Why Healthcare Needs Smarter Video Content
The healthcare industry has a unique challenge: conveying complex, sensitive information in a way that’s clear, empathetic, and trustworthy. This means creating healthcare videos that deliver results.
Yet, thousands of well-meaning healthcare videos sit idle on YouTube, barely watched, rarely shared, and never driving the change they were made for. Video is the ideal format to meet that challenge.
That’s where strategy comes in. (And why so many videos fail without it.) Using the proven HHHG model by Jon Mowat and insights from Ben Amos’ full-funnel approach, this guide will walk you through the 10 most effective types of healthcare videos and show you how to align each one with a clear purpose in your video marketing funnel.
What Are Hero, Hub, Help, and Go Videos?
Understanding your video’s role in the marketing funnel is crucial. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Hero Videos – Big, bold, emotionally engaging videos designed to drive awareness. Often campaign-style.
- Hub Videos – Regular, value-driven content aimed at keeping your audience engaged over time.
- Help Videos – Educational or how-to content designed to answer specific questions (SEO-friendly).
- Go Videos – Conversion-focused videos made for decision points in the funnel (e.g., testimonials, service explainers).
Each has a distinct purpose and supports a specific stage of the funnel:
1. Patient Education Videos
- Type: Help Video
- Funnel Stage: Awareness/Retention
- What it is: Informative videos that educate patients about specific health conditions, treatments, or wellness tips in an accessible and engaging way.
- Why it works: Animated and friendly, it provides bite-sized advice that’s digestible and relatable, improving patient understanding.
- How to use it: Create a library of short videos addressing common conditions or FAQs and host them on your website’s education centre or YouTube channel to improve SEO and patient engagement.
- Example:
2. Caregiver & Staff Training Videos
- Type: Help Video
- Funnel Stage: Consideration/Retention
- What it is: A series of training videos providing training in whatever field is required. The great thing about video training is it can be watched in any place, and at any time making it economical and practical. People tend to prefer video learning too.
- Why it works: Empowers caregivers with real-world, applicable skills. Demonstrates expertise and commitment to quality care.
- How to use it: Build trust with patients and families by offering free or gated video resources for home carers or new staff as part of onboarding and outreach.
- Example: Gawenda Seminars Outpatient Therapy: CPT Codes for Caregiver Training Services:
This video is rather dry for anyone other than those caregivers whose job depends on the training, this video is made more interesting by being lit well in a pleasant home-looking location. Whether this backdrop was chosen or just happened to be the speaker’s house it makes the video more appealing and therefore it’s more likely to be watched.
3. Promotional Videos for Services
- Type: Go Video
- Funnel Stage: Decision
- What it is: Marketing-oriented videos that promote healthcare services or facilities by highlighting benefits, outcomes, and patient stories.
- Why it works: Combines expert insights with emotive patient stories. Perfect for converting curious viewers into enquiries.
- How to use it: Embed these on landing pages for specific services, share them in follow-up emails, and use them in social campaigns targeting those actively researching solutions.
- Example: Empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care.
One of my favourite promotional videos for promoting a healthcare clinic. Although made over 10 years ago this video cleverly uses text to portray the thoughts and feelings of those in the Cleveland Clinic. It highlights the reality of what people are going through in a hospital, portraying the clinic as the guide of the story.
4. Awareness Campaigns
- Type: Hero Video
- Funnel Stage: Awareness
- What it is: A scripted narrative showing how small gestures of support can make a huge difference in a friend’s mental health journey.
- What it is: Emotion-driven content created to raise public awareness around specific health issues or behaviours and drive large-scale engagement.
- How to use it: Use it as part of broader awareness campaigns on social media, especially during national health events. Amplify through paid media to maximise reach.
- Example: The World Health Organisation (WHO)
I had a black dog, his name was depression. This animated video may be over 12 years old now but with over 12M views it’s had a big impact on those wanting to understand the impact of depression. Using Winston Churchill’s metaphor of depression being like a black dog this video helps educate and raise awareness of this condition.
5. Explainer Videos for Complex Medical Procedures
- Type: Help/Go Video
- Funnel Stage: Consideration/Decision
- What it is: Videos that break down complex medical procedures or treatments into easy-to-understand visual stories for patients and their families.
- Why it works: Uses 3D animation to demystify a daunting procedure. Builds confidence and reduces anxiety.
- How to use it: Place these videos on procedure pages, in consultation follow-up emails, or within waiting room displays to prepare patients for what’s ahead.
- Example: Rectal Bleeding – Patient Education Animation
This video by F.Learning Studio helped educate what to do in case of discovering rectal bleeding and what could be the cause of it. It uses animation to explain a topic that might be too crass for live-action. The beauty of this type of video is the way it simplifies the complex.
6. Virtual Tours & Service Introductions
- Type: Go Video
- Funnel Stage: Decision
- What it is: Visual tours or introductions to your healthcare facility or service, designed to create familiarity and ease anxiety before a patient’s first visit.
- Why it works: Helps prospective patients feel comfortable and informed. Great for private hospitals and specialist clinics.
- How to use it: Add virtual tours to your website’s homepage or contact page to boost conversions, and include them in welcome emails to new patients to reduce first-visit anxiety.
- Example: The London Clinic – Virtual Tour
This live-action tour video for the London Clinic shows the effectiveness of the tour video. The walk-through gives reassurance of what to expect and shows the home-like feel of the location. Seeing the consultants with patients makes this clinic feel friendly and less intimidating.
7. Health Tech & AI Integration Videos
- Type: Hero/Hub Video
- Funnel Stage: Awareness/Consideration
- What it is: Videos that explain the impact of new technologies and AI tools in healthcare. Showcasing the latest technological advancements for aiding patients.
- Why it works: Positions brand as innovative. Makes complex technology accessible and relevant.
- Example: This video from Nvidia uses animations, motion graphics and live action along with voice-over to show how its AI technology is helping transform healthcare by helping doctors save time and ultimately patient’s lives.
8. Home Health Services
- Type: Help Video
- Funnel Stage: Awareness/Retention
- What it is: Educational content designed for family members or caregivers that provides guidance on delivering healthcare support in a home setting.
- Why it works: Offers sensitive, actionable advice in a compassionate tone. Perfect for building trust.
- Example: Alzheimer’s Society: ‘Once you know, you can deal with it’
This case study uses Helen who was diagnosed with dementia and is cared for at home by her husband Ray. It’s a lovely story of Helen’s love of puzzles and singing. The video’s call to action is to get checked for dementia as early as possible so both the patient and the carer can get the support they need.
9. Telehealth & Remote Care
- Type: Help Video
- Funnel Stage: Consideration/Onboarding
- What it is: Instructional content helping patients understand how to access and navigate remote consultations, improving digital confidence and experience.
- Why it works: Reduces tech anxiety and makes telemedicine accessible. Practical, visual guidance.
- Example: Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust: Your video appointment
Using the Problem, agitate, solution (PAS) framework this video for the NHS uses animation to help explain the video appointment system patients can use. The animation makes it look fun, friendly and simple.
10. Recruitment Videos
Example:
- Type: Hero/Go Video
- Funnel Stage: Awareness/Decision
- What it is: Culture-driven videos aimed at attracting new talent by showcasing team values, real employee stories, and the work environment.
- Why it works: It tells a human-centred story that connects emotionally while also providing insight into the working environment, which is key for attracting top healthcare talent.
- How to use it: Use recruitment videos on careers pages, at job fairs, and in LinkedIn or YouTube ad campaigns to attract mission-aligned professionals who resonate with your values and workplace culture.
Strategy First
Video content for the healthcare sector is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a must. But video without strategy is like prescribing medicine without a diagnosis. To connect with patients, partners, or clients, each video must be created with purpose.
That’s where Visualante Creative comes in. We help healthcare brands build full-funnel video strategies that educate, engage, and inspire.
If you’re planning your next healthcare video campaign, let’s create something meaningful. Book a free strategy call today.
