From Awareness to Aftercare: A ProFor Guide for Healthcare Marketing

In healthcare marketing, success isn’t just about a single piece of content, it’s about guiding your audience across the full care journey. From the first moment of awareness to post-treatment support and every touchpoint in between, each stage offers an opportunity to build trust, educate, and connect.

At ProFor, we’ve spent over a decade partnering with healthcare brands like Alcon, Hanger, Ottobock, and Texas HHS. We’ve seen firsthand how powerful video can be when it’s planned with the whole journey in mind.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to map video content to every step of the patient experience, so your team can drive more impact with less fragmentation.

1. Awareness and Trust-Building

Focus: Position your brand with emotional storytelling and establish early credibility

In healthcare, trust is the foundation of all patient-provider relationships. Patients must feel confident in the competence and empathy of healthcare providers and staff. For instance, a hospital must convey the expertise of its surgeons, or a pharmaceutical company needs to establish the reliability of its research team. This trust is not just about professional qualifications but also about the human element of care.

Brand videos and web videos are effective video marketing tools in building this trust. They can portray the professionalism, empathy, values, and expertise of healthcare providers, enhancing patient confidence in their services. Above all, brand videos can create a powerful emotional connection by transmitting how a brand wants its patients to feel: cared for, understood, safe, and even loved. 

2. Preventive & Lifestyle Content

Focus: Reach your community early with helpful content that builds long-term trust.

In healthcare, focusing on preventive measures is crucial for patient well-being and for building a meaningful connection with the audience. This approach entails offering valuable content that not only educates but also aligns with the brand's commitment to health, without directly promoting its services or products.

Marketing and social media content centered on preventive healthcare and disease awareness serves as an informative and engaging resource. It can encompass a wide range of topics, from lifestyle tips for disease prevention to in-depth information about specific health conditions. For instance, a healthcare provider might create a video series on heart health, offering advice on diet, exercise, and regular screenings. Similarly, a medical center could launch a social media campaign during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, sharing early detection methods and survivor stories.

Such content not only helps in fostering brand recognition but also establishes the brand as a trusted source of health information. The key is to craft content that genuinely benefits the audience, integrating the healthcare brand's ethos and expertise seamlessly. Through this approach to video marketing, healthcare organizations not only contribute to public health education but also reinforce their role as advocates for preventive care and disease awareness.

The incorporation of lifestyle content further differentiates a healthcare brand, taking it beyond the realm of medicine and into the daily lives of its audience. These lifestyle-focused segments not only educate but also resonate more deeply with viewers by addressing their day-to-day concerns and interests, and providing a vision of what their lives can feel like.

3. Product Introduction (B2B and B2C)

Focus: Explain the value and purpose of your healthcare solution before care begins.

Effectively introducing healthcare products to both businesses and consumers is critical. This includes communicating the benefits and applications of products. A medical device manufacturer, for instance, needs to explain the advantages of a new diagnostic tool to hospitals and clinics (B2B), as well as to the end-users (B2C).

Problem/solution-oriented product videos are key video marketing tools for introducing healthcare products, especially when creating a new product category. They can highlight the benefits and functionalities of the product, but focusing on how a crucial problem - which oftentimes the audience isn’t aware exists - can be solved.

4. B2B Sales Enablement Content

Focus: Guide decision-makers across long sales cycles with content mapped to each stage.

B2B sales processes involve multiple stages: generating awareness, fostering leads, and ultimately driving decision-making. These processes can be complex and can often take months or years to finalize successfully. Given the intricacies and length of these cycles, it's crucial to maintain engagement and clarity at every stage.  

Multi-stage funnel content strategies are tailored to address these needs, offering a way to effectively communicate specific objectives and value propositions at different strategic touchpoints throughout the sales funnel. For instance, an initial outreach video might introduce a new medical device to hospital procurement teams. As the relationship progresses, subsequent videos can delve deeper into technical specifications, user testimonials, and support services, ensuring that each piece of content aligns with the current stage of the buyer's journey. This approach keeps the dialogue relevant and engaging, guiding potential clients towards a well-informed decision.

5. Showcasing Outcomes & Credibility

Focus: Use testimonials, stats, and stories to reinforce your track record and build trust.

Showcasing a successful track record and positive patient experiences is crucial in the healthcare industry. For instance, a mental health clinic might narrate the personal journeys of recovery and wellness. A renowned cardiac hospital could highlight its track-record by showcasing statistics and awards for excellence in heart surgery, reinforcing its status as a leader in cardiac care. Meanwhile, a pharmaceutical company might present results from clinical trials, demonstrating the efficacy and safety of a new medication, thus bolstering its credibility and trustworthiness. These examples reflect the need to communicate not just the quantitative results but also the qualitative experiences that underpin them.

To address these needs, various video formats can be employed. Patient testimonial videos can powerfully convey individual experiences, adding a personal touch to the provider's services, providing a relatable and human perspective to their services. For communicating track records and results, documentary-style case studies can provide an in-depth look at successful treatments or research breakthroughs. Additionally, explainer videos can be used to present results, complex data or research findings in an accessible manner. These video formats, when combined, offer a comprehensive approach to building credibility and trust in the healthcare sector.

6. Welcome & Onboarding

Focus: After a purchase, sign-up, or scheduling, reduce friction and humanize the first experience.

The initial experience a patient has with a healthcare provider sets the tone for their entire care journey. Effective patient onboarding, including welcome videos and platform orientation, is crucial for creating a positive first impression and establishing a foundation of trust and understanding.

Welcome videos serve as a friendly and informative first point of contact for new patients. These videos offer a unique opportunity to introduce the healthcare brand, its values, and the care team, thereby humanizing the healthcare experience from the outset. For instance, a hospital might use a welcome video to introduce key staff members, showcase facilities, and explain core services, making new patients feel acknowledged and at ease from their first interaction.

Patient onboarding videos are equally important, especially when introducing patients to digital healthcare platforms. These videos guide patients through the nuances of using the platform, such as scheduling appointments, accessing medical records, or engaging in telehealth consultations. Effective onboarding videos ensure that patients feel comfortable and competent in navigating these digital healthcare tools, which is essential for a smooth and stress-free healthcare experience.

Both welcome videos and patient onboarding materials are pivotal in forging a strong and positive relationship between healthcare providers and their patients. They not only serve to inform and guide but also to convey a sense of care and professionalism that is representative of the healthcare brand and its commitment to patient well-being.

7. Demystifying Medical Procedures

Focus: Empower patients with clarity and calm before intimidating treatments or interventions.

Medical procedures can be daunting, often shrouded in complex terminology and unknown outcomes. Clarity and reassurance are key in alleviating patient anxiety. For example, a dental clinic may need to explain a new, advanced root canal technique to alleviate patient fears, or a cancer treatment center might need to demystify chemotherapy processes to help patients understand and prepare for treatment.

Explainer videos, as part of comprehensive video solutions, can break down intricate procedures into understandable segments, alleviating patient fears and promoting informed decision-making. They can be in live action, motion graphics, or animation, and can be planned and produced in series, breaking down multiple steps or topics into easily understandable pieces.

8. Long-Term Treatment Support

Focus: Educate and encourage patients throughout their care journey with milestone-based content.

Education about long-term treatments or products is key for patient adherence and satisfaction. For instance, a pharmaceutical company might need to educate patients on the long-term use of a chronic disease medication, while a wellness brand could need to explain the sustained use of their health supplements.

Educational explainer videos, a vital component of a video strategy, can provide detailed information on long-term treatments, empowering patients with the knowledge to manage their health effectively.

An effective strategy could involve a series of videos shared with patients throughout their treatment journey. These videos can offer human, emotional, and motivational support at various stages. For instance, a series could be distributed via email marketing, coinciding with specific treatment milestones or checkpoints. Alternatively, for patients engaged with a digital health platform, these videos can be integrated into the platform itself, providing timely and supportive content that aligns with the patient's progress and needs. This approach personalizes the patient experience, offering not just information, but also encouragement and a sense of connection with their healthcare provider.

9. FAQs That Actually Help

Focus: Save time and reduce support burden with concise, searchable, patient-facing videos.

In the healthcare sector, addressing FAQs is crucial for enhancing patient understanding and easing the workload on healthcare staff. These inquiries, when answered effectively, can significantly improve the patient experience and support.

Consider the creation of a series of short FAQ videos. Each video in the series could focus on a single common question, providing clear, concise, and easily digestible answers. For example, a mental health app may produce a series where each video tackles a specific query about its services, ranging from how to navigate the app to understanding therapy options. This format allows users to quickly find the exact information they need, enhancing their understanding and engagement with the app.

Such a series of short FAQ videos, as a part of broader video solutions, is not only efficient in delivering information but also highly accessible. They can be structured in a way that they can be easily browsed or searched, making it convenient for patients to find the answers they need quickly. This approach not only educates patients but also reduces repetitive inquiries, thereby lightening the load on healthcare staff.

10. Events & Thought Leadership

Focus: Extend the reach of your brand’s voice beyond the room with event-driven content.

In the dynamic world of healthcare, events and conferences play a crucial role in fostering knowledge exchange, networking, and showcasing innovations. The importance of creating compelling content for these events, and often editing and posting as the event is happening, cannot be overstated.

Healthcare events and conferences are rich sources of new information, trends, and insights. They provide a platform for professionals to share research, discuss breakthroughs, and collaborate on new ideas. However, capturing the essence of these events and effectively communicating their value to a wider audience, including those who could not attend, is a significant challenge.

Coverage of these events through professionally produced videos can serve multiple purposes. It can be used to:

1. Highlight Key Moments: Videos can capture key speeches, panel discussions, and breakthrough announcements, allowing viewers to experience the highlights of the event.

2.  Extend Reach: By sharing these videos on digital platforms, healthcare organizations can extend the reach of their events beyond the physical venue, engaging a global audience.

3. Promote Future Events: These videos also serve as powerful promotional tools for upcoming events, showcasing the value and excitement of attending in person.

4. Document Participation: For healthcare companies participating in these events, video coverage of their involvement, including interviews, product demonstrations, or presentations, is invaluable. It showcases their active role in the healthcare community and highlights their contributions to the field.

5. Educational Content: Recorded sessions can be repurposed into educational content, useful for training purposes or for sharing knowledge within the organization and with the broader healthcare community.

   
   

11. Internal Training & Staff Enablement

Focus: Support consistent care and compliance across teams through scalable video training.

Providing up-to-date and engaging training materials is essential for healthcare staff. For example, a nursing home requires effective training videos for new caregiving techniques, while a hospital might need comprehensive training modules for emergency response procedures.

HR recruiting and onboarding videos, as part of comprehensive video solutions, can provide engaging and informative training, ensuring healthcare professionals are well-equipped and informed.

Conclusion: A Healthcare Marketing Strategy That Supports the Whole Journey

Your audience doesn’t experience healthcare in one step. Their journey is layered, emotional, and often nonlinear, and your content should reflect that.

At ProFor, we help healthcare marketers create video strategies that align to each stage of the patient experience—from the first search or diagnosis to ongoing care and support. With experience across healthcare sectors and a creative team that knows how to deliver at scale, we’re here to help you plan smarter, produce faster, and communicate more clearly.

If you’re looking to turn one-off content into a cohesive strategy across the entire care journey, let’s talk!