Can I Record Videos Instead of Writing Blogs?

10th December 2020

Question from a physical therapist:

I would like to record my blog posts as videos, is that a good idea? Can I record videos instead of writing blogs?

Certainly, this is a great idea and I know several physical therapists who do this regularly! By opting to record videos instead of writing blogs, you can keep your audience’s attention and show your personality off for potential future clients.

If you are comfortable being in front of the camera (and if you’re not then I strongly encourage you to get comfortable by practicing) then video blogging – or “vlogging”, as it’s known – will be great for you. Why? For starters, it’s easy to undertake and remains one of the greatest ways to publish new content quickly and regularly.

As they don’t take much effort to create (usually it’s just you, or someone else in your business, talking to a camera) they enable you to take an idea and get it verbalized and onto your website then out to all your contacts, plus posted on all your social media channels within a very short space of time.

Another reason that vlogging is great is because it’s effortless for your viewers too. People want information quickly and watching a video is usually quicker than reading a block of text. However, you are going to want to give your readers/viewers both options.

If you put a certain spin on things, or point out something new, then you may find your video receives substantial sharing activity. It may even go viral! Remember to send us a fruit basket when you become an international superstar (we also accept payment in Hershey’s Peanut Butter products).

Record Videos Instead Of Writing Blogs: Transcribing

For various reasons – mainly to do with user experience and SEO factors – it’s important that you transcribe your video. Yes, that’s right! You will effectively need to write a blog to go with the video; what a cop out!

However, you don’t necessarily need to do it yourself. You can instead opt to pay an incredibly nominal fee and receive a transcript of your vlogging masterpiece through a dictation company.

You should get your videos transcribed using either speechpad.com ($1 per minute) or temi.com ($0.25 per minute) then include the transcript below your video. This means that people who prefer reading can scan the transcript while those who prefer video can watch the video right away or add it to their “watch later” list.

If you’re wondering why the 4x difference in pricing between Speechpad and Temi, that’s because Speechpad transcribing is done by human beings and is generally more accurate than Temi which uses advanced speech recognition software.

I recommend you try both platforms and decide for yourself which you prefer. Both perform better when the audio quality of your video is good, so be sure to use a good microphone if you’re shooting videos in a place with a lot of background noise!

In regards to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), transcribing your video into either an article or video description (on the likes of Youtube or Vimeo, should you be hosting videos offsite) gives the Google bots something to scan. By feeding the bots with your wealth of knowledge, Google can then rank your video on the topic that you have spoken about.

While some experts claim that Google (other search engines are available) can pick up on dialogue and therefore interpret your speech, the algorithms haven’t yet reached those Skynet realms of awareness. It’s still best to offer Google a transcription – like a sacrifice to the Gods.

Record Videos Instead Of Writing Blogs: That Personal Touch

If you’ve read some of my previous articles you might recall that I encourage you to use video as much as you can, and the main reason is because the more people see you talking directly to them, the more they will feel they “know” you. The benefit of that? It leads to them trusting you.

Vlogging is another opportunity for people to see you in front of them and talking to them. It proves that you are real and know your stuff. It also proves that you aren’t masquerading as a healthcare professional with intentions of harvesting people for their vital organs. This all makes you approachable, and nothing sells your service better than some confident and engaging words from you!

Your website visitors want to know who they will be meeting if they choose to come to your practice for treatment and, if you look at your Google Analytics, I can pretty much guarantee that the second most visited page on your website will either be the “about us” page or the “meet the team” page. So it makes perfect sense to make you and the rest of your team “familiar” to your website visitors.

You will build more trust with videos over dense paragraphs, which means your patients will be more compliant! Put simply, the more human your business appears to be, the more trustworthy it will seem.

If you give your videos a welcoming and family vibe, it will certainly result in extra client conversions. Again, when raking in the cash, we accept payment in Hershey’s peanut butter products. Hint. Hint.

Want to talk more about blogs, or take up our blogging service? Get in touch with us through our contact page.

A version of this article was originally published in Paul Gough’s Cash is King Newsletter in September 2019.

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Flemming Arnott

Flemming helps PT business owners all around the world to acquire more new patients by building websites that educate prospects, establish trust and ultimately generate leads. He has worked almost exclusively with physical therapy business owners over the last 10 years and has more than 20 years experience in the industry. Flemming is the "go to" expert for PTs who no longer want to rely on doctor's referrals and who put the patient experience first, with a desire to succeed in the new healthcare world.