One video. Five minutes. More than 140,000 impressions and 60,000 views. Sounds like a pretty good return on investment, no? The truth is, getting positive media attention can be tough these days, especially when you’re a small practice and don’t have a public relations team working to get you face time on the nightly news.
More and more, it’s up to you to take the bull by the horns and get whatever attention you can – especially in today’s age of self-referrals, online physician review sites and social media. Luckily, platforms like Facebook make it easy to reach large targeted audiences without breaking the bank or losing hours of your day.
To capture and harness the attention of the first full solar eclipse since 1979, we arranged to film and promote a Facebook video featuring Chirag J. Patel, M.D., as he answered common questions about eclipse viewing safety. The video wound up eclipsing all other videos on his page and performed tremendously from an organic standpoint while positioning Dr. Patel’s practice to ultimately earn 140,000+ impressions with his key demographic.
Planning for the Video
In the case of Dr. Patel’s solar eclipse video, it went viral immediately because of its timeliness. The 4-minute clip also positioned him as the “go to” expert in the area for future eye concerns, a residual benefit of posting videos on social platforms and practice websites.
We approached Dr. Patel just days before the eclipse to tell him about our idea. He agreed it would be a worthwhile spend of his time and even arranged to film the video with a member of his staff on an iPhone and send the footage for us to post. We added descriptive text, promoted the post for $20 (although it did so well organically the boost wasn’t necessary), and it was off to the races.
Results of the Video
As people were watching and reacting to the video, they also posted questions, and Dr. Patel was kind enough to take a few minutes to answer them. This creates a level of trust with potential patients while building loyalty within a community – all by speaking on topics he is incredibly comfortable with and without a pushy producer or film crew.
Is Dr. Patel the only independent physician to take advantage of video and the connection it creates with patients? Certainly not.
Recently, we assisted Michael D. Riggenbach, M.D., as he performed a bicep repair live on Facebook while also streaming the surgery at the 72nd Annual Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference.
Simply by adding the element of Facebook Live for a procedure he was already streaming at the conference, Dr. Riggenbach reached an additional 30,000 people without creating any extra work. Several hours after reports sleep apnea may have contributed to a train crash in New Jersey, we went live with Kiran Tipirneni, M.D., F.A.C.S., to explain symptoms and treatment options for sleep apnea. The 4-minute video was viewed over 1,600 times without any additional budget.
Key Takeaways
Video, and the ability to control your message, is much easier than you may think. Using video to engage with current and potential patients is quicker and more effective than many other traditional means and, if done properly, can cost quite a bit less as well.
Sure, taking advantage of news cycles and previously planned events are key to creating the biggest return, but video works whether it’s 12 or 12,000 people watching as long as you are building a connection with your patients.
Article published in the September 2017 issue the Orlando Medical News
