TIPS FOR CREATING A NONPROFIT VIDEO MARKETING STRATEGY

As the amount of video content published on social media channels increases, the demand does too. As of 2019, videos made up 80% of all internet traffic. This percentage has only increased, even as the cost of video has decreased greatly over the last few years. We can now shoot quality videos with a smartphone and distribution via social media is free. Even boosted videos are moderately-priced compared to other distribution venues.

To help you join the video marketing game, below are some video tips that nonprofit marketers use to get the camera rolling.

Know Your Audience

Think about who you want to see the video and what you expect for your video marketing outcome. Yes, Video is a tool to create awareness, but it can do more than just that for nonprofits. Think about using video to increase your fundraising. Google has found that online video is the best online method for driving donations – with more than half of donors making a gift after watching an online video about a favorite cause. Videos created for social media allow you to pinpoint the demographic you’re trying to reach. With Facebook and Instagram, you can specifically designate your audience according to age, sex, location, even interests, and hobbies. This gives you the option of modifying each video to custom fit the audience your trying to reach.

Keep it Short and Sweet

There are literally millions of different types of content trying to grab the attention of your target audience. videos of up to 2 minutes get the highest amount of engagement. Try to attract the attention of your audience in the first frame then keep them engaged with your storyline and messaging.

Use storytelling

Video is the best way, hands down, to bring your organization’s impact to life, increase awareness and communicate with supporters on an intimate level, in a very short period of time.

Video is the next best thing to being there for telling stories and educating people about your mission. The ability to combine interesting visuals, sound, and action makes video the most engaging medium and most folks’ medium of choice.

Storytelling helps you create a bond with your audience, and video is a perfect storytelling medium. Before figuring out what story to tell, think about what the interests of your audience are and what triggers them to take action. It’s important to share a unique story that is emotional and compelling to your audience. Videos showcasing staff, volunteers and those who your organization helps will be original and authentic. But these videos need images as moving as the words. After composing questions that elicit strong responses, interview the people who will be telling the story. Ask open-ended questions, shoot in nice locations with minimal background noise, then let your subject talk. What they say provides the narrative for the story. It gives you ideas for accompanying shots to make the video more interesting. A picture is worth a thousand words and a video is 30 pictures a second. The video would engage, educate, and hopefully, inspire action.

Educate your audience

Video marketing provides a one-of-a-kind venue to educate your audience on the importance of your cause, the need for support, and your work’s impact. So try to engage both the intellect and emotions of your audience by providing them information about your organization’s mission. The internet has caused people to become hungrier for information. Today’s donors are well-informed and they consider their gifts of time and money and investment. They expect to see a return on this investment. Videos let them see your mission in action and hear from those impacted most.

Have a clear call to action

What do you want your viewers to do once they’ve watched your video? It’s important to drive the viewer to take action at the end of the video. If your aim is to collect donations, then make sure your call to donate is clear. And remember not to confuse donors by forcing too many “asks.” Consider using links to lead the viewer to specific pages on your website that relate to your campaign. Other calls-to-action might include: “Learn More” or “Join our Mailing List.” Even an invitation to like, comment, subscribe are all calls to action. They already all meant to strengthen engagement by increasing the viewer’s investment in your organization.

Use all kinds of videos

For marketing and fundraising, the only thing worse than no video is a poorly-produced video. These videos are often someone’s first look at your organization and you only get one chance to make a first impression. It’s not a good idea for the video that auto-plays on the homepage of your website to look like it was shot as a 4th-grade class project. This is the instance where a professional look is needed to add more credibility and a clear representation of your organization. Other times, slicker isn’t necessarily better. an unscripted, spontaneous video of the reactions of clients, behind-the-scenes looks at programs and short vlogs can be shot on your phone and even broadcast live to social media. This type of video is intimate, immediate and engages the viewer on a personal level.

The biggie: Distribute on social media

To get the maximum value out of your video, you will need to distribute it well to your target audience. One of the best ways to distribute your video is through social media channels. consider running ad campaigns to get more views. And be sure to create videos specifically for each social media platform. Videos made for Facebook are best-received when they’re about 2-3 minutes long. Instagram videos are under 60 seconds. Instagram TV and Instagram stories are shot vertically rather than horizontally. All of these videos should be uploaded natively to that platform for the best results.

Through video, you humanize your organization and give your supporters insight into who they’re actually engaging with.

I hope you’ll consider calling us and discussing your content marketing needs. At The Giving Network, we produce high-quality engaging videos - and we do it consistently. The cost of our video content package is affordable and we will help you find a business partner to underwrite the cost in exchange for co-branding the videos. Each shares in the other’s success.

It’s a network of Giving.