that crawl through your site actually look for videos!
Tips for Your Videos
Short and sweet: You’d be surprised at the attention span of the average viewer on your site. Try to keep your videos short and to the point. A 1-minute video can be much more powerful than a 5-minute video if the content is presented successfully.
Quality rather than quantity: You know that 7-year-old video on your site that was meant for a dial-up connection? Today, many people have access to faster Internet. Get rid of your old video, and update both the content and quality. These new and improved videos will not only look more professional, but they will be more relevant to potential patients.
Should I Publish My Videos on YouTube or My Site?
Both! Getting your business name on YouTube is a great idea, especially if you have robust video footage that can help educate the public.
However, uploading your video to your website is equally important. Having great content on your site is one of the keys to success. Instead of just embedding your video from YouTube, using a custom player can make your videos look more professional. Using an HTML5 video player such as Video.js or MediaElement.js is a great way to make your videos look like an incorporated asset on your site.
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