Why You Should Add Video to Your Therapy Website
In today’s world, still images don’t always cut it.
With attention spans and concentration lower than ever, your website needs eye-catching content in order to entice people to stay and engage with it.
That’s not to say images aren’t important too, we definitely recommend having a mixture of different media on your site to keep things interesting, but including video will significantly improve the quality of potential clients you get hanging around your page for longer.
You don’t need to be a pro-filmmaker, either. There are plenty of options for you to edit, film, and upload videos to your website. Whether you outsource the editing to a freelancer, hire someone to film and upload them, or do it all yourself, it’s never been easier to incorporate this into your site.
If you’ve got a smartphone and a laptop then you’re good to go! If you’re still unsure why you might want to start incorporating video, keep reading to find out exactly why this will help you to stand out from the crowd and attract your ideal clients with ease.
1. Communicate information quickly
Video is the best way to communicate large amounts of information quickly, in an easy-to-digest way for your audience.
The truth of it is, in today’s world, the average human attention span has decreased and people are less likely to read through long articles or information about your services.
Instead, by using video, you can get across the same information in much less time and you’re more likely to capture people’s attention so they take the information in. Using video will also show your audience that you’re in touch with what’s going on in the world and provide a sense of professionalism to what you do.
It’s a great idea to incorporate video into your blog posts to elaborate on more complex topics. For example, you could use it to go into detail about a certain methodology you use in your therapy practice as a way of helping potential clients feel at ease about the process.
2. Create a connection
When you want to connect with new site visitors, video is a great way to do this. Building emotional connection can be difficult through words on a screen, but if someone can see your face and hear the message you’re trying to get across, it’s much more likely to resonate.
Don’t be scared of it, either! While creating a video may seem daunting, it’s actually easier than ever today. Most smartphones produce videos that are more than good enough quality for a website and you’ll be able to get a lot more of your story across easily.
Video also lends itself to building the ‘know, like and trust’ factor - that essential component of building your client list. The more someone can interact with you and learn about who you are, the more likely they are going to be to start working with you.
Know, like and trust is a marketing term that’s based on authenticity, knowledge and empathy. You can get all of these across to your clients through video:
Authenticity: when people can see you and hear you it’s easier to pick up on characteristics and quirks that make you authentically you
Knowledge: you can get lots of information across much quicker, so you will be able to better place yourself as the expert
Empathy: use rapport-building techniques and a friendly tone in your video to build empathy and show your clients you’re here to help them
3. Keep interest longer
When it comes to website retention, video is one of the best ways to keep people there. Google (and other search engines) rate websites that have a low bounce rate highly, so anything you can add that will keep visitors on your site longer is a good idea. The longer people stay on your website, the more that search engines will think your website is providing good quality information and will, therefore, keep recommending it to people.
Mentally, it’s ever-so-slightly harder to turn a video off when someone is talking to you than it is to click off a page full of words, so including a few videos across your website is a great way to improve your bounce rate.
4. Showcase your personality
Share your personality with your clients!
Whether that’s through sit-down talking videos or the way you edit them, videos give you the chance to be more creative. Therapy can be a daunting prospect for many potential clients but by presenting yourself as a real person, with real flaws and quirks, you’ll create a deeper connection that’s more authentic.
This way, you’re likely to put people at ease as they’ll know exactly who they’re talking to when they reach out and you can make a great and memorable impression.
5. Set yourself apart
You’ll be setting yourself apart.
Even in this day and age there still aren’t many websites that include videos on their site - in particular therapy websites. You’ll stand out from the crowd when you include a video and will be more memorable to your potential clients once they have clicked off.
Think about it; how much more likely would you be to remember a therapist who has interacted with you over video, than one who has written a standard bio on their ‘About Me’ page?
In an industry that’s only growing, now is the time to start doing things outside the box and become a true leader in your field.
6. Visual interest
Having videos on your website creates a lot of visual interest which, in turn, will keep people on your page for longer.
It’s all about catching people’s attention so that you can get across the information needed in order to encourage them to work with you. Video will do this. They’re quick, convenient and often more interesting than reading pages of text, so will ensure potential clients stick around long enough to find out about how amazing you are to work with.
Bonus tip:
Use a video editing service like Descript to add captions to your videos. Not only does this make your videos accessible to the hearing impaired, but site visitors who can’t view your video will volume will still be able to watch and enjoy.
