Lauren McCullough

Female Voiceover Talent

717-281-1991‬

LaurenMcCulloughVO@gmail.com

Marketing

Tips to write a storytelling ad

Business, Marketing

From the days of ancient humans huddled around their first campfires, sharing stories of the hunt, to the pictures they painted on cave walls, to every book ever written, and every TV show and movie, there is nothing more human than the telling of a story. Advertising has been neighbors with stories for many years also, and recent decades have changed the landscape there as well. What was once hard sells and pushing every inch has had to withdraw and change character.

Most people can spot classic advertising from a mile away and have little interest in direct sales. How does the responsible ad agency or company get their products in the customer’s hands then? Tell your story. Make it about human connection instead of just your product’s features. Show your company or your product solving a problem or helping someone, or just showing something cool you did. The digital age has given society unprecedented connections between people, and a lot less tolerance for things that seem “fake”. 

A storytelling ad will share your company and your product in an emotionally impactful, insightful, and human connecting way. People make many decisions based on emotions-as much as we’d all like to think we’re logical beings-and you’ll be able to tap into these basic human drives by creating a story vehicle for your ad. Plus, we remember stories much more than we remember lists of facts, 22 times more in fact. Add in some human connection and authenticity and you’ll have a winner of an ad in no time. Here are some great tips to create one. 

Unfulfilled Desire

Most of human history has been centered around people wanting to fulfill their various desires. From love to war, from self-examination to self-fulfillment, there are limitless themes and nuances in every story. Your ad should be no different. Hook the viewer with a need or a want that they can see and sink their teeth into right away. Whether it’s the needs of a child or the frustrations of an adult, putting the desire center stage will help anchor your story in the viewer’s mind. 

Don’t sell

This has already been mentioned, but it bears repeating. Traditional selling techniques are at this point an automatic turn off, exit out, or channel change for most people. Besides, classic selling techniques have limitations that stories don’t. With storytelling ads, you can do literally anything as long as you make it human and relatable. If Betty White getting tackled can sell Snickers, there’s no limits on what you can do with your stories. Ads these days are no longer about market saturation in the way they once were, but about standing out and creating meaningful content in a crowded, diverse marketplace. 

Hero

We all like someone to admire and look up to. Heroes have taken journeys in every age, from ancient to modern. Give your viewers someone to identify with, and you have one of the best hooks possible. It doesn’t have to be a strong man type either, a memorable ad from the recent past even featured a baby duck as a hero. Diversity is a common theme these days and choosing someone from a minority community can help customers you normally might not reach be able to identify with your brand. Think outside the box, and choose to center a variety of voices in our interconnected world to tell the stories of. Plus, it helps attach good feelings to your brand and company for showcasing people who don’t always get the spotlight. 

Follow the pattern

Stories always have a pattern of introducing a problem, building up tension, a climax and then a denouement. Although there’s a lot of room for variation within that structure, make sure there is a structure for your story. Getting a little too artistic or creative can confuse people and make it harder for them to get your real message or be interested in your product or company. Being confused or unsure is a pretty good gateway to people changing the channel or clicking away.  

Find what makes you different

Telling your story is a gateway to who you are as a company. Look into your company culture and values and find what makes you stand out in the world. It is a challenge to find differences when you’re selling a product, but who you are as people makes you able to connect with your viewer. Then it is that much easier to connect your product with its potential place and use in their life. Use the opportunity to find what you may have missed about yourself as a company and bring it to the forefront in your ad. 

Relatable

This can be tricky to perfect in our cynical ad saturated culture. There is so much that has been done before or shared in ways that makes our attention skip and our brains turn right off. But authenticity is the watch word here. People don’t want polished actors delivering lines from inside a perfect, spotless home, they want to feel how the story they’re being told connects to them. Emphasize the qualities and stories that we all share culturally and worldwide to make those connections for the viewer. Everyone has fallen in love, or known a kid who had a problem, or been frustrated at work. A recent Budwiser ad featured a dog left at home as his owner went out drinking with friends. The dog doesn’t understand why his owner doesn’t come home, and you’re led to think the worst at first. But then the owner comes back and we discover they made a responsible choice to stay the night with their friends instead of drive drunk. This ad slam dunked relatability through the eyes of a beloved pet, and made you look at the possible consequences of irresponsibility through the eyes of those left behind instead of the person doing the drinking. 

Don’t be afraid to get creative

Whether you’re sitting down with your family watching the Super Bowl, or some other time when they show the best ads, we remember the ones that take new pathways and share new stories. Often, the ones we remember the best are those that connect with us and give us a little surprise in an unexpected connection or outcome. The world is changing so fast and there are many challenges for us all, but there are also always ways to uplift and bring light to the world. Don’t be afraid to look in a new direction or try a new voice for your ad. You might get even better results than you expect. 

The drive for relatable stories isn’t going away any time soon. A wise company will learn how to connect their customers with the human elements that touch us all, and make their ads harmonize with their viewers. Advertising is much more than getting facts and figures in front of your customers, you want to show them how your product can be part of their lives, and connect with them on the level and nature of the problems you can solve for them. Without a story, an ad will be forgettable, and you and your company will just be passed by. 

Tips For Creating The Best On-Hold Messages

Business, Marketing, Voiceover Industry

Tips For Creating The Best On-Hold Messages

Great on-hold messages can be a critical component of both your marketing and sales funnels. On-hold messages keep callers engaged with your brand and more likely to stay on the phone, rather than hanging up before they can speak with someone. An on-hold message can be leveraged to share your latest sales and initiatives, opportunities, and upsells. They can also be used to share your story as a brand, spread the message about what you’re seeking or generally cultivate your company culture. 

Even though we live in an internet age, phone communication is still very financially relevant. In fact, click-to-call is ever increasing, as people use their mobile devices to search and find businesses about which they want to learn more or with which they want to do business. 

Over two-thirds of customers who call a business or company are put on hold at some point in their interaction, according to this Spectrio blog. That’s a lot of business just waiting to be mined – or potentially being lost, if the customer hangs up. This Mitel blog post purports that 60% of callers that are kept on-hold without a message, in just silence, hang up before speaking with someone. An on-hold message can change that. 

A great on-hold message can keep them interested and engaged with your brand, while also reminding them that you are still there and that their call will be answered in due time. An on-hold message can also provide valuable information, such as your hours or location, which may answer your callers questions before they even speak with anyone. 

What Is An On-Hold Message?

An on-hold message is the message that callers listen to when they are put on-hold through your phone system. A truly great on-hold message takes advantage of those audio spots to inform, educate, and potentially upsell your callers. 

You can create a series of on-hold messages that loop through while your customers are waiting to speak with someone. Many of these messages begin with a short musical start and some musical breaks in between each message. According to this Mitel blog post, most messages are 3 to 4 minutes in length total, made up of a series of shorter messages. If you are typing out a script, this tends to be about 300 to 400 words. 

What Are The Best Types of On-Hold Messages?

There is a lot of opportunity in that on-hold message series. Don’t miss out on the variety of chances you have to engage relevantly with your customers. 

  • Facts and Info Often people are calling to get basic information about your business. Go ahead and share the basics on your on-hold message. Don’t forget your website, hours, location, social media pages, and basic product and service information. 

  • Sales and Initiatives Got a great deal going? Now’s the time to share it, especially for new or returning callers who might be interested. Consider seasonal or timely initiatives that your customers may not know about, but may want to add on to their purchase.

  • Brag Time Callers call to find out more about your business. An on-hold message is an ideal time to tell them what you’re all about. Share your story and brag on the achievements or accomplishments you’ve gathered. 

  • Have Fun!

Now’s your chance to get a little silly or have a little fun. Humor goes a long way in easing the pain of sitting and waiting on hold. Take a note from these Southwest Airlines on-hold messages from the past. Offer some tips, some trivia and some jokes to keep your customers smiling while they wait to talk with you. 

What Technology Can Be Used To Create On-Hold Messages?

There are really two main options for creating on-hold messagings.

  • Legacy or Traditional Phone Systems This is the way you always remember phone systems of days gone by, with a boxes and recording equipment and technicians who need to set the whole system up throughout the office. There are a number of reasons to abandon this way of doing things. Here is a great list of reasons from Intermedia. 

  • Cloud Based Phone Systems This is the way of the future and definitely the way to go if you are setting up your on-hold system or just want to upgrade. Here’s a list from TechRadar with some of the best options out there, according to their writers. The advantages of cloud are endless, but as a voice over actress, my favorite parts are the ease of updating and creating new messages. You can keep your on-hold messages relevant and up to date much easier with a cloud system. 

Who Should Record An On-Hold Message?

When you are deciding who to employ to record your on-hold message, remember who your audience is. Your listeners are your customer base. Where do they turn for advice? What kind of social media influencers do they follow? That’s the kind of voice you want for those messages. 

Don’t forget to consider the tone of the on-hold messages. Should they be serious? Upbeat? Fun? Inspiring? Make sure that you employ a voice that conveys the emotion and spirit that align with your brand. 

For these reasons, we would recommend checking out the services of a voice over talent. A voice actor can provide consistent sound and messaging throughout your on-hold system. They also bring a level of professionalism, with the ability to maintain a certain tone, upbeat nature even after a number of recordings. An amateaur recorder’s voice may start to tire or drop off with each recording, which may not keep your callers engaged throughout their on-hold time. 

Interactive Voice Response Messages

Overall, in this article, we have spoken about the 30-second commercial or informational “spots” that can play, in loop, while your customers are on-hold. These can be informative, and real value adds, for your callers, and can even upsell them. However, if you use an Interactive Voice Response (or IVR) system, you don’t want to neglect the action messages that will be required throughout the process. Things like “To speak with Bob, please press 3” or “To learn more, please hold” or “To access your accounts, please say ‘accounts’.”

If you choose to hire a voice actor, or use one of your own team for your on-hold messages, you will want to also use a similar or same voice for your IVR message system and your on-hold messages. Working with a voice over talent means that your on-hold messages will be clear, crisp, audible, and engaging to keep those customers on hold even longer – until you can talk to them and make your sales.  

Does Professional Voiceover Help Sell Products?

Business, Marketing

Does Professional Voiceover Help Sell Products?

In business, the bottom line is always on everyone’s mind. Cost and trying to get the next thing out the door are a constant battle. When you’re presenting your product to the world, you want a smart, catchy presentation that puts both your company and your product in the very best light. The marketplace grows more and more crowded and noisy by year, and the changes in advertising that have come with the digital age make it so that every person in sales needs to consider where they put their dollars. 

7 REASONS TO HIRE A PRO

Whether it’s an explainer video, a television commercial, a radio ad or what have you, a great voiceover is a natural part of the bargain. But there’s some important things to keep in mind about the voice you choose, and why paying a professional rate is an important part of the process. There are a number of ways to get a cheap voiceover rate these days, and cutting costs might seem like a great idea. But below I have seven reasons why it’s worth paying a professional rate rather than $5.

  1. Natural sound: like your customer. (Not like someone reading something.) – Relatability is the name of the game these days. The announcer sound has seen it’s sunset and we’re into the kind of ads that say more than just what you have on sale. High technology has connected us more than ever, but the real currency people want in their advertising is a feeling of human connection. A pro voiceover will know how to shape their words and tone to both your product and to sound like someone your customer could have just next door. 
  2. Creates emotional connection— without the ability to connect emotionally to the script, no one is going to buy into the pitch. Natural sound leads to emotional connection, which makes your potential customer more likely to remember your product and want to buy it whenever they might need it. 
  3. Positive and lasting impression of your company. Making sure that you have the best sound and presentation shows your customer that you are a solid, professional company that cares about your presentation as well as your product.
  4. Saves time. You don’t have to worry about someone who is new to their equipment. You avoid having to redo your ad if there’s an issue with the performance, recording space or the post-production. 
  5. Consistency. Hiring the same voice helps build your brand in the mind & ears of your customers. This is an easy tool to use alongside all your other branding and marketing efforts and create a feeling of reliability for your consumer that you’re a company they are familiar with. 
  6. Long term ROI. Creating and building a consistent, professional image for your company and your products helps ensure that you will succeed not just with your current offerings, but with anything that you do in the future. 
  7. Helps build trust– Although we might not know their names, the history of every brand has trusted voices in the media that people feel comfortable with and this is true with your company also. People will learn the kind of values your company stands for and the things that your product makes them feel with the right voice, and this will help build the trust consumers have with your company.

HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT VOICE

So you want to grab that pro voiceover! There are lots of ways to get in touch with pro talent, from individual websites, to agents, and some of the casting sites available with an aggregate of talent. The online casting sites have both their advantages and their cautions. Are you and your team available and prepared for potentially hundreds of auditions? That can be a lot to process, especially if you have a quick turn around. Yes it’s nice to have lots of choices, but the choices can cause you a lot more work. Plus, with the aggregate sites, there’s less personal selection of the voice talent that might fit your specific product the best. Most of those sites use algorithms to select who auditions for you. That being said, here’s four things you need to consider when you’re getting started finding your talent. 

  1. Language- if you’re operating in foreign markets to wherever you are, make sure that you take good care of the language you use. Google translate is not good enough for ad copy, since it misses the fluency of a real speaker, and can easily lack idioms or other cultural markers that will help bring your vision and company mindset across.
  2. Accent- Not all accents within the same languages are created equal. With many languages, there are various regional dialects and sounds depending on where you are or what country you’re in. Although you can make a splash using an accent different from the one people are used to hearing (British voices in the United States, for example.) this should be done carefully to make sure that you don’t make the wrong choice. Another example would be the Spanish spoken in Spain, and the Spanish spoken in Mexico. There are differences in pronunciation and word usage from country to country and you need to take care to get the right voice for the job. 
  3. Script- It can be hard to find a good writer, but the words are a huge part of the game, and the better script you write, the better your voice talent will be able to help create your image and product lineup. Make sure that you focus on showing, not telling with your writing, so that the script is more than a list of product descriptions, and evokes a response in your viewer. The goal is to connect with their imagination and feelings, to sound less like a salesperson, and more like someone they know giving them good info on your product.
  4. Gender- there’s lots of products that typically are counted as being for one or the other gender. The choice of voice for that one is probably easy enough. But what about when your product is something that fits neither? Women’s voices are considered by most people to sound more trustworthy. That’s an important characteristic to tap into. But gender doesn’t have to rule your casting, if you want to take something in an unusual direction.

Why is a pro voiceover still important when more people are watching videos with the sound off? This is a newer phenomenon with the rise of smartphones and crowded public environments. No one wants to be the jerk who blasts the whole bus or car with a high speed auto ad. (Or at least most folks don’t.) It is wise to add subtitles to your video to make sure that this segment of the population can still get the full impact of your advertisement. But it may seem silly, if so many people don’t use sound, why include the pro voiceover? Because there are always times and places for sound, when people will listen as well as watch, and there are people who do prefer sound still, especially older folks. No matter how your viewer chooses to take in your message, choosing a professional voiceover will make sure your presentation is as professional and diverse as possible. 

Why a Woman May Be Best for Your Brand Voice

Business, Marketing

So, your product is up for a refresher. You’ve got ads, and marketing, and you’re looking for that needed brand voice. Traditionally, many companies have chosen men for these roles to produce a strong, authoritative voice for products, but ask any Mom… women know how to use a strong, authoritative voice when needed. So while breaking from traditional casting of men in those roles may feel counter intuitive, it’s possible a woman’s voice will give your product or sales new life. 

Why should you choose a woman instead of a man? Well, change ups can be very valuable, especially since you may have kept your brand voice the same for a long time. Moving into a new voice will catch your potential customer’s attention. It’ll bring new engagement to your product right off the bat. 

If a man’s voice has always ‘sounded right’ to you, perhaps try inviting other people to voice auditions to get new perspectives on the available options. It’s a lot easier to just audition voices so you can try on a different casting direction before committing to a brand voice change.

Women are being selected for brand voices more and more often as the market shifts. There’s a wider variety of products that can fit with women’s voices than has been used before. Roles for women in society have always been multifaceted, and are only growing more so over time. There are a diverse array of reasons that a woman’s voice is good for you to consider.

 Diversity is not just a hashtag these days, it’s becoming an important principle by which to judge a company. Building trust with customers is essential for sales. Choosing a woman for your brand voice can open doors you might not otherwise have access to. 

  1. Women buy more stuff-they don’t only buy for themselves, but they purchase for households and others. Many times, even if a woman lives with friends, she will buy more ‘household’ stuff than men in the household will. And of course families and children come into big play here. 2020 drove record profits for many companies, because women had to shop from home more than ever. 
  2. Women enjoy listening to and sharing with other women, much like they do with friends. Women’s communication styles tend to revolve around sharing tips and information. A comfortable, friendly voice for your brand can help a woman feel like she’s sharing with a friend about a good deal or a good idea. This is especially true with a more conversational read. This is where your voice talent is just chatting with the potential customer, instead of being more traditional sales like. 
  3. Many positive characteristics are associated with women’s voices, trustworthy, soothing, relatable, melodic, intelligent without being domineering. Men’s voices transmit authority, control, and strength. For decades, research has said that people prefer men’s voices for many products. But women’s buying power has been growing, and their voices are finding a home in more places. Yes there are products that would sound better than a man, but would your brand benefit with a different sound? If you’re doubting, try some focus groups or studies. The results may surprise you. 
  4. Female voices are versatile in that they appeal to women and men-but men’s voices don’t resonate with women talking about women’s products. There are a lot of products that can be related to women. It’s not just clothes, shoes and household goods. Women are creating their own businesses, and many of them have had to step up in educating and entertaining their children. Movies, streaming services, parks, real estate, special events, there’s really very little that strictly has to be voiced by a male. 
  5. Increasing market share-millennial moms are being included in more purchasing decisions than moms across generations. The millennial generation is far more egalitarian in their buying choices. Dad isn’t the only one deciding for those major purchases in many cases. You have the opportunity to speak to this wider audience, and to catch more attention by doing so. And it’s unlikely this trend will reverse, so you’re not just buying into current market share, but the future as well with the upcoming Generation Z. 
  6. Business is booming- millennial moms are starting new businesses and creating new ways to earn money for their families. Partnering with this desire can help any brand drive sales. Many moms had to make tough choices in 2020. Some households could not maintain 2 incomes, and it was usually the mom that stopped working. But these moms aren’t idle. Many of them are looking to create influencer blogs, social media presences, and an endless array of ways to earn money. They can monetize their experiences, create interesting crafts, and anything else their minds come up with. Helping moms make their lives easier, and helping them bring in those extra dollars is a great way to build brand connection. And Moms love hearing from other moms!
  7. Women want to see their bosses and jobs taking the lead on social issues. They are consuming more news, and discussing it throughout their lives. Women in particular want to see gender equity and equal pay as priorities for brands. But keep things real in your company. More than one company out there has tried to tout diversity or inclusion and badly failed. It’s very easy to find from internal leaks or social media whether or not you’re actually doing what you say you are. It’s not just employees that want transparency and trust, investors are now looking at the impact of scandals on their dollars. Women love to see change being made in companies, showing that brands lineup with their values too. 
  8. Being online means that companies can get called on negative behaviors very quickly.  Social Media keeps brands honest-but fake news and false promises are a significant eroder of trust. Keep this in mind if you’re not quite ready to be public about your desire for diversity. There have been many years of brands and other institutions promising what they can’t deliver. These days people are very aware of who is doing what they say they will, and who is falling short. Honesty and transparency, not longevity are big trust builders. Venerable companies are all well and good, but there are significant opportunities for new ones that are willing to show more and be more. Women want to see companies that are aware of their impact in the world, and their impact in the workplace. Showing your values by having diverse hires is a great way to build this trust. And a brand voice is one of the most visible ways that you can do that. 

So, as you can see, although a woman’s voice isn’t the right decision for every brand and product, there are many positive elements going with that choice. Diversity and inclusion are the way the world is moving, and brands putting a woman’s voice out front have a head start to go along with it. And time will show that the sales come right along. 

Why Your Family Practice Needs Videos

Business, Marketing

Should your family practice office use videos to get the word out? Absolutely! There are so many great reasons to use video in your digital marketing strategy. Video is a dynamic way to connect with your patients and the community that may become patients. It can bring a face and voice to your office marketing strategy and help you engage with your patients. 

It’s also a powerful method for developing an environment of peace and serenity, instilling confidence throughout your office. Combined, both online and in the office, your family practice videos can add personality and a unique perspective to your brand.

Online Marketing For Your Family Practice

But first, let’s talk about why online video marketing is a great option for your physician’s office. There are endless statistics about why anyone should be using video in their online marketing strategy. For instance, according to this Forbes article, more than 250 million hours of video are watched on YouTube per day and a person spends 88% longer on a website that has a video embedded in it.

For me though, it’s more than the numbers and the algorithms. Video brings an authenticity to your family practice brand and allows you to connect with viewers in a very real, natural way. This is huge for a family practice office, because patients want to know they can trust their doctor. A recent study out of the Netherlands examined the contagious nature of emotions in YouTube channel creators and their viewers. Viewers can tune in for the content and be emotionally impacted at the same.

Imagine being able to really communicate your bedside manner, before you even meet a patient. Imagine easing anxieties and supporting positive emotions around a visit to a doctor’s office, even before a patient makes an appointment or steps into your office.

What Kind Of Content Should Your Family Practice Create

The content you create really depends on your particular family practice office and the patients you serve. What are their concerns? And what information do you wish they knew or understood better?

  • Informational Videos

You know all those brochures you have sitting around the office. The ones you hope your patients will pick up and learn from. Or the ones you hand them at the end of the visit. Those are a great place to start with informational videos. Share with your viewers the latest research and any precautions they need to be taking. This is also a good way to address seasonal or headline making diseases that are probably already on your patients’ minds.

  • Introductory Videos

Tell us more about you and your staff. Talk about your credentials, as well as a few personal details that make you more relatable. Where did you go to school? What kind of dog do you have? What are your hobbies? You can make a long video speaking with everyone in the office – or short videos with each staff member. You can use these on their bio pages on the website as well as social media.  

Walk around the office and show new patients what they can expect in your space. What does the waiting room look like? Who should they talk with first when they arrive? And what do the exam rooms look like? These are great for any new patient, but also for children who want to have a mental image of what to expect. These videos can reside on your home page or be linked from social media. 

  • What’s New

Did you just install some new equipment? Is your office undergoing a renovation? Are you doing something new or different? That’s a perfect time to grab a camera and walk around. Keep your patients engaged with what’s happening at your family practice. This is especially useful if your patients normally only come in once a year or so. Engaging with them year round keeps you front of mind. 

In-Office Videos

Let’s switch gears and talk about another powerful way that your family practice can use video. Videos throughout your family practice office can add to the environment of calm that you have tried to create. It’s more than just about grabbing some magazines in the waiting room or turning the TV on to a certain channel. Creating in-office videos for your patients is an intentional move to help them have a more fundamentally relaxing experience in your office and to create more positive associations with visiting you. This may help them trust you and visit you more often when they need to, but also to share their experience with their friends and colleagues. 

Relaxing With Video

People already flock to YouTube for what is often called ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) videos. They are looking to these mindful, relaxing videos for their physical and mental sensations. Others enjoy hours of just every day people talking about books or others interests. The research, and anecdotal evidence, is already out there that people relax with videos. So now’s the perfect time to bring that same experience into your family practice office.

Creating An Environment Of Calm In Your Family Practice Office

As you are thinking about creating an entire environment that is peaceful and welcoming to your patients, be intentional about where you can place tv or monitors to play videos that will help your patients relax. 

The first place to start is the waiting room. Here you can distract your patients from their concerns and the waiting with uplifting and comforting videos. Don’t forget the exam rooms. Depending on the type of healthcare you provide, you may want a monitor on the wall or a tablet that patients can hold to watch during their appointment. You don’t want the videos to detract from your face-to-face interaction and conversation, but if your patients have to undergo treatments, a relaxing video may ease the process. 

Here are a couple great resources about how music and nature can be therapeutic video design components. 

Types of In-Office Videos

  • Plug and Play

If you aren’t sure where to get started or just need to get going quickly, there are many plug and play options that allow you to just purchase videos or streaming and get started. C.A.R.E. Programming comes on a micro media player that you can just plug into your tv monitor through HDMI. UScenes offers streaming or USB options. 

  • Custom Created

Another option is to work with a video production company, or enlist your own talents, to create your own videos and stream them into your waiting room. The downside of this is that you will want to be sure that your videos are high quality and relaxing in tone. However, there are a number of positives. For instance, you can control what is being shown and can update it to address seasonal or other concerns. You can also use it as a way of building your brand recognition and making your staff more visible. 

Where A Voice Over Talent Can Come In

Whether you are creating videos for online marketing, to get the word out, or are desiring in-office videos to improve the experience of your patients, a voice over actress could help you create those videos professionally. Find a voice talent who is known for a relaxing or relatable voice and pair that with pictures or videos. As we’ve seen with the popularity of apps like CALM, guided meditations are a wonderful way to put you patients at ease. You can tell stories or educate your patients. Either way, both they and your family practice office will be better off for it. 

Adding Video to your Marketing Strategy

Business, Marketing

Are you leaving a chunk of engagement for your brand, sitting on the table unclaimed? You have ads, you have copy, you have logos. What are you missing? Video! Video marketing is the name of the game, and we’re not just talking about commercials featuring your product. The world has not just gone digital, it’s gone mobile. 

Numerous studies have shown that video content gains higher engagement on websites and social media streams. That number is only growing, as is the number of people who consume video content on their mobile devices. Whether it’s a phone or a tablet, people are watching their favorite shows and more in their hands. Video ranks well in search engine results, and it’s easy to share and re-share. In addition, the percentage of video content on the internet is only going higher as well. 

Brainstorm Ideas

So where do you start? If you’re a brand that has mostly kept their videos to specific advertisements, diversify! People love how-to content. If you’re a hardware store, create videos on how to change a tire, or how to know when to call a repairman for a dishwasher, or whatever you can think of. You’ll get to showcase your products and give potential customers a positive association with your name. 

Even brands that may have more esoteric products, like stock trading or financial transactions can give advice on how to pick stocks. Or perhaps on what kind of investments can give good returns. The opportunities are limitless, and you will immediately give the viewer a feel good moment. That makes them more likely to share your content, and spreads your reach further yet. Going viral is never out of reach if you can make people laugh or give them something to think about.

Connect with your audience

But before you begin your diversification, remember that realism is king here. Customers have been saturated with ads their entire lives, and if your how-to is just thinly derived sales pitches, it’ll be a quick turn off. The younger generations in particular have a sharp nose for sales derived language, and not much tolerance for it. Think of this non-sales content as a chance to show your values as a company. No matter whether or not people buy from you or use your services, you’re putting something good out there into the world. That’s the kind of thing people will remember and tell others about. Another excellent application for video is to give potential customers a view into who you are as a company. With our vast interconnection in the world, the personal touch gives your company and your brand a greater depth and connection. 

The Internet thrives on video

Have you neglected your social media channels? Take the opportunity to spruce them up with some video content. It’s an easy turn off if someone is trying to find out more about a company and all they can find is a half empty Facebook business page. Make sure that the team member(s) assigned to run these channels have a strong connection with the movers and shakers in your company. The messaging needs to be a strong thread throughout the whole company and not in some forgotten corner. Don’t forget to add video content to your website as well. There are a great many plugins that can feature your social media content on your website also. 

And even if it doesn’t seem like it, make sure that the executive level understands the value of social media and what type of content is good to put out. More than one venerable executive has caused missteps with their misunderstanding of the differences between old and new content types. Don’t worry about market saturation and following every social media ‘rule’. Worry about being interesting and engaging. Make it your priority to be a storyteller, someone who promotes connection between people, someone who gives value and transparency with their brand and their product, and someone who cares about people. 

Make people want to share

Engagement is the golden ticket many brands strive for. Customers replying to your posts, sharing your content, and participating in any contests you run can help spread your name far and wide. Video content is a keystone here, as well as making sure that you don’t always recycle the same content. Consider creating a partnership with content creators where you can share your channel with them. Or you could create a partnership with another business, perhaps in an allied field. A hardware store with a paint store. A tire shop with a car wash. Again, the opportunities are limitless.

Keep an eye on the truthfulness and shared values that are part of your content. If you’re saying one thing but your employees are saying another, people will find out about it sooner or later. There are no secrets online. And there is no way to delete content permanently once it’s been posted. This isn’t to scare you off of the video content that can improve your brand image. This is to make sure that you take some care in doing so. Once inconsistencies are noticed, there’s no putting that cat back in the bag. 

Think outside the box

Other ideas for video content are website contests. Give your viewers something to do, and you can increase your sharing. People love prizes and the chance to win something fun. Whether it’s the creation of a post of someone using your product, or writing comments on a post and sharing and tagging, this can increase your reach. Also, have your social media employees looking for people mentioning your product. 

Recently, a young man was wondering about the origin of the popular Triscuit crackers. Since they’re square, why was the name tri-scuit? To make a long story short, he found a photo of a 100+ year old ad that showed how triscuits were baked by electricity. That gave the company elec-tri-city biscuit, Triscuit. Triscut responded to the young man’s posts, confirming the information he’d found, and sent him a pallet of their product. Now they look good, the young man has an amazing story, and the whole incident is added to the feel-good archives of cool online happenings. 

Don’t forget emails!

Videos in your email marketing is another great opportunity to share your content. It can easily take a boring newsletter into something people want to open and share. This is another area to take care, however, as many companies have vastly overused this channel and heavily saturated the market. Don’t sign people up without their consent, and don’t send them constant emails. Make your content something that will make their day better. Give them good info, and don’t center your selling so that they don’t dread seeing your company name in their inbox. Or worse yet, have your email banished to their spam folder so they never see it at all. 

Whether you’re a video newbie or you’ve shared some things, there’s always more engagement out there for your and your brand. Advertising is changing, bringing in new methods, scripts, and modes, and you don’t want to get left behind. And the opportunities are truly exciting. You can not only drive sales of your product or services, but can make people laugh, give them good info, and genuinely touch their hearts. You can share stories, and rewrite your company reputation in this new frontier.