• by Michelle Latta , December 20, 2011

Video offers one of the best ways to learn about complicated topics while getting up close and in person with consumers. YouTube also happens to be the world’s largest search engine. So I have to ask: Does your brand have a strong video marketing approach or are you leaving it up to the consumer and your competitors? If you haven’t done so recently, search your brand on YouTube, then keep reading.

According to YouTube site stats, over 3 billion videos are viewed a day with 800 million unique visitors viewing videos daily (more than the number of people on Facebook). And over 100 million people like, share, comment or take some sort of social action on YouTube every week. Yet, YouTube always seems to be fourth or fifth in importance for many clients behind traditional ads, digital ads, search, and Facebook. Considering rethinking your approach?

Well, those statistics are only expected to rise as more consumers are accessing video content through their mobile devices. According to eMarketer, mobile video viewing is going to see a 73 percent increase over the next four years, reaching approximately 78.1 million viewers in 2015.

The best way to jump into YouTube is to create a channel. It is important from the outset to be clear about the role of your channel. Are you trying to recruit health care workers? Are you trying to own a disease state? Once you’ve decided on the purpose of your channel, choose the appropriate content. Healthcare content falls into one of four buckets:

1)Information on your product or service: This can be a television commercial, an in-depth look at your services, an animated demonstration of your product’s mode-of-action, etc.

2)Condition education: As consumers search for more information on their health, either pre or post diagnosis, well-produced and credentialed videos explaining the condition, disease or procedure can be highly useful. Education videos can also be aimed at the medical community, such as demonstrations of live procedures. Both can help establish your organization or brand as a leader in the field.

3)Consumer testimonial content: This content will happen naturally (both good and bad), and you can also use Facebook and your website to generate additional testimonials. Aggregate your patient or customer stories within your YouTube channel.

4)Branded entertainment: If you are challenged with low consumer engagement, don’t dismiss branded entertainment. Many healthcare companies are able to generate more awareness by creating entertaining communication that has pass-along value. Providence St. Vincent Medical Center created the Pink Glove Dance to raise awareness of breast cancer. It has garnered over 13 million views to date.

Once you’ve identified your content, be sure to create a content calendar. Just like Facebook, it is important to keep your content current and something that people can keep coming back to.

For more tips on setting up your own YouTube channel, visit Google’s help support site.