September has brought back an interesting question from clients and prospects. “How can I use video to make my web site more competitive?” I’ve had variations on this question several times in the past two weeks. Clearly, there is a renewed interest in making web sites more competitive among cosmetic surgeons and cosmetic dentists.
Here is why I think video of the doctor is one of the most important upgrades you can make. Normally, the doctor is the bottleneck. In a traditional situation, the doctor is the last person a prospective patient will meet. Prospective patients find the practice, do their research (maybe), call in, make their appointment, deal with the front desk and at the end finally meet the doctor. This part is the most critical in determining if patient trusts the doctor and is willing to undergo the procedure with him or her. Video of the doctor talking on a web site reverses the equation. Instead of the doctor being the bottleneck at the end, with limited exposure, video takes the doctor out front. Now the doctor’s appearance, voice, mannerisms and presentation are the first things all prospect see. That feeling of trust and knowing can be established much earlier. My clients who have video of themselves speaking on their web sites routinely tell me that patients tell them on a first meeting that they feel like they already know the doctor.
That gives you an advantage in attracting prospective patients.
This alone is a good reason to add video of the doctor speaking to your web site. Don’t think this is something that is best done when you set up a video camera or web cam in your office and try it yourself. The sort of video we produce for our clients is scripted and shot under specific conditions to get the best presentation. If you are interested in hearing about how we do it, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com. And, stay tuned this fall for some new Flash Video Web sites we will be debuting.
