Online Video Trends: Reaching Prized But Elusive Viewers
Healthcare consumers—the audiences that hospital and medical marketing professionals target—are increasingly difficult to reach effectively with video content.
Some of the trends in this techno-mash-up include cable television subscriptions, where the programming bundle includes a zillion channels…including dozens that you pay for, but seldom watch.
Homes with Internet and wi-fi service are streaming Netflix and other digital content. Add to this mix the new wave of folks who are “cord-cutters” (who quit their cable service), and “cord-nevers” (who have never been subscribers).
Video content remains one of the strongest tools to magnify your healthcare marketing, advertising and educational messages. And for many, a carefully crafted television media plan is wide reaching and effective. But the multi-screen, multi-device, multi-platform media world blankets nearly everyone. And, without professional guidance, broadcast media can be more difficult and more expensive to navigate.
Among the viewing audience trends: As cord-cutters and cord-nevers increase, “the time with online video goes up,” according to ThinkWithGoogle. In North America, “half of viewers under the age of 32 will not subscribe to a pay TV service. And six out of 10 people prefer online video platforms to live TV.”
The 18 to 49 target audience…
Not surprisingly, numbers like that bring the eyeballs to YouTube. Google owns YouTube, of course, but the research numbers are impressive. “In an average month, eight out of 10 people in the 18-49 demographic cohort watch YouTube.” And “in 2015, 18 to 49 year-olds spent four percent less time watching TV, while time on YouTube went up 74 percent.”
Tech-connected viewers have multiple screen options…mobile, laptop, desktop and living room. And “on mobile alone,” Google data tells us, “YouTube reaches more 18 to 49 year-olds than any broadcast of cable TV network.” And, “among millennials, YouTube accounts for two-thirds of the premium online video watched across devices.”
It’s clear that YouTube is an effective option for reaching 18 to 49 year-olds, particularly the elusive un-corded crowd. Plus, small-screens are ubiquitous, anytime-anywhere devices of choice for many viewers.
The YouTube platform is extremely robust, easy to use and designed to help users showcase their visual messages. Creating a branded YouTube Channel for your content is free of charge and helps visitors to explore related video topics and material.
Healthcare and hospital marketing and advertising plans should consider how to leverage online video for the greatest effectiveness. Let us know if you'd like some professional help. To get started, consider these informative posts from our library, or see how we transform doctor marketing by generating exposure and increasing qualified leads:
