Video Storytelling To Promote Addiction Recovery

Ron Watermon • April 4, 2022

Using The Power Story To Reach Those In Need of Help

St. Louis, MO – April 4 2022 - The decision to get help for alcohol dependence or any other addiction issue is an emotional and deeply personal decision. I know it was for me when I sought help for alcohol dependence in 2015.

It was a life changing moment brought about by decision to get help. No doubt there is a rational side of the process, but let’s be honest…emotions are key in making such a decision.

It is akin to almost any other “buying” decision. Talk to anyone in marketing or advertising. Emotions are key to any customer decision to buy anything. Politics. Religion. Consumer products. Choice of doctor. Decision to go into treatment.

Story is the ultimate tool in any sales or marketing campaign. Video storytelling can have a transformative impact on any brand’s ability to connect authentically with their target audience.

StorySMART’s unique proprietary approach to video storytelling is a high-integrity, ethics first process that is designed to build trust between the brands we help and the brand’s target audience.

StorySMART uses only experienced journalists in helping our clients tell their stories. We are building a nationwide network of journalists to help small businesses, medical practices, addiction recovery centers, consumers and others tell an honest in an ethical way.

Journalists are high-integrity individuals that care deeply about telling a good, honest story. Journalists have a nose for news and a way of taking something complex and conveying it as a simple story that connects authentically with the target audience.

Our telling not selling approach is ideal for those within the healthcare or addiction treatment space. Our approach is about telling an honest story about someone whose life changed because of the care they received. Addiction recovery professionals and those in healthcare change lives in a profound way that can shared through video storytelling.

Over the last two years we have helped INSynergy with video storytelling. INSynergy is a medical practice that specializes in personalized care through outpatient treatment.

Paul Shankman has done wonderful work in helping INSynergy tell stories that matter in an effort to connect with those who need help. The stories we have told are powerful stories that connect.

If you watch Susan’s story, Jerry’s story, Tom’s story, Bruce’s storyor Jimmy’s story, you will see what I mean.

Seeing a real story about someone like you or someone you know can be a powerful thing. Reading a brochure or doing a deep dive into a website will help educate you about why you should get help, but a video story connects at a different level.

That is the power of story. We connect with the characters in story or we don’t. If we don’t, we stop watching. If we do, we stay with it. Just look at your own habits with watching series or movie on a streaming service like Netflix. If you like the characters, you will stick with it even if the plot isn’t that good.

Health care professionals like those in addiction medicine are in a role where trust is essential. They need to build trust and connect at a human level with their patients. Our high-integrity video storytelling model is founded on this fundamental reality. Every reporter adheres to our ethical credo with their work.

We have also designed things to be turnkey easy for the client. They don’t need to do anything but show up for an interview on camera. The reporter conducts an interview with the designated people for the story and handles all of the production heavy lifting.

The client gets an honest, authentic, high-quality professional video they own the copyright on. We are sensitive to those in healthcare who need to ensure patient confidentiality and comply with all HIPPA laws.

You will notice that at least two of our stories don’t show the person whose story we are telling. Paul did a wonderful job of telling those stories while ensuring the level of anonymity the patient wanted to preserve.

I am personally grateful to those individuals who have shared their stories as it is a gift to those they don’t know who are battling a dependence issue. By sharing their story, they are helping those in need.

They say 60% to 80% of the buying decision process is customer research. Today, that means a google search. People search 24/7 online.

Treatment centers should be following INSynergy’s lead in blogging and sharing video stories.The power of that process is incredible. When you post a video on your website, you are 54 Times more likely to show up in a google search. If you pair that video with a blog post of at least 350+ words, the written post acts as meta data driving search traffic.

By posting a blog with a video story, you will drive organic (i.e. not paid) traffic to your website. The other best practice is to build an email newsletter like INSynergydid to stay in touch with their alumni, referring physicians and patients.

The simple practice of staying in touch and sharing a story can have a profound impact. It reminds people of the great work you are doing and it personalizes in a way that connects authentically.

So if you are in addiction treatment, you should invest in video storytelling. Tell an honest authentic story about how you helped transform a patient’s life. Share that story on your website, via an email newsletter with your community, and via social media. You may not get millions of views on those videos, but you will reach those who need your help.

If you have the skills and time, you can do it yourself or you can engage a company like ours. Remember to focus on your audience and connect at an emotional human level with an honest story. Use the power of story to reach those in need of your help.

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