Allow me to share a brief personal experience. I recently wanted to learn to arm knit a blanket. I had learned traditional knitting in the past (although that was nearly 20 years ago), but I had never tried arm knitting. I started on YouTube, where I simply searched for “how to arm knit a blanket.” Just 45 minutes later, I had successfully made a small blanket.
This type of experience happens for millions of people every day. YouTube is no longer reserved for humorous videos and music videos—it is the second-largest search engine behind Google. While people certainly do still watch humorous clips and music videos on YouTube, the content featured on the platform has grown to include nearly every topic you could imagine. This includes not only knitting how-to videos but audiology content as well.
In this day and age, your online presence as a hearing practice cannot be limited to your website, or even to a business Facebook page. Your patients—and potential new patients—are looking for you to share your expertise on multiple platforms and in various media, including YouTube videos. This is an incredible opportunity for your practice to stand out from the rest and to bring unique value to your patients.
YouTube videos are a great investment of your time and marketing budget, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to play out worldwide. Lockdown measures are still in place or have been reinstated in many areas, and even where lockdowns are not enforced, many people are voluntarily staying in more. One activity people have spent hours on while staying home is watching YouTube videos. According to Ofcom’s Media Nation report, a survey conducted among online adults during lockdown found that 42 percent had used YouTube in the last seven days.
In addition, many people are avoiding in-person contact when virtual options will suffice. For some, this includes avoiding in-person appointments with health specialists like hearing professionals. You may also be limiting your hours based on the restrictions in place in your local areas, your personal level of comfort, and the level of risk among your team. Telehealth appointments are an excellent way to meet with your patients without the need for in-person visits, but YouTube can also have a place here.
You might have seen in the news that many people turned to online haircutting tutorials during lockdown—and the same is happening in many other fields, including audiology. Imagine if your practice’s YouTube channel became the go-to resource for people looking for how-to videos such as “how to clean your hearing aid,” “how to troubleshoot your hearing aid,” “how to adjust the volume on your hearing aid,” “how to support a loved one with hearing loss,” etc.
Now is an ideal time to demonstrate the high level of value you provide to your patients by offering relevant, useful content on many channels, including YouTube. And do not worry about whether you are a great actor—YouTube statistics show that when choosing which video to watch, whether a video relates to a viewer’s interest is three times as important as whether the video features a famous actor.
To learn more about how you can use YouTube and other social media platforms to reach your patients in new ways, we welcome you to contact us today at AudiologyPlus. We are ready to help you grow your practice.
