2016 was a great year for video marketing. But brace yourself, cause as far as video content is concerned the best is yet to come. According to comprehensive research done by Cisco, the upcoming year will be even bigger for videos as researchers predict that it will account for 69% of all consumer Internet traffic by the end of 2017. So if you haven’t already it’s about time to add videos to your pharmaceutical marketing campaign.
The popularity of videos is not surprising when you take into consideration the following facts:
- For starters, our brain processes visual data 60k faster than text-based data. That makes video content perfect for getting your message across to physicians quickly and clearly.
- Additionally, videos create a multi-dimensional communication channel. This will make people view your product or a device as a unique experience rather than just an item.
- Also, videos are by default more fun than reading materials. That’s why many websites or blogs that want to simultaneously entertain and educate users prefer video content.
And if you’re still hesitant to use videos as a part of your pharmaceutical marketing strategy keep in mind that your competition certainly isn’t. According to studies, 85% of marketers are already using videos as a way of promoting their content. And that includes some of the largest pharmaceutical companies of today. Don’t let yourself fall behind, get into video-making immediately.
We know that making an educational and engaging video that also happens to be fun is not an easy task. Luckily there are a few strategies that have proven to be crucial in creating a successful pharmaceutical marketing campaign and they are quite easy to implement. Just follow these steps and make sure that your video gets the attention it deserves.
1. Create relevant content
This should go without saying but we figured we’ll say it anyway. Just in case. The first step in making your video great is by adding numerous relevant information to it. You can have the most entertaining video content and best possible distribution but it won’t mean a thing unless your video isn’t relevant to the person that’s watching it. So before you do anything else make sure to sit down and create relevant content full of information that physicians need to know.
Though it’s sometimes hard to choose the important data from the sea of information related to certain drugs and clinical trials there are a few things you can do to make sure the physicians get only the most important info.
For starters, it’s best to focus on key findings of evidence-based studies, product safety, and efficiency information. Also, add treatment guidelines that will help the physicians make better choices and improve their practice. Trustworthy comparative studies and live testimonies from the patients can also make a powerful impact and testify about the effects of a certain medication or a device.
2. Keep it short and to the point
When you create your video content always keep in mind that physicians are people with busy schedules. They don’t have time for fun facts and long introductions. That’s why pharma marketing videos have to be short and right on the point. The length of videos in many ways depends on the topic but it’s always good to keep it as brief and as concise as possible. Otherwise, the physicians will likely click away from it and move on to more pressing matters.
One of the biggest advantages of video marketing is the fact that it can transfer a lot of information in only a few minutes. That’s why it doesn’t make any sense to make it longer than you must. If you manage to squeeze your message into a brief 60 or 90 seconds video you are more than likely to make quite the impact on your target audience.
Whether your aim is to engage physicians or educate the general population everyone, and I do mean everyone has a minute or two to spend on a brief but educational video. Regardless of their daily duties and the lack of time. Especially if that video is fun and easy to relate to. This brings us to our third step.
3. Use animation
According to research using animated characters will increase conversion rates by 20%. So animation is definitely something you need to consider when creating your video marketing strategy. For decades pharmaceutical marketers used animated characters to educate the population and advertise various products since animation makes people easily relate to objects and characters on the screen.
Animated characters make storytelling easy because the viewers naturally assume that they have a story behind them or a problem that needs solving. They also evoke curiosity as people are curious to see how well they solve the problem that lies ahead of them.
Animated characters are also great for creating empathy since the audience has a tendency of seeing them as real human beings and empathize with their story. When the viewers empathize and feel the connection to the characters they are more likely to adopt the messages they send and behave in a desired manner.
But characters aren’t the only animated image that people easily identify with. The simplicity of the animation makes people easily identify with spaces and equipment as well. For instance, if an animator creates an image of a regular office, without too many specific details the physicians are more likely to see their own office in that video. The reason for this is the fact that people always try to connect what they see with things already familiar to them. And the lack of details in video content makes them add their personal experiences to it.
4. Personalize your pharmaceutical marketing video
We live in a world of hyper-personalization!
No one wants to feel like they are just one in the long line of people being marketed to a certain product. Everybody wants to feel special. But adding someone’s name at the beginning of an email won’t cut it anymore. Today’s hyper-personalized age requires a different, cleverer personalization strategy.
Here’s how to make a video unique…
First, you can ask people to subscribe to your website or video channel in order to view your content. Or add a call to action sentence in the description, at the beginning or the end of your video asking them to do the same. Don’t be too demanding, ask for simple data such as name, position, and email address.
At the end of the day, an email is all that a skillful marketer needs to make every video unique. You can use someone’s email address to find their LinkedIn profile and gather the information present there. Include physicians’ names and LinkedIn photos in an introductory part of the video. Make them feel special.
Additionally, you can use LinkedIn info for creating custom videos for a specific person. You can see the physician’s current position and offer solutions for that medical field. If your physician is a dermatologist don’t spam their email with the latest cancer treatment trials. Give them the information they can use. Or use their location to provide materials on the problems troubling that specific area. The possibilities are endless and the results are astonishing. Research has shown that marketers who personalize their content can double the viewer’s engagement and gain 62% more time on the page and an average of 19% lift in sales, so it’s definitely worth taking that extra step.
In the end, let’s go through a quick checklist of all the steps you have to follow to make sure your video content is magnetically appealing to your target audience:
- Create relevant content
- Keep it short
- Use animation to create empathy
- Personalize your pharmaceutical marketing video
