Multiple studies highlight the impressive power of video marketing across a whole host of industries. While creating compelling video content can be time-consuming, the benefits are undeniable. Relevant videos can skyrocket engagement and significantly increase the time users spend on a website. And when we consider video as one of the most shared forms of media online, the choice becomes a no-brainer.
Why Should you use Video to Increase Engagement?
Creating a human connection with prospective residents and family caregivers is critical in the senior living and healthcare industry. After all, would you trust a community with your loved one’s care if you didn’t feel a real connection? Video can be an effective way to showcase your trustworthiness and genuine care for your residents. Skilled copywriting is crucial; producing a great mission statement is an excellent place to start. But having one of your team members demonstrate how they put this mission into practice each day can give your message an extra layer of authenticity.
A recent survey by Wyzowl showed the true power of video right now. This survey found that over 90% of businesses utilized some form of video marketing in 2023, 95% believed video marketing helped them increase brand awareness, and 92% said video generally provides a good return on investment (ROI), up from 87% in 2022. The same study found that 87% of marketers believe video content has a direct positive impact on sales.
It’s a common misconception that digital marketing strategies are less crucial for senior living organizations with an older audience, but this is not the case. Seniors are more active online than ever before, and adult children frequently lead the search for assisted living. With this in mind, video marketing can be as powerful in the senior living field as in any other industry.
5 Ways to Optimize Your Video Content
1. Develop a customer-first concept.
A customer-first approach means prioritizing the customer’s needs above all else. You can start by researching your customers and creating consumer personas identifying their top needs and questions. When creating video concepts, consider how the customer will receive them and how you can ensure your content helps them somehow.
Prioritize authenticity. In any senior living marketing campaign, you must be able to speak to your customer’s heart. In an industry that revolves around kindness and compassion, making huge claims and promises you can’t deliver won’t work. Your video content needn’t be overly flashy or awe-inspiring. If you can communicate that you genuinely care for the seniors and family caregivers you serve, your campaign will become much more powerful. A great example of authenticity is exemplified in the Dove brand real beauty campaign videos.
2. Always include a call to action.
Ultimately, any marketing campaign aims to drive customers to take the desired action. Depending on your goals, this desired action might be inquiring, arranging a tour, looking at a specific webpage, or subscribing to your community’s newsletter. Whatever it is, always make the next step crystal clear! Adding a clear call to action at the end of your video can help nudge potential residents and their family caregivers in the right direction. Take a look at how Netflix uses their call to action for membership enrollment.
3. Ensure your video is mobile-friendly.
According to StatCounter, mobile devices consistently account for around half of the website traffic in the U.S., meaning a significant portion of your site’s visitors will likely be viewing your website and watching your videos from their mobile devices. Luckily, optimizing your videos for mobile doesn’t need to be complicated. Mobile video optimization can help boost engagement and even improve your site’s SEO.
Keep your videos concise (preferably under two minutes long) and aim to hook viewers in the first 3-4 seconds. Additionally, make sure your video is formatted with a suitable aspect ratio for both your site’s mobile and desktop versions. Any content that isn’t user-friendly can immediately cause leads to click away. Watch this terrific example of how Apple’s video looks just as great on mobile as it does on desktop.
4. Keep going once the video is posted.
You can drive additional traffic by sharing your videos on your company’s social media platforms (Facebook and YouTube can be particularly powerful for video engagement). Make sure to reply to any comments or shares your videos produce, and track results to inform future video campaigns.
Creative Video Ideas for Senior Living Organizations
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- Record interviews with residents and staff members.
- Frequently asked questions with an owner-operator, registered nurse, or caregiver.
- Welcome video for prospective new residents.
- Let your residents tell their most interesting life stories.
- Share your ‘why‘ (i.e., what inspired you to enter the senior living industry?)
- Advertise your community’s upcoming events or share a recent event.
- Share tips and wisdom that will be useful to your audience.
- Share testimonials from current residents and family caregivers.
How SMCG® Can Help
Scott Marketing and Consulting Group’s® in-house video editing and production specialists are experts in creating video content for senior living organizations. Based on detailed consumer research and knowledge of your goals, we will develop unique video concepts that can effectively communicate the heart of your organization’s mission and values. In conjunction with expert copywriters and graphic designers, our team will ensure your video content stays perfectly on-brand throughout. To discover what we can do to help your senior living organization reach its full potential, request a free no-obligation consultation today.