In 2022, the average person is predicted to spend 100 minutes per day watching videos.
So as a healthcare marketer, all you need to do is beam out video content to engage and convert prospects into patients and clients, right?
Um, no.
After all, there are 4.6 billion pieces of digital content produced every day.
So how do you compete for attention and engagement in a cluttered online space?
With digital storytelling: using the fundamentals of storytelling to engage and entice consumers with your digital marketing assets.
Your consumers have felt isolated and alone during the pandemic. Storytelling is the oldest and most effective way to convey truth, meaning and cultivate emotion.
Your consumers love stories, by the way. 92% of consumers want brands to make their ads feel like stories.
With one caveat: your consumers want to be at the heart of those stories. After all, they are the hero of your consumer journeys.
What motivates your consumers these days? What are their wants and needs? What keeps them up at night? What healthcare action have they put off doing that your brand—with digital storytelling—can nudge them into taking the next step?
Throughout the pandemic, our team at Hailey Sault has been creating digital storytelling experiences to get consumers to:
- Return for annual medical exams and routine check-ups
- Book appointments with orthopedic surgeons to address sore joints
- Seek help for eating disorders
- Address the risk factors for stroke
- Donate to health foundations
- Visit specialists to address underlying health needs
Following are a few examples of digital storytelling from our clients.
A tongue-in-cheek way to encourage people to consult an orthopedic surgeon
Sample Instagram Stories that leverage digital storytelling to motivate consumers to engage in healthcare solutions
A light-hearted solution to encourage patients to return for care
An example of inviting people to donate to support a health foundation
An example of aspirational digital storytelling
Digital storytelling can nudge people to address underlying health needs
The Digital Storytelling Continuum
Whether you are marketing to B2C or B2B consumers, five core principles apply for effective digital storytelling:
- Consumer Action
- Digital Medium
- Digital Platform
- Messaging Tone
- Visual Strategy
- Consumer Action: at the end of the story, what action do you want your consumers to take?
- Digital Medium: how does the medium inform your storytelling experience?
- Digital Platform: similarly, how does the platform inform how your audience is engaging in digital storytelling experiences?
- Messaging Tone: what is the right tone for your message and storytelling experience?
- Visual Strategy: how do you want to leverage visual opportunities to enhance the storytelling experience?
DIGITAL STORYTELLING IN ACTION
- Make the consumer the hero of the story, not your brand.
- Leverage video—the powerhouse of storytelling—in your online vehicles for a compelling digital storytelling experience.
- Go beyond expected advertising vehicles for digital storytelling. Explore all the touchpoints of your consumer engagement strategies. Each touchpoint has the potential for a storytelling experience—with your consumers as the hero of those stories, of course.
You know your consumers are online. What do they want and need to hear from you? Better yet: how do they want to feel? Use digital storytelling to create human connection, lift spirits, and align your brand with their wants and needs.
