Among the greatest joys for a hospital branding agency is finding ways to differentiate a community hospital using the authentic expressions of real people. It's an approach that requires the ability and willingness to listen carefully, to ask the right questions, to wait for the answers, and to let the silences sit an germinate.
One of our labors of love for our Greenville branding agency is branding a community hospital right down the road, called Baptist Easley. The hospital is a uniquely compassionate place at the heart of a community of craftsmen, entrepreneurs, and rugged individualists.
In so much of healthcare branding you're called upon to articulate the benefits of cutting-edge technology (most of which nobody will ever understand). But sometimes, you get to tell a great story. And getting to tell these stories brought to mind three great reasons why video is such a powerful tool in health care marketing.
1. Video is credible.We could talk all day about the wonders of hyperbaric therapy. And we wouldn't begin to make the impact that Richard made in three minutes. People who don't know Richard can see that he is speaking from experience. People who do know him are amazed at his strength and determination.
2. Video is spontaneous.
When we sat down to capture this testimonial, we only had a rough idea of what Richard was going to say. We knew he was a cancer patient who had received wound care. But we were completely blown away by things like..."six months ago, they didn't think I was going to live through it..." or "I can do normal things like get groceries...or take care of my grandkids." Richard was so good at telling his story, the best thing we could do is roll tape and get out of the way.
3. Video moves. And it moves you!
A lot of the best work of some known as the "best branding agencies" is only possible because of budgets the size of third-world GDPs. But with a camera, some simple lighting, and a few minutes of conversation, we were privileged to hear some of the most amazing stories ever. In the video imbedded above, Richard, a man who has been fighting cancer for almost a third of his life, gives us a story about a little technology, some compassionate determination, and a remarkable bundle of humble toughness.
