Video is a great tool to help your supporters grow their relationship with your nonprofit. Pictures and words are powerful but video can really transport them into your world. That’s a great way to make sure that you’ve built a connection with your donors and can lock them into your cause for many years to come.
A big part of video clips on YouTube are soundbites. In non-technical terms, these are short segments of an interview. A common mistake for nonprofits is using an overly long or a very technical soundbite. Here are some suggestions for what you want to get from an interview subject the next time you get behind the camera:
I find the best soundbites are roughly 8 to 10 seconds long. That’s enough time for someone to make a point.
Try to use soundbites that contain some emotion. If I were covering a hot dog eating contest, I wouldn’t want a dry soundbite like, “The competitors will show up at 11 a.m. and they’ll start eating an hour later. Let’s see who wins.” Instead, I’d want a comment like, “You’re going to see something amazing at 11:30 when the buns and the hotdogs will be literally flying off the plates. If you’ve ever pigged out at a meal, then you’ve got to see this event to believe it.”
Don’t ask questions that only get a yes or no answer. Ask people things like, “Why is this program important? Why should I care about it? What would things be like if this program didn’t exist?”
At the end of your interview, ask, “Is there anything else you’d like to add?” This question can be a gold mine as sometimes people have a great comment but won’t share it if you don’t ask about it.
A reader recently asked me this question about Twitter: Is Twitter only for mobile phones? I don’t have one so should I bother with Twitter?
It’s a good question and I have good news if you don’t have a mobile phone that can access the web. Twitter is an application that can be used online with a computer or through a cell phone.
The only restriction is the usual one with Twitter in that you only have 140 characters with which to create your message.
I only access Twitter on the web through my Twitter page. Others like to use the social media tool through their phones, which they say makes it easier for them to make posts and read those from others. It’s really a matter of preference. I like Twitter but I don’t need to know what’s happening 24/7.
There are also some applications that you can download from the web that can allow you to better sort through an organize those who you’re following on Twitter. The list is always changing so probably your best bet if you’re interested in this is to Google, “twitter applications”
Do you remember when you were a kid, how you’d get excited about things that we’re coming in the future? Maybe it was a trip to the zoo, a movie, or a family gathering. You were looking forward to something and that feeling of excitement is something you can tap into as a nonprofit that uses social media.
Tools like YouTube, Facebook, blogs, and Twitter are great for this kind of thing. Let’s say you’ve got an upcoming event. Use social media to talk about it beforehand. Take me behind the scenes and give me something to think about. It doesn’t have to be long or involved. But let me get excited about what you’re doing.
A good social media strategy engages people’s curiosity. They want to find out more about, so why not let them?
Here’s a video clip I put together and posted on YouTube that was designed to promote a ballet performance. The piece I shot was brand new so there was very little I could do to promote the finished product until the curtain rose. So I grabbed my video camera and took some shots of rehearsals. Then I edited the clips to some royalty free music. Voila, I then had a behind the scenes product that I could promote to the public.
Are you worried that your YouTube video won’t be engaging to your supporters? As a nonprofit, video is a great way to take your donors into your organization. You don’t need flashy graphics or eye popping special effects. What you do need is good content.
Here’s a clip I recently came across that features a man discussing and showing how most of us peel bananas the wrong way. To watch the clip, click here.
In less than 90 seconds, you learned something new. It’s also something you could use to start a conversation. This kind of information is easily remembered can can be easily passed on. That’s the kind of content that can lead you to Internet gold.
The clip had a clear focus and a simple execution. Is there a process, a secret, or a demonstration that you can share with your donors? Then grab your camera!
Tags are special words that can help people find your online content. When I post a video on YouTube or write a new blog post, I’ll enter some keywords in a specially provided box.
This involves some strategizing. Let’s say I’ve written a blog on workplace stress. Of course, I’ll put in my name in as a tag (You’d put in the name of your organization) as well as the words, “workplace stress.” Some other words I might add are: job stress, stress, I hate my job, ways to improve your workplace, etc. You may also want to enter your geographic area. The idea is to come up with words or phrases that you think people might enter into a search engine, like Google. Your goal is to make it easy for people to find information about you and your topic.
If all goes well you’ll be able to pull in some new traffic to your website and social media sites. This in turn can help you further develop your donor base.
Do you have to use tags? No, but the potential upside is pretty good when you only have to invest a few minutes of brainstorming.
When you’re starting out with social media, it can be challenging to produce material for your blog as well as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter accounts. This is one of the major reasons why a lot of nonprofits stay away from social marketing. That’s too bad as they may have more material than they realize.
Often the mistake is thinking that everything you post, through every medium, has to be original. That’s not the case with social media. Most organizations produce a newsletter. A lot of time is spent writing it and it costs money to produce and mail it. Recently, I received one that took me more than ten minutes to read from cover to cover. I was an interested reader but I have to admit that normally I don’t have that much time to spend on something that comes in the mail and I think a lot of other people are in the same boat.
So why not reuse the material you’ve already produced? But now you’re using social media to deliver it in smaller chunks to your supporters. Take your newsletter and have each article be a post on your blog. As I’ve mentioned before, you can link your blog to your Facebook page so it will also appear there. You can use your Twitter account to alert people to the new posts on your blog and Facebook. Use the 140 character limit to write a good hook that will make people want to find out more and follow the link to the article.
You may even want to do a short, 2 minute, video recap of the one of the articles and post it on YouTube. This can be done with a webcam or a video camera. Simply take the content of the article and talk about it to the camera.
Online, people consume information in various forms. By repurposing the material you already have, you can better stay connected to your donors.
Your nonprofit has just held a great event. You have lots of great photographs but can only use a couple of them in your newsletter or annual report. So most of the shots end up in a shoebox, never to be touched again.
Why not use social media to get the most out of your pictures? Photographs are a great way to engage your supporters. Here are ways to use tools like blogs, Facebook, and YouTube to maximize your exposure:
Post the pics on your blog. Then tell people that they are there. Even better, let people know at the event that they can look for the shots within 24 hours. That way, it’s still fresh in their minds.
Along those line, post the pictures to your organization’s Facebook page. That way, everyone who is following your nonprofit, will be notified of the update.
Consider taking the pictures and turning them into a short YouTube video. With video editing software like Windows Moviemaker (should be installed on a computer that runs Windows) or iMovie, it’s pretty easy to turn the still photos into a video. Simply load the photos, add some music or narration, and put in some transitions (like dissolves and wipes) between them. Voila, you’ve got a professional video.
For a nonprofit, the idea of taking on a new marketing strategy can be overwhelming. But in today’s economy, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more cost efficient way to better connect with your supporters and the community. Tools like blogs, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are free to use. All you need is a commitment to your social media strategy.
With that in mind, let me cover some concepts that can help you succeed:
Take some baby steps: Your first move should be to set up accounts at the social media sites you want to use. This doesn’t take a lot of time. You’ll want make sure that you’re using and uploading the correct contact information, logos, and summary of your organization. While this may not be the most exciting task, it’s an important thing to do first.
Don’t go public until you’re ready: To many organizations try to jump into the social media pool with out knowing whether they can swim. If you’re creating a blog, write a few posts before you publish any. They’ll be safely stored online until you’re ready to share them with the world. This can take away some of the pressure to produce content. Also, decide how often you want to post on your blog. Make sure it’s a realistic and reachable goal.
Make a time commitment: Decide how much time you can spend on social media every day. This can be a minimum amount and it would be great if you can do more. But often people make a big time commitment that they can’t fulfill after a few days. Then they get frustrated and nothing gets done. To prevent this, pick a number and don’t leave the office until you’ve fulfilled it. Ten minutes a day may not sound like much but in a typical month it can add up to more than three and a half hours.
YouTube is a great way to give your supporters an inside look at your organization. This social media tool can add the, “personality” that traditional media like, newsletters, can’t offer.
But before you start sharing video clips withe the world, make sure you’re comfortable with your camera. Here are some tips to maximize your nonprofit fundraising:
Check the lighting: You’re camcorder may work great at a baseball game but how well does it “see” inside your office. You may need to turn on some additional lights to brighten things up. Outside light that comes in through windows can also cause problems.
Check the sound: Most cameras have a built in microphone. It may be able to get the job done well but there’s also a chance that the further away the subject is from the camera, the more of an echo you’ll hear. Make sure it’s clear and usable.
Listen for competing noises: Things like air conditioning, intercoms, and nearby conversations may make it hard to hear your recording. With air conditioning, you may want to cool down the room beforehand and then turn it off the A/C while you’re recording.
Check the image stability: In a practice recording, see how much your picture bounces. If it’s distracting, you may want to use a tripod or make sure the camera is on a flat surface. Remember as well that the more zoomed in you are to an image, the greater the visual impact of every move.
Ever feel like a little guy who’s going up against a giant? Social media can level the playing field. Musician, Dave Carroll, is using YouTube to bring attention to some bad baggage practices by United Airlines. Here’s what happened in Carroll’s words:
In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didnt deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say no to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise.
My hunch is that the bad publicity is going to cost United a lot more than a guitar. In three days, the video has had more than 640,000 views. It’s become viral on YouTube as friends pass it on to their friends. Carroll also is using Twitter to direct traffic to his clip.
For Carroll this will likely represent sweet revenge as well as a chance to get some very inexpensive publicity.
So what do you think? Can social media help raise the profile of your organization?
Posted by Ken Okel 
