The healthcare industry is a $12 trillion market.
Yes, you read that right. It’s “Trillion” with a “T”.
Which makes it one of the most lucrative industries for B2Bs to operate in.
However, as much as it’s lucrative, it’s also highly competitive where gaining the trust of healthcare institutions and medical professionals is a constant uphill battle.
This got me thinking: How do some B2Bs become favorite choices while others are left in the wind?
In this blog, I’ll take a closer look at how healthcare B2Bs position their authority using animated healthcare explainer videos.
We’ll look at what they are, why they’re important, and 15 powerful examples as we look at the bigger picture in these videos.
Image Source: F Learning Studio
When we’re looking at healthcare explainer videos, we need to look at this from a dual perspective
The first is to understand the use of videos in B2B healthcare marketing
And the second is to understand why those videos need to be explainer videos.
Let’s get clarity on each perspective by answering the following fundamental questions.
Healthcare, as an industry, is highly competitive and rapidly growing as we speak.
So when you see B2Bs in this field working hard to keep up, it shouldn’t be surprising.
But in order to keep up, you need accurate information and you need it quickly.
Let’s understand this with an example.
CareBit is a B2B SaaS brand most known for their practice management software specifically designed for private healthcare practices.
On their website, they show the various core benefits of their software as a dropdown when you hover over “Features” on their website landing page.
Image Source: CareBit website homepage
On the other hand, they also have this SaaS explainer video that also does the same thing, highlighting their software’s core features and utility.
Now I ask you this: Which one will grab your attention?
I’m willing to bet that you chose the video as going through each feature’s landing page is not only tedious but also time consuming.
Essentially what I’m trying to say is, when patient lives are at stake, you need to take care of two things:
This is true for both healthcare institutions in this space and the B2Bs that serve these institutions.
Explainer videos give your B2B the ability to simplify your healthcare offering while clearly communicating how it can be used in medical scenarios.
Thus becoming a tool for building trust and establishing authority.
I showed a very important reason as to why explainer videos make sense in healthcare marketing.
But it’s far from the bigger picture. Here’s some more benefits of using healthcare explainer videos:
Explainer videos, in general, have many more practical benefits across several other industries, ranging from B2B SaaS to Fintech.
To learn more, you can check out our video on the benefits of explainer videos here:
Coming back to our discussion on healthcare explainer videos, it’s now time to get some inspiration.
We’ll be doing just that in the next section.
Now that we’ve established why you should be using explainer videos for your B2B healthcare marketing campaigns, it’s time to get more specific.
Once you’ve decided on using explainer videos, you need to determine which type of healthcare explainer video is best suited for your needs.
In this section, I’ll cover the 3 common types of explainer videos, with examples and insights on what makes them effective.
Starting with…
These types of videos are made to market healthcare offerings, be it a medical product or a healthcare service.
Usually a tell-tale sign of healthcare animation videos is the reliance on demonstrations and other practical information like customer testimonials to build trust during the initial stages of the buyer’s journey.
Let’s understand these videos in detail by looking at some examples. Starting with…
This example comes from our client, OrthAlign.
When they reached out to us for this video, their ask was very specific.
To become a reliable companion for orthopedic surgeons during critical knee replacement surgeries.
So we used a combination of motion graphics and 3D product animation to bring their computer assisted surgery solution, Lantern, to life.
We took a structured approach with this video.
Starting by highlighting the major challenges in knee replacement surgeries and the pain points surgeons face on the regular.
Swiftly presenting OrthAlign’s offering as the solution and then using clear visuals to demonstrate why they’re the right choice for orthopedic surgeries.
Do you know what makes healthcare products so different?
It’s that they have a direct impact on your bodily functions.
So the approach to selling these products must not only be effective but also include responsibility.
Cardinal Health demonstrates this approach using this healthcare explainer video.
The first thing you’ll notice is how they use 3D animation to introduce their Influenza testing kit.
Animation solves the challenge of physical demonstration by turning the virtual presentation into the real thing.
But the video is designed in a very clever way.
While it’s made to address pathologists and the use case is demonstrated in a laboratory setting,
The information also aids in general healthcare awareness when it comes to Influenza and its preventive steps.
Notice the title of this video,
“The Solea laser takes the drill, the needle, the noise and the pain out of dental visits.”
Notice something special here?
Solea has clearly gone with the “benefits over features” approach for their flagship dental laser here.
By addressing a common pain point every patient has experienced when it comes to dental visits, Solea goes from another healthcare brand in dentistry to a relatable friend that understands your problems.
And to build upon this relatability, they use whiteboard animation to keep things simple and let the characters do all the talking.
An extra attention to detail that I really liked here is how they also animate the characters to showcase specific emotions.
Quite an exquisite touch that makes the video an extension of common human experiences.
Just like we saw for Cardinal Health, here’s another example from Abbott Laboratories.
Even though we’re still talking about a healthcare test, this one is a bit different.
We go from a pathology lab to an individual use case.
And in this scenario, the chances for human error become quite significant.
Which brings us to this animated demo video.
It takes a detailed, step-by-step approach to their Covid-19 Self Test kit and the exact procedures on how to get started.
When it comes to self-testing from a healthcare standpoint, clear visualization and demonstration are key.
Essentially you need to establish a medical context before moving on to execution to minimize, or even eliminate, error.
Animation has helped Abbott Laboratories do just that and present everything in a responsible way, aiding in information retention.
Not all healthcare explainer videos are aimed at the ordinary layperson.
There’s a need for videos targeted at doctors, researchers, scientists, and professionals.
Essentially healthcare professionals who need specialized knowledge quickly so they can do their job more effectively.
But because the information is so heavily technical does not mean that it should be tedious, either.
Here we see an example of an animated healthcare video by Thermo Fisher Scientific that solves this problem.
However, it still holds interest while explaining the data with exciting but not distracting visuals to reinforce the key points.
When you’re trying to get the attention of professionals who browse through immense amounts of data daily, there is still the need to stand out and be heard.
And nothing achieves that like a well-crafted animated explainer video.
Medical explainer videos are more extensive as they let go of technical jargon and simplify information in a more visually digestible way.
But don’t take my word for it. I’ll let the following examples give you a fair idea:
Have you ever heard of something called: Therapeutic oligonucleotides.
I know, quite a mouthful. And feeling confused when encountering complicated-sounding medical concepts like this is to be expected.
But for the right medical professional, the knowledge of this concept can make a big difference.
That’s the main reason why GSK has made this medical explainer video.
Animation has turned a complicated concept related to DNA sequencing into something that feels much more intuitive to learn and retain.
What I like about this video is that it’s not trying to be pretentious.
It uses technical language wherever necessary and also letting go of technical jargon when something needs a simpler explanation.
When FibroGen reached out to us for this medical animation video, one thing became quite obvious.
The healthcare information they wanted to convey was really broad and came from various directions.
Meaning, they wanted something cohesive that would help them put everything together and help their viewers connect the dots.
We helped them out with this healthcare explainer video.
Using motion graphics animation and whiteboard video animation established a good flow between contrasting visual designs.
Helping their message flow like an interesting story that encouraged full attention from the starting frame till the very end.
Cancer is a pretty complicated, heavy topic to cover and explain at the best of times.
It’s just as difficult to explain the various therapies and methods oncologists deploy to fight it and save patients.
But thanks to this medical animation video, Novartis could break down and explain CAR-T Cell Therapy with the help of clever and appealing visuals-- without ‘dumbing it down too much to be helpful.
Here’s an interesting trivia about low back pain.
According to a research paper published in the American Journal of Medicine by Andrew Zhang, MD, et. al in 2023, they cite:
“Lumbar disc herniations are one of the most common causes of lower back pain, affecting roughly 1%-3% of the population annually”
Why is this factoid important in our discussion?
Because this sets the context behind why we made this 3D medical animation video for SpineCal.
SpineCal’s approach was to spread awareness along with preventive measures to have the highest impact.
So we chose 3D animation to demonstrate their solution in a realistic way while also showing it unfolding in real time.
For this, we built intricate models using wireframe animation to imitate real lumbar anatomy and individual steps of the medical procedures to treat disc herniation.
Neuroscience is just as vast as the neurons we have in our brain.
The same applies to neurological conditions and their preventive measures.
Nucleus Medical Media uses 3D animation to educate us on one such condition, Peripheral Neuropathy.
Instead of going into technical definitions, symptoms, and medical interventions, it goes even deeper and paints an anatomical picture of this neurological condition.
Backing every detailed explanation with an equally detailed visual demonstration.
But we aren’t done just yet. While these videos use animation to beautifully illustrate medical concepts.
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg.
To see some more examples, check out next: “Medical Animation: 11 Best Examples of Enhanced Healthcare Engagement”
Our final type of healthcare explainer video comes from health insurance companies.
Health insurance, at the end of the day, is a healthcare service.
So the videos that are used to market health insurance are designed to attract enrollments in the most genuine way possible.
Here’s some examples to show you what I mean.
When looking at health insurance providers, trust plays a major factor in your decision making process.
United Healthcare understood this really well and this brings us to this animated video.
If I had to summarize their approach with this video, it would be:
“Don’t just take our word for it. We’ll show you the facts and then you can decide”
And that’s exactly what they do throughout the video.
They use facts and figures to show their brand reach, giving credibility a quantitative outlook that builds verifiable authority.
Since we’re on the subject of credibility, there’s one more way healthcare insurance brands build trust.
And that’s by using testimonials.
Perhaps the best example of this I could find was this testimonial video from Kaiser Permanente.
It depicts the triumphant story of Mariann Stephen, a nonsmoker who was diagnosed with early-onset lung cancer.
If his story of defeating a demon like cancer wasn’t inspiring enough, you’ll notice how Kaiser Permanente uses a unique animation style to bring his story to life.
Suddenly the narrative shifts from Kaiser Permanente’s cancer care insurance plans to what’s possible with their plans.
They visually demonstrate real results with a promise of a healthy future.
Aetna is a big name in healthcare insurance.
And they got here by being user-centric with their marketing material.
One such example is this health insurance video where they talk about a real patient story and how they made a real difference in their life.
It depicts the tale of Joyce and her heartbreaking diagnosis of breast cancer at the age of 44.
Using detailed 2.5D character animation, they take us, the viewer, on her journey from tragedy to triumph in a way that feels personal.
But I noticed something really amazing here.
Animation has enabled Aetna to tell a real patient story without putting patient privacy at risk.
Now that’s what I call a healthcare video done right.
At the end of the day, health insurance is something you have to avail voluntarily.
And when it comes to availing services, trust and convenience drive your every step.
But communicating convenience can go incomplete if your audience doesn’t get a proper feel for it.
Humana shows us how it’s done with this healthcare insurance explainer video.
It’s essentially an app demo video where they make it easier to avail Medicare using their platform while also showing you how to do it.
But here’s what the video does really well and separates itself from the herd.
It’s common to see health insurance providers rely a bit too much on the hard sell, making their content come off as too salesy in the process.
This video helps Humana prevent the hard selling trap and fully embrace the subtler approach.
To conclude our exploration, I have for you this thought-provoking example from Bupa Global.
This is probably the best video I have seen on The Hedonic Paradox.
In case you’re wondering, The World Counts defines this as follows:
“The Hedonic Paradox (also called the Pleasure Paradox) states that if you seek pleasure or happiness for the sole purpose of achieving it for yourself, you will fail.”
At a glance, this paradox might feel a bit off-putting and discouraging. But Bupa Global puts it in a positive light using character animation.
Essentially, this paradox is a discourse of how we react emotionally to our pursuit of pleasure.
Bupa Global shows this pursuit unfold in this video using several individual characters, each with their own unique personality traits.
This unlocks relatability with their video and keeps their audience hooked till the very end.
Healthcare explainer videos are specific and highly concise.
In other words, they focus on one thing at a time so as to not confuse viewers on overly complicated healthcare topics.
So make sure you first analyze the topic your healthcare video is covering.
Breakdown all the details of your topic and identify the ones that are the most important. Scrap the rest.
As for how you present your information, the general rule of thumb is to complement everything you say with a descriptive visual.
This will aid in comprehension and information retention and will keep your viewers engaged.
This depends on whether you’re going with live-action or animation
Generally speaking, healthcare explainer videos are majorly produced using animation and mainly employ animation styles like whiteboard animation and 3D animation.
My recommendation would be to rely on animation for your healthcare videos as that unlocks more freedom.
At this point, you have two choices:
For in-house production, all you need is an animation video maker software (to create the visuals and graphics and piece the entire animation together) and audio software to design voiceover and any sound effects to go with the animation.
If you’re short on time or the production seems too daunting to take on, you can employ the help of an explainer video production company who will get the job done faster (and within your budget).
Does the second option sound more convenient and now you want to take the first step?
Contact us here and we will help you out with your healthcare explainer video.
You can definitely use AI to make your healthcare explainer videos. But there is a caveat.
To get results that are similar (or even better) than traditional video animation with AI, you need:
So to help you out, we have compiled the ultimate guide to animated explainer video production using AI into a comprehensive ebook.
Curious to explore the fascinating potential of AI for your healthcare explainer video production?
Download our ebook for FREE here.
With all the examples we saw along the way, I can say one thing with absolute certainty.
Videos are going to play an even bigger role in B2B healthcare marketing.
And I did find recent video marketing trends that point to this exciting future:
So what’s the way forward from here if you’re a B2B in the healthcare industry?
You need to put more emphasis on your B2B videos and take it to the next level.
And the best way to do that is through explainer video production and video animation.
I hope this article becomes your reliable guide that aids in your healthcare marketing endeavors.
Helping you dominate the healthcare space and increase your impact in the long run.