How Healthcare is Driving Thought Leadership Through Video

Vlogs.

Are they something that you are incorporating in your company?

In the past few years they have exploded in popularity for a good reason.

They capture people’s attention.

But when thinking about them, healthcare might not be the first industry that comes to mind.

We had the chance to chat with Jennifer Sparks, Director of Marcom for Clearwave. They are successfully utilizing vlogs in their content strategy and we wanted to know more.

“Clearwave, a medical registration platform allows me to make a difference in people’s lives and so my passion for marketing really shines through,” she said.

Pictures, Er…Videos are Worth a Thousand Words

A big part of their content strategy has been the launch of their vlog this past June. Jennifer mentioned, “Video solves a lot. In a short video, you can go into what would take a 2-3 page case study to accomplish.”

“Video solves a lot. In a short video you can go into what would take a 2-3 page case study to accomplish.”

JENNIFER SPARKS,

DIRECTOR OF MARCOM AT CLEARWARE

Each week they cover a different health topic, appealing to most in their audience. This has naturally created a new level of brand awareness and thus has driven customer engagement.

Having low overhead, it has become a staple in their organization.

And the possibilities are endless.

As Jennifer explained, “I look at every video we create as a story opportunity.”

“I look at every video we create as a story opportunity.”

JENNIFER SPARKS,

DIRECTOR OF MARCOM AT CLEARWARE

However, the story is always carefully constructed. They need to clearly know what the call-to-action for the viewer is.

This is typically weaving together both a narrative and a data set.

“Our data is very important, and our job is to put that into a compelling story. The goal is to not lose people in the first 30 seconds of your video,” explained Jennifer.

“Our data is very important. That data is your credibility.”

JENNIFER SPARKS,

DIRECTOR OF MARCOM AT CLEARWARE

It comes down to being clear about the story that you are telling.

“I think of it as a series of postcards that tell the story. What would the picture and words be on the postcards? It’s basically like storyboards. I try to organize our videos along those lines. They all have a clear beginning, middle and end,” Jennifer enthusiastically told us.

Working with both the sales and executive teams, she creates topics. At the end of the day, it’s all about balance. Blending a good story and having strong data.

Oh, and we can’t forget the humor.

Aligning Sales and Marketing

Often sales and marketing are not aligned.

But in the case of Clearwave, Jennifer was happy to report that they actually are.

And the reason for that?

She explained to us “everyone is aware of trends and data. Based on what I am seeing, I will then keep that in mind when putting together videos to be certain that we are addressing those issues.”

Working closely with her Chief Revenue Officer, who has oversight of sales, you can be sure there is plenty of rationale around the picking of topics.

Educated Customers

“We find that people are entering the funnel a little more educated, so we need to make sure we are able to provide that information and answer very specific and tough questions,” indicated Jennifer.

She went on to say that she is like many marketers and her team struggles with reaching their target market. However, using a multi-prong approach which includes paid, earned and social, has helped.

“Using a variety of platforms and not letting one thing dominate is key,” she said.

Jennifer followed up by saying, “Also, make sure you are adequately talking about all your products. If you realize you are doing the same thing, stop and reanalyze.”

You have to switch it up.

If you don’t pay attention to what is resonating, you will fall behind.

“The solutions are in plain sight, but you have to be diligent about looking at the data,” she chimed in.

How have vlogs helped you and your company?

To hear more of this conversation, click on the audio link above for our podcast.

This post is based on an interview with Jennifer Sparks, Director of Marcom at Clearwave. To hear this episode, and many more like it, subscribe to the B2B Revenue Executive Experience Podcast.