Video marketing for non-profits: how to do it right

Seems like everyone’s jumping on board the video bandwagon these days. Video is hot right now. Even we’ve tried our hand at a little moving-picture magic. But that doesn’t mean video is the best idea for your not-for-profit organization. In fact, it’s easy to invest a lot of time, energy and money in video production — only to find that it just doesn’t work for you. As such, we’ve compiled this beginner’s guide to video communication to help you get the most out of the medium.

Video is a fast-growing and powerful communication tool.

There’s no denying the stats. Video is here to stay and is growing fast. According to last year’s U.S. comScore stats, the average internet user watches nearly 200 online videos a month and YouTube logs more than two billion views per day. And if that doesn’t sound like much (which I doubt), consider that there are currently around 6.9 billion people on earth. So yes, the video market is clearly an important one, and one you should probably look into if you want to make the most out of your marketing and communications efforts.

Don’t do video because everyone else is doing it; you need a strategy.

If you jump on board without a strategic plan in mind, your video efforts won’t be particularly effective. Take a quick look at YouTube and you’ll see how many individuals, businesses and organizations are making this mistake. There’s a lot of mediocre video content out there. Don’t contribute to that. Think before you shoot.

According to Content Wise (Issue 1, 2011), several types of videos stood out as winners at the latest Strategic Video Awards. With that in mind, we’ve identified a few of the types that are likely to work best for not-for-profit groups:

Emotional videos are big winners

Content Wise says videos that showcased passion and emotion were big winners at the most recent Strategic Video Awards. This means that not-for-profit organizations — which are all about doing good and the emotional pay-off that goes along with charitable work — are especially well-suited to the video medium. Consider video to tell the story of one of the individuals your organization has helped. Showcase that person speaking in his/her own voice about something he/she is passionate about — whether that be health, research, poverty or something else. These are the sorts of videos that pack a punch.

Showcase the work you do around the world

Videos that take people somewhere they wouldn’t otherwise be able to go are also strategically viable. For a business, this means a video tour of your office space might be of interest, but for a not-for-profit, especially one with global reach, the possibilities are endless. Does your not-for-profit help people in Haiti? Shoot your video there. Are you on the ground in Israel? Bring a camera with you. Video footage from distant lands speaks to people in a way that print can’t. Show your audience what it’s really like to be there — even when “there” isn’t a particularly nice place to be — and you’ll communicate your message more effectively.

Show your expertise and credibility

Content Wise also notes that “sometimes, the more you say it in print, the less people believe it.” Your organization probably employs a lot of very credible people, with lots of experience. Get them on camera, explaining the nuts and bolts of what you do and why, and you’re more likely to leave a much better impression than you would if your experts were quoted on your website or featured in a traditional print article.

The point is this: video is a powerful communication tool, but it doesn’t make sense to use it without taking full advantage of its offerings. Consider the points above, make a strategic plan and get filming. And who knows? Your video efforts may even “go viral.” (We’ll write more on the “viral” phenomenon in a later post. For now, baby steps.)

_{Creative commons digital camera photo by emre nacigil from Stock Xchng.}