So your medical practice has a website. That's great! But the web is almost 15 years old now ? and just being ?on the web? isn't enough anymore. By limiting your practice to a 1995-style presence, you could be missing out on a whole world of patients who need your help ? patients who have grown up online and interact with the Internet in a different way than they did back when the web was new. If you're going to connect with the web generation, your practice is going to need to reach out to them in a way they can't ignore.

How? By reaching today's web audience through online video. Marketing a medical practice with video lets you build a foundation of trust with a patient before they ever walk through your office door. They can learn about your personality, your approach to treatment, and your quality of care. Consider these three factors that make online video so powerful:

Connection. Web audiences don't read; they skim. Study after study shows that most web users simply will not read large blocks of text, preferring instead to skim the text and graphics on websites. Internet users today demand a deeper connection, a faster, more direct way to absorb information ? and that way is video. From Hulu to YouTube, online video is exploding across the web ? and you may be missing out on the explosion. By embedding your own customized video programming into your website, you become a part of this growing new medium, giving your practice a chance to make a personal and emotional connection with today's web user.

Communication. It's often difficult to communicate complex medical information to patients and potential patients. Details of surgical procedures, the arrangement of the body's organs, the shape and function of surgical instruments ? all these can be sources of confusion and frustration for doctors and clients. Video communication cuts through the confusion; one short animated segment showing a patient or potential patient exactly what his or her treatment will entail is worth ten thousand words of clumsy explanation. When people can see what's going to happen to them in your office or during surgery, they're much less prone to be frightened ? which benefits both the surgeon and his or her patient.

Comfort. Let's face it: surgery is scary. The prospect of being unconscious with one's life in the hands of a recent acquaintance (that's you, doctor!) is enough to give a Green Beret the willies. And the clinical environment most people experience ? a world of harsh glare, beeping machinery, strange noises, and intrusive strangers ? isn't exactly comforting, either. Online video can help minimize a patient's anxiety prior to surgery. Using online video, you can show your patients exactly what's going to happen to them while they're in your care, from admissions to the surgery itself to the recovery room to the cashier. By introducing your practice and staff to the patient with pictures, words, and music, you can comfort your patients and provide them peace of mind, making them feel more at ease with you and your team.