Video can humanize doctors, treatments, and institutions more than other digital platforms This is evident in a series of videos recently created by Inova Children’s called “Ask CL (Child Life).” Inova is a large, local hospital system in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington, DC.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to people consuming even more content online and one of the most viewed video types in 2020 was explainer and how-to videos, according to a 2022 Forrester Research Study. Inova Children’s clearly recognizes the power of the explainer video and created content around the recently FDA-approved pediatric covid vaccination.
This is a great example of content marketing that isn’t high-cost production, yet is effective in engaging and educating its target audience. The videos are hosted by Jamie Gentille, MPS, CCLS, Director of Child Life at Inova Children’s. One is titled “Preparing for Your Child’s Vaccine” and the other titled “Pain Management Tools.” The latter demonstrates the pediatric toys and supplies they provide to make the vaccine as pain-free as possible. This includes a casual show-and-tell of a “buzzy bee” that distracts the brain, and a small topical numbing spray used at the vaccination site.
These videos are not resource intensive to produce (Inova has high-quality video production within their site in the areas of research and innovation, among other specialty practices). The explainer, “selfie-type” videos are set in the CL office at the children’s hospital and work particularly well for their intended audience of parents and their children. Jamie has a conversational, approachable tone that resonates with parents and their children. The content demonstrates Inova Children’s brand promise of being a warm, welcoming place for pediatric care. Good content marketing doesn’t directly sell your brand, but instead demonstrates your brand’s promise, while providing engaging, helpful information.
Inova’s “Ask CL” video series isn’t a hard sell on the hospital’s capabilities, yet positions the organization as a leader in pediatric care that understands the patients it serves.
As both a parent with kids who are now eligible for the COVID vaccine, and as a communication professional, these videos resonated with me. However, to really know the campaign’s success, engagement measurement is needed. The CTA at the end of the videos comes in Jamie’s closing when she says, “if you want to learn more go to innovachildrens.org or if you have more questions for our Child Life team you can go to www.inova.org/askcl.” I would have liked to see the CTA in text as well, below the embedded video player to track CTRs. Unique views, shares, and direct traffic are also analytics to consider. Given production costs are extremely low, I predict with the right promotion of Invoa Children’s video content (social media would work well here), this video campaign would have a high ROI.
Resource: Koeze, E., Popper, N. The Virus Changed the Way We Internet, 7 Apr. 2020 retrieved November 18, 2021 from <https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/07/technology/coronavirus-internet-use.html>