It’s a tough time for nonprofits and I want to pass on some marketing advice. Follow this link to read a two part article that will change the way you think of potential supporters of your organization. While the it was written for the sales world, you’ll find a ton of applications for the nonprofit world.
Nowadays you have to be strategic. Let me know what you think.
Several studies have found that you have less than 10 seconds to capture a visitor’s attention on your hompage. So despite the fact that you’ve designed a wonderful website, they may never see anything more than the homepage. How do you get them to stick around and look around? Embed a welcome video on your homepage.
This is easy to do with YouTube. The video doesn’t have to be long. In fact, it can be better if it’s less than 30 seconds. Welcome people, put a face on your organization, and tell them a quick fact or two. That’s all you need to do. Click here to see an example of this kind of welcome video from my speaking website.
When it comes to recording their nonprofit’s YouTube video, some people freeze up on camera. Off camera, they know what they want to say but once they’re ready to start talking for the video, they go blank. It’s a common social media challenge.
A new, free online application can help with this challenge. http://www.easyprompter.com/ allows you to type in a script and then view it on your computer as you would through a professional teleprompter. This could work especially well if you are reading into a computer’s webcam.
The application also lets you adjust font size, scrolling speed, and the capitalization of words. As a broadcasting veteran, I found it to be a good tool.
A word of caution: It does take practice to read a teleprompter and not sound mechanical. I would probably use it as a cue for major topics or important phrases, rather than every word of your video. Nevertheless, this is a very budget friendly tool that can make your YouTube clips a lot more user friendly.
A lot of nonprofits get nervous when it comes to editing video. They’ve taken the time to record a clip but are afraid to share it with the world because of some minor technical issues. This could be as much as someone saying, “Is it on?” at the start of a recording. Don’t miss out on this great social media tool.
At first, video editing can be a bit intimidating but over time it will become easier. If you are new to it, you might want to try a new service from YouTube called Video Editor. It can be accessed through this link: http://www.youtube.com/testtube
It allows you to do some basic editing to your previously uploaded YouTube clips. I found it to be pretty user friendly. It’s not as flexible as other editors, like Windows Moviemaker (which is free from Microsoft), but it’s also less complicated. You can trim the start and end of clips, mix and match different clips together, and add some music to your project.
Don’t let a fear of editing keep you from sharing your video message with your community.
In the past I’ve talked about how nonprofits can get terrific exposure by having a Facebook fan page. Facebook is one of the most popular websites in the world. Doesn’t it make sense to associate your organization with it? Remember people are much more likely to see your updates on Facebook than on your website.
I Facebook "Like" You!
With that in mind, in the past you wanted people to become, “fans,” of your page on Facebook. But now things are slightly different. Facebook has switched out being a “fan” with “liking” a page. So you need to tell people who might want to join your Facebook presence to click the “like” button.
Facebook likes to make these occasional tweaks to its system even though they sometimes seem to be change for changes sake. Nevertheless, Facebook is a great platform for connecting with your followers.
YouTube continues to be a great tool for nonprofits wanting to connect and market with their fans. With newspaper and TV staffs cut dramatically, why rely on these outlets to get your message out to the public? Take control of your message and your future.
Today I want to show you a short clip from a ballet company. The group wanted to find a fun way to raise awareness of its annual performance of The Nutcracker. They took a nutcracker doll and took pictures of it around the city. The pictures were edited together and then added a “ticking” sound. A couple of full page graphics were added and voila, the group had a video. Other than time, the project cost nothing.
This video was made without the use of any video. Just still pictures and graphics. It was edited with Windows MovieMaker, a free program. With YouTube, its easy to share the clip and even post it to social media sites like Facebook or embed it into a website.
You’ve probably heard about blogging but may not know how to get started. It’s an important and free social media tool that you need to use.
With the downsizing of the media, you’re going to have a much harder time getting coverage of your organization. Doesn’t it make sense to control your message and make sure it’s being heard by your supporters?
If it’s important to you to get a good return on investment of your time, then you need to invest in the presentation below. You’ll find out how to get started, how blogs can be multi-media platform, and how often you should be blogging.
Click on this picture to be taken to the online presentation.
Remember that social media marketing is not an exact copy of print marketing. Make sure that on your website or blog, you are limiting the number of words that you use. Pictures and video can sometimes say a lot more than just words.
Recently, on my speaking website I removed some copy and replaced it with a short, 38 second video. The goal was to create a short welcome that would also lay out the purpose of the website and my speaking business.
Through YouTube, I’ll be able to track the number of times people have watched it. I think the home page of the site now looks a bit more dynamic with the clip and also make the reader not shake in horror at having to read a lot of copy. Depending on the results, I may create a brief video for some of the other pages, that would give the basics about what the page is about.
YouTube is a free tool and embedding a video can improve the look and “readability” of your website.
A nonprofit I’m involved with has an event it wants to promote. There isn’t a promotion budget though so we decide to use social media and create a very simple YouTube video.
The event will feature a nationally known presenter but we can’t interview her ahead of time in person as she lives in a different part of the country. No problem! We record an interview with her over the phone (with her permission). Later I edit together the soundbites add a few graphics and pictures.
Now we have a short video that we can embed in the website and upload to a Facebook page. These two things are possible by posting the clip on YouTube.
Simple, effective, and memorable. Here’s the clip:
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Uncategorized, Social Media for nonprofits, Social Media for nonprofits who want to use twitter, youtube and facebook, youtube, social media | Tagged: youtube, ken okel, marketing, Social Media for nonprofits, nonprofit, video length, youtube ideas, nonprofit communication, nonprofit marketing | 
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Posted by Ken Okel 
