Unlock Clinic Success: Elevate Your Online Presence with HMDG Creative’s Expert Photography and Videography

Katie Bell: 1:12

Hello, everybody. Welcome to this week’s episode of the treat your business podcast. My name is Katie, I am super excited to welcome you if you are listening for the first time, a huge welcome. I am really excited to be joined by Rob Curd today on this week’s episode. Rob, huge welcome for me. Thank you for joining me.

Rob Curd: 1:33

Thank you for having me.

Katie Bell: 1:34

I’m excited about this. So, Rob, are you have recently kind of taken this new venture? With HMDG creative?

Rob Curd: 1:47

Yes.

Katie Bell: 1:49

There was those people who are listening who might not know who hates MDG? Or don’t know who you are? Can you give me a little introduction, please?

Rob Curd: 1:57

Yeah, of course. So I mean, I’ll be surprised if anyone listening doesn’t know about hnd G, the leading MSK marketing specialists in the industry, most people have heard of my call the founder. And so he’s been on your podcast before as well. And so myself and Michael met a few years ago, and I was effectively servicing their clients, they had no way of producing high quality photo content, video content to really make their website sing and might click look their best. And so we’ve joined to create a new service, which is h MDG. Creative didn’t take us long to figure out the name as you can probably imagine. And what we’re doing is bringing high quality photo content, video content with a marketing lead approach. So it’s not just tell me what you want, will come and shoot it. It’s this is what we think we should have. This is what is most effective. And we’re trying to make that in a cost effective way for clinic owners, because cash flow is everything. And you need that great content, but you don’t want to break the bank. So that’s effectively what he MDG creative is.

Katie Bell: 3:02

Yeah, and this is amazing, because I think two things that you said that really resonated with me, Rob, first one is that I think probably I’ve wrongly assumed I’m a clinic owner, that it’s really expensive to and really costly. To get good quality photos and videos in clinics so often puts us off, doesn’t it?

Rob Curd: 3:21

Yeah, and it can be like the, you know, you can, I’ve seen quotes out there a minute, you know, 10,000 pounds for a day infidelity. And like, I’m not being funny, but who has got that money, you know, especially the amount of money that you’re charging your clients, the amount of clients you have to service in order to do that, it’s really hard to sort of wash his face. And so having a an affordable amount, you think I’ve got that covered, you know, just like your your marketing, your website, your accountancy, everything is monthly these days, and just makes it so much easier to manage.

Katie Bell: 3:52

Yeah. And the second thing that I think was really important in what you said was that we don’t know as clinic owners what we need, because we’re not marketing experts. But so the fact that you guys are new can come in Rob and say, Okay, let me get a feel of the clinic because we want the personality to come through. But you’re then going to direct us in actually what we do need into oxygen pictures.

Rob Curd: 4:16

Yeah. And I was in that same trap as a business owner as a videographer photographer, before I met Michael and we started chatting, and because it’s so hard to run a business service your clients, service your staff, but then you’ve got to be up to date, what’s the latest social media trends? You know? What is tick tock? The latest thing is Instagram rules, the latest thing and like, one, like you don’t care enough, but also you’re like, I can’t manage that there’s not enough time in the day to to think about that and research that. And

Katie Bell: 4:50

so Rob with you saying it’s as a business owner, like managing your business seven your staff trying to figure out your marketing strategy, all the things we’ve got to think about, what do you see as some of the mistakes we make as clinic owners when it comes to the footage and the photos that we have on our website and our social media profiles?

Rob Curd: 5:10

So I think the biggest mistake that I see on people’s websites and it is got to be stock photography, stock photography, stock video is it’s just shit isn’t it? Likely. I mean, don’t get me wrong, but the images are beautiful and obviously constructed, but it gives no sense of your personality of your clinic. I’m going to look at your website and think wow, there’s all these beautiful people and it looks like they’re in LA and then I’m going to turn up in your clinic and it’s going to nothing like that i It’s given me nothing other than making the website look presentable and getting a website up it just sort of screams to me you know, like you’ve you’ve ever got your car mot and you’re trying to look for a new Garriage you go into garages website and go wow, that workshop is really clean and tidy and they all look like they’re smiling while they’re fixing my car, but then you turn off and it’s completely different and Alright, it’s not the worst thing in the world to get a website up there and get your name out there get information but there’s just a disconnect and it just leaves such a gap for I could show myself and my staff and how presentable they are and how caring and, and how they’re going to fix you how knowledgeable they are. I just, I just think it’s, it’s okay, but it’s not the best you could possibly do.

Katie Bell: 6:24

And so if I were, if I was a clinic owner, we have lots of people listening to this podcast, Rob, who might be thinking about starting a clinic or are very new in in running their business. So some of them kind of build their own websites, which we know is not great, but sometimes they don’t know that straight away. Or they they just kind of throw something together, would you be advising them to pause and really think about what their website needs to have on and what it needs to look like before they just go down the route of three incidents together themselves grabbing some stock photos, would you say a better performing website is, is the better option than just having something there? In the early stages.

Rob Curd: 7:12

I mean, at the end of the day, you have to have something that you have to have information about where to find you and number to call that that basic thing. So if you haven’t got anything, then you obviously need something. And, you know, the website side of stuff is hldgs, you know, the idea with the creative side of things, but for my role, it’s and the phrase that we use is how do you punch your clients in the face, which sounds very aggressive, but it’s metaphoric, and you need to stop people scrolling, if you look at your own behaviours on tick tock on Instagram, you’re just getting this scroll hole where you’re just flicking flicking, flicking and recognise what makes you stop that scroll is it’s a beautiful image, it’s something that really sort of captures your attention, maybe it’s a smiling face. And that’s what we’re trying to do with the creative side is, someone jumps on your website, that they’re looking at five other physios in your area, what keeps them on your website, what stops them scrolling is, it’s beautiful images of your team. It’s a lovely video of, okay, this is what I can see, this is what I know what to expect, okay? This puts me at ease because some people are nervous about going to a chiropractor or a physio, and they don’t know what to expect. So if you can alleviate that, and go look, at least there’ll be kind of at least there’ll be nice, it’s presentable, it’s clean, look professional, it just going to set you apart from other clinics, I know the budget isn’t necessarily there, straight away. And sometimes you just need to sort of muddle through, get your website up, get that information out there, so people can initially find you. So you can get the money into them pay for the service. But as soon as you can afford it, I just think it’s worth its weight in gold is a bit like doing your own taxes. You know, it’s it’s a necessary thing that you do when you first start your business. But as soon as you want any money coming in, you need to live it’s professional, in my opinion.

Katie Bell: 8:56

Yeah, no, and I agree, Robin, actually, what I was reading some of your top tips that you’re, you’re gonna give away to our listeners today, rather than one of them if it’s okay for us to go there. Now,

Rob Curd: 9:06

of course,

Katie Bell: 9:07

actually, this would be really helpful for new business owners or business owners that might think oh, God, I haven’t got the budget. And the panicking about making this happen. Now, I always think, good creative stuff, Mark, a good website will bring you your return over and over and over again. So we need to see this as an investment rather than a cost. But if I’m that person that is completely overwhelmed by by costs and things going on in my business right now, I could just grab my iPhone.

Rob Curd: 9:35

Yeah.

Katie Bell: 9:35

And you put on one of your tips. Tell us about it, Rob, what we can do to just kind of muddle through in those early stages.

Rob Curd: 9:41

Yeah. So I mean, the first thing is iPhones a standard most people using iPhones same for other cameras as well, you in your settings, there’ll be sets of probably one of the lowest resolutions just because they want to save space, and they want you to feel like you’re getting more mileage out of your phone, it reduces the battery life. So if you’re using an iPhone, go to your settings, go to the camera, set your camera to 4k, that’s going to give you the best image quality 25 fps or frames per second, I won’t get into the nitty gritty of why that’s better. But effectively, that gives you natural motion, make sure using the back camera is far better than the front camera. And the other big thing is aspect ratio. So TV is 16 by nine, it’s a big wide screen. And that was used as a differential from the square hole black and white televisions when they were trying to promote cinema. Again, that’s probably more information than you need. But these days on social media platforms, we’re all using our phone like that. And that’s what those algorithms are gonna favour things like Instagram reels, you’ve got YouTube shorts, you’ve got tick tock. They’re all pushing that vertical video because that’s how people hold their phones. That’s where you’re going to get the most traction. Anytime that a social media platform introduces a new service, they are going to actively push your video because they want that to work. So you do need to kind of know we were talking about earlier about not knowing the trends, but you kind of need to know what people are looking at because that’s where you’re going to get the most eyeballs and that’s what’s going to convert the Most when it comes to social media, so think about those aspect ratios, you’re gonna go for that nine by 16 for Instagram and, and things like that, things like LinkedIn. So four by three, and you can change that on your iPhone, setting those a top banner, click that down, you can see four by 316 by nine, and you can change the aspect ratio. Another quick tip as well is, if you’re going to post something to say, tick tock, don’t then download that video and then post it on Instagram rules, because that platform is going to see that code from another social media platform their competitors, and they’re just going to pin it is recorded separately in your camera, then upload it separately to those platforms. So it’s not embedded with the others code.

Katie Bell: 11:56

Wow, I did not know any of this, right? This is This is magic. I love that. Okay. Let’s keep going with these top tips. Because that was a really, really juicy one. What else would you say are some of the key things or the best pieces of advice that you can give to our business owners?

Rob Curd: 12:14

I would say be careful if you do have the budget to pick a professional, be careful who you pick. You know, there are loads of local photographers, videographers out there. And it’s very easy to fall down the trap of thinking, right? This person is a wedding photographer, photographer, I’m just gonna use him because his images look lovely. And there’s something very different about taking a wedding photography, photo and taking a image for a clinic. Wedding Photography, it’s played by play things happen, the motion is either there or it’s not. You know, how many times have you seen a wedding photographer say, Oh, can you smile a bit more? Or can you cry a bit more or less, let’s bring some emotion into it, you know, but with a physio shoot, you need to be presenting your best self. And it’s, it’s not it’s very natural to have maybe a standard face or not look quite right. And so what someone like you know, I will do is actually direct that person, this image is going to live on your website for maybe two years until you update it. You need to be looking your best. We need to orchestrate this so that it looks safe. It looks people look happy. People look like they’re getting a great service. Same with the video, you need to be smiling. You need to be really presentable. In your video in your website, because otherwise, what’s the point? What What was the point in doing it? And then that goes the same for if you’re going to do the videos yourself? Yeah, you need to be putting your best foot forward.

Katie Bell: 13:42

Yeah, and that’s, I think that’s one of the biggest challenges that I know a lot of clients that we coach Rob one, we don’t like being visible for whatever reason, like, I think there’s a lot to be discussed around, this is probably a whole nother episode of why we we feel nervous to be visible, and we feel nervous ourselves out there. But I think it’s, we just have to kind of forget that for a moment. And we have, I always think, you know, the more that that we hide behind, you know, whatever. And we don’t be visible, the less impact we’re making on people’s health and wellness and people live. So actually, it’s our duty to put ourselves out there. And so worried about what people are going to say about us or people are going to call us out for saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing. But somebody like you makes it feel very natural makes it feel very easy. It’s not feel like you’re performing. You know, that’s where your skills come in, isn’t it?

Rob Curd: 14:43

Yeah, I mean, we have techniques to make sure people feel at ease. If we’re interviewing clinic owner. We’re shooting on two cameras, we’re shooting additional footage of the clinic so that when we stitch it together, you think, oh my god, I did that. It looks like I did that in one take and it looks professional, it looks polished. If you if you mess it up, you can do it. Again, it’s not a problem we can do multiple takes in, we need to make sure that that final video is the very best that you can do so that you’re not having to perform every day people can watch that video and see you at your best. And like I said we have those sort of techniques to make you feel at ease. At the end of the day like any skill is just practice. No one’s expecting you to go from clinic owner never been on camera to suddenly being Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie and the first actors and actresses. I could think of the body bad examples. But you it’s not an actual thing. He is practice. Practice makes perfect. And that’s that’s all it is. But

Katie Bell: 15:40

not you know, I have a rule that I don’t watch anything back.

Rob Curd: 15:43

No. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Katie Bell: 15:44

And because otherwise I’d pick holes in it to guide it look, right. Yeah. So I just I don’t listen to these back. I don’t look at myself when I’m doing because we are our worst critic, aren’t we but lays you actually getting stuff out there.

Rob Curd: 15:59

Yeah, exactly. Um, whereas if you are probably you do the same. If you do a live talk and you know, it can’t be edited. It’s a totally different frame of mind because you’re not thinking or what could we do this or that and so a lot of people get hung up on that fact that

Unknown: 16:13

Oh, that wasn’t quite perfect. I need to redo that. And like you say, you don’t then see the Edit, we go away and we give it back to polish, you think, Oh, well actually sounded pretty good there. But it’s hard to let go of that control initially. And get out of your own head. But we will help you that will make you feel comfortable. We’ll we’ll do a warm up. And we’ll plan the day. So you’re not stressed. So? Yeah, all it falls into place. And by the time you watch the end end product, you’ll think

Katie Bell: 16:38

wow, yeah, I actually do, like Angelina Jolie.

Rob Curd: 16:42

Exactly, yeah. I’m sure there’s filters out there that can do that.

Katie Bell: 16:47

I love it. I love it. Okay, so some of some of these top tips are, invest in somebody like you as early as you possibly can, when it comes to your website, and the creative stuff that you need on your website. If you can’t get your phone, change the aspect ratios do all of the clever fancy bits that you’ve just told us how to do. And use those rather than stock imagery. Make sure that if we’re finding somebody like you, Rob, then we are sort of careful about who we choose. Okay, can you give me one more tip? Is there something else that you’d like to share with our listeners?

Rob Curd: 17:30

Yeah, I think in your messaging, you’ve got to think about your customer. And that’s where that marketing lead video comes in. You are appealing to your customer, not other clinicians. And I find this a lot with other clinicians. They want to talk about what qualifications they’ve got, they want to use big fancy words. That means nothing to their clients, then the day your client wants to know, can you get any better or not? And, you know, think about, say, for example, you had a hamstring issue. You had it fixed by physio, you recommend it to a friend and you say they fixed my issue is really efficient. They were really friendly. Your friends, next question is, oh, really, what qualifications have they got people is obviously a necessity. But pick the end users doesn’t really care, what qualifications you got what big fancy words you can use to impress people, pictures from Oh, can you make me better? Are you going to be kind to me? Is it going to be efficient? It’s not going to cost me the earth, you’re not going to drag it out. And so I think you really need to focus on your messaging in that sense. Speak to your customer, not other clinicians.

Katie Bell: 18:31

Yeah. And that’s so true, isn’t it? Because particularly when we write the ad copy that we bought the copy that we need to use on our website, I know what I have lots of clients who use hm, DG, and it takes them forever. And I’m like, just listen to what your clients are saying. Because that’s the word you need to use, not all our fancy lingo. And we get so wrapped up in again, making sure we try to say the right thing.

Rob Curd: 18:54

Yeah, exactly. And that’s where the problem lies, where people say, you know, I got photos done for my client, I’ve got videos done for my clinic is expensive, and I want nothing from it. That’s, that’s where that marketing lead approach really comes in. Because we’re telling you, this is what you need, not what you think you might need. And that’s, that’s a huge difference in terms of your investment.

Katie Bell: 19:15

And I guess that’s backed up by the fact that because he MDG have got so much data on all of the clinics across the UK, you guys know, you know what search volumes are for certain things, you know, what, how long people stay on certain pages on your website that you, you can see that? So the price that you’re giving is really from a numbers place as well.

Rob Curd: 19:36

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, we’ve got data that shows that if you have a banner video on your website versus nothing, then it reduces the bounce rate. So yeah, is taking that data, that analytical approach, applying it to marketing and then making it creative and look look beautiful. And I think the two that’s why we created the service. That’s what taking Michael’s approach, taking my my approach, combined together. And it was just, it was a no brainer for us really.

Katie Bell: 20:05

And this is great, because we had some years ago had some creative stuff done. But the stuff that we got done, we uploaded to our YouTube channel, and we use it in so many different ways. Now we’ve been able to leverage that content to kind of into Multi Purpose ways, really. So it’s seeing that when you get really good quality stuff, it isn’t just a one use thing, know how to use it across so many in so many different ways.

Rob Curd: 20:33

Yeah, and you’d be surprised. So for example, you’re making videos about your services, which I think is a great idea explaining the intricacies of what shockwave is, you know, how it helps you how it speeds up recovery time. And you’d be surprised how much is left to the cutting floor on a day shoot. And so, you know, there’s loads of features that we can use, it can be Riccar that you can request that footage, we can do different edits, social media edits, you can you really got to bring out the sponge even if it is more affordable with something like hMPV creative doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it for that it’s worth you know, really, when that sponge push out on different social media platforms. He’s changed the edits up every now and again, use different photos on your website, change those up. You’ve really got to be on it if you’re doing it yourself. But if you’ve got someone like a marketing agency behind it, they’re going to push you to do those things. Without even having to think about it’s one less thing to think about. Yeah, love this. Love this, Rob.

Katie Bell: 21:31

So for all of my listeners who are recognising that their pitches are possibly absolutely dreadful on their website, and they’re thinking, I need to upgrade, I need to talk to Rob, I need to talk to Michael, how can my listeners reach out to you and have just a conversation with you to understand how you can help them.

Rob Curd: 21:51

So every clinic is individual. So what I’d recommend is just start conversation. drop me an email, Rob H ndga.co. UK, we can have a set of a call, chat about your challenges, because we’re trying to solve your challenges in your business as well. How can we use the data? How can use a marketing approach to solve that? Through creative? So yeah, we’ll have a unique conversation, build together a package and go from there.

Katie Bell: 22:16

Amazing. Rob, thank you so much for giving away. Thank you. Tips. I’ve learned loads, quite even believe I didn’t know that about the iPhone or the change in the aspect ratio. All these years. It’s been wonderful to talk to you and meet you. I can see you on screen and there are listeners come I can see it’s lovely to meet you. All the best with this new venture with HMD G. I know it’s going to be a massive success. Because because you’re in the right place. You’re working with a great person, and it’s what our clinic owners need.

Rob Curd: 22:48

Absolute Well, that’s why we’re crazy. And then yeah, I’m sure you’re gonna be right. Yeah.

Katie Bell: 22:53

Thank you, Rob. I would love to have you back again in the future to talk a little bit more about photos and digital stuff.

Rob Curd: 23:01

Maybe we’ll do an episode where the three of us, me and Michael and I’ll see if I can get a word in edgewise.

Katie Bell: 23:06

Good luck.

Rob Curd: 23:10

Thank you. Bye.

Katie Bell: 23:11

Thanks, everybody, for joining me on this week’s episode of the treat your business podcast. Join me again next week where we are going to be having Michael from HM DG he is going to be talking to us about all things SEO and I’m going to ask him some pretty big direct questions. See you next week.