Healthcare organizations spend an enormous amount of time demonstrating their expertise. While that matters for building trust and winning patients, it’s not typically what people connect with first. If you want to earn the trust of your audience, that starts with people-first storytelling.
If your brand only communicates in metrics and polished messaging, you’re missing the most persuasive asset you have: the humans behind the work. Here’s what to change so you can forge real connections.
Why the Human Side Matters More Than Ever
Trust in institutions, including hospitals and pharmacies, is steadily declining. Healthcare decisions are often emotional before they are rational. If a patient has low trust in healthcare organizations in general, that emotional sentiment can impact how they evaluate your system.
Patients are asking themselves:
- Do I feel safe here?
- Do they actually understand people with my condition?
- Are there compassionate providers and staff behind the brand?
Showcasing your team and culture answers those questions in a powerful, positive way.
What Humanizing Your Brand Means
There’s a common misconception that “humanizing” a brand means becoming more lax about professional standards or adopting a casual tone. Neither of those things is the case, though. It’s about being visible. Here are examples of how you can humanize your healthcare brand:
- Show the faces behind the work
- Share real patient stories
- Let personality come through
You want patients to walk through the doors feeling like they already know the business and have a connection with the team.
6 Types of Personal Content That Resonate With Your Audience
To help you connect on a deeper level, consider these six types of people-first content:
1. Team Spotlights
Spotlighting team members is a classic tactic, but the old-school approach isn’t all that effective. Instead, you should skip the rigid bios and focus on what makes people human. For example, you could create a video showcasing a day in the life of different professionals, such as a respiratory therapist or a care coordinator.
2. Behind-the-Scenes Moments
Pull back the curtain on how your organization actually operates. You could film content showcasing team meetings, making upgrades to the facility, or navigating internal collaboration moments. You can even incorporate care areas into your content, so long as no actual patients are featured without the appropriate consent.
3. Mission in Action
Every healthcare organization says that they care about outcomes, and they do. But your audience doesn’t want to hear the same old message repeated. Show them how you are working toward your goals and living your values. This approach connects the hard work you do every day to tangible outcomes that make life better for patients.
4. Leadership With a Voice
Executives shouldn’t form every message like a press release. Get your C-suite involved in content creation and encourage them to be themselves.
You want to give them a chance to bring their personality and unique leadership styles to the videos. Execs can participate in content like personal reflections on where healthcare is heading and how your organization is evolving to keep giving patients great experiences.
5. Culture Content That Isn’t Fluff
Skip out on the generic “we love our team” posts. Show what makes your business a great place to work, and an even better place to become a patient. For example, you could film behind-the-scenes content showing what onboarding actually looks like. This type of content attracts fresh talent and builds patient trust.
6. Real Conversations
Not everything needs to be perfectly produced. Short-form videos can be a bit raw and authentic. Opt for a more casual approach, as long as the content stays within your brand guardrails and doesn’t harm patient trust.
Getting Started Matters Most, Not Perfection
With so many options and so much attention on your brand, it can be easy to get overwhelmed and freeze. Resist the urge to create the perfect campaign or piece of content. Instead, work with your leadership and marketing teams to put together an actionable plan. Then, get started producing winning content.
When you capture your point of view in personalized, human-first content, you can watch the trust grow.
