A Moving Picture is Worth a Thousand Appointments
Okay, please forgive the butchering of the age old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. But the point is that physician videos are worth the time and effort.
What I’m talking about are video profiles of physicians in your “find a doctor” section. Like those found on the University of Wisconsin Health site.
Focus groups with patients reveal how most people find a new doctor: They ask a few friends, relatives or coworkers for recommendations, then they go to the Web to see what they can learn about each one. By and large, the more they can learn about the doctor, the more likely they are to request an appointment.
Three sites for which we’ve seen data:
- Thousands of available doctors, only a few hundred of which offer video profiles, and all 10 of the doctors who get the most appointment requests online offer videos.
- A few hundred doctors available, only ten of which offer video introductions, yet month after month the most visited physician profiles are those offering the videos.
- Only a fraction of the available doctors offer videos, yet eight out of the top 10 most visited physician profiles are those with videos.
It makes sense, and the data proves the results.
The videos don’t have to be long and don’t require a ton of production. Just a brief talking head about whatever the doctor wants to discuss, ranging from why he/she got into medicine, to volumes and outcomes. In other words, there is no evidence that what the doctor talks about is a determining factor. Just the ability to see the doctor speak makes a big difference.
Most hospitals and health systems have access to a video camera. We’ve even seen some use the inexpensive and easy-to-use Flip video camera. But whatever it takes, get those docs on tape. You’ll see the results in your waiting rooms.