Content Tactics for Your Video

In the absence of a strategy, here are a few simple things to leverage your video content

You’ve heard it before, video is the most important format for conveying your brand and your message on the Internet, especially if you are a non-profit. And in case you aren’t a convert, here are just a few quick facts:

Eighty percent of your webpage visitors will watch a video, while only 20% will actually read an article;
Video in email can boost open rates by 20 percent and increase click-through rates 2-3X;
Your site Is 50 times more likely to appear on the first page of search engine results if it includes video; and
Web pages with embedded video draw 3x’s more inbound links.

There’s also a bunch of evidence to suggest that video calls-to-action perform two-to-three times more effectively than text or static image appeals.

But even as all this evidence piles up, non-profits have been slow to adopt strategies that leverage the power of video. While 92 percent of non-profit managers think video is import, only 26 percent think that they are good at it. And fewer than that have actually adopted a formal video content strategy. What’s keeping groups from moving on this more quickly? It’s the usual culprits: budget, staff resources, and an inability to measure the impact of the extra effort.

This isn’t surprising really. Changing the culture and operations of any organization takes time, but I see anecdotal evidence everyday from our clients that the video bug is starting to infect non-profits. For example, we see a lot of pressure coming down from the boardroom and the C-suite to adopt a video-centric strategy. “Storytelling” is a powerful concept that’s taken root over the past couple of years. But from our experience, its a double edged sword for the communications staff tasked with implementing this vision. They are given limited budgets to produce the videos, and no budget, or time, to distribute them… to actually make use of them.

I expect that over the next couple of years, this will change dramatically, but in the meantime, if you’ve got some video projects in the works, or on the shelf, there are some simple things you can do to take advantage of that content. And to start moving your organization in the right direction:

YouTube – This may seem like a no-duh, but its worth mentioning anyway, especially if you use Vimeo or Brightcove, you should ALWAYS post a copy of your video to YouTube, the world’s second largest search engine. And while you are at it, sign up for a non-profit account. This one outlet probably deserves an entire blog post all its own, but I’ll just mention two more things: a) use the “annotations” feature to place links within your video; and b) fill out that meta-data!
Social Media – Don’t forget to post it on Facebook and Tweet about it. You’d be surprised how few of our clients do that.
Multiple Version – A common scenario for us is that an organization hires us to webcast its annual meeting. That event will usually features subject experts, keynote speakers, and other folks who likely have a following of their own. Make a second version of the event featuring each speaker, then ask those folks to share it on their blog. Or make a short highlight version of the event, with a link to the full version.
Narrowcast – Whenever I ask a client, “Who is your target audience?” The first response is usually, “the general public.” That’s fine of course, but it greatly reduces the chances that anyone will watch the video and take action, One of the best performing videos we have is not one of our finest productions. It is just a simple little video, that provides good information, and is targeted to a VERY specific audience. It’s generated a lot of leads for our client. Check it out.
Post With a Visual – tell your supporters about the video through emails and by featuring it on your homepage and a landing page. And for the love of God, if you can’t embed the video at the top of the page, at least add a picture with a little “play” triangle that links to it.

I’d love to hear some of the tips and tricks you’ve implemented to get more milage out of your videos.

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