10 Jul 2019 Using Video to Enhance Your Association Activities
If you’re not using video as part of your association’s activities, you could be missing out on new members, conference attendees, and more. According to Forbes, as far back as 2017, half a billion people were watching Facebook videos daily. Using video is a vital way to reach tech-savvy people, like the highly sought-after Millennials that so many associations would like to draw in.
Video isn’t just a trend; it’s here to stay and makes up the majority of consumer content online. Here are five compelling places where your organization should capitalize on this technology.
Marketing and Social Media Engagement
Using video to market your organization and catch the eye of social media users is almost a no brainer these days. Start by incorporating video onto your association’s website on the homepage. This draws people in and conveys a sense of dynamism you need to stand out.
Next, add videos to your social media posts, especially if you are using Twitter or Facebook. It’s common knowledge now that posts using photos or videos are more likely to get clicked on than those with text only.
Want to amass a following where you can easily spread news about your association’s mission and upcoming events? Set up a YouTube channel and link to your videos elsewhere online. Don’t just toot your own horn and spew what is essentially advertising at viewers. Instead, offer quick educational videos or interviews in your niche, so you are adding value for your audience.
Membership Recruitment
If you’re holding a membership drive, or if your group is looking for new members, video is also a great place to send that message. Let viewers know what membership brings them — not just status or insular awards but career advice, networking opportunities and education, as well. Show members in action, so others can see what it’s like to be part of your organization.
Courses and Credentialing
A wonderful way to make money for your association — and to simultaneously add vital content for members — is to offer video courses and credentialing. You must have pros in your association who can give talks on your unique area of business. Don’t let their expertise go to waste! There are dozens of DIY platforms today to make offering recorded or live-streaming classes a breeze. You can also do impromptu pop-ups on Facebook or YouTube to keep people tuned in to your social media lest they miss a great event.
Nonprofit Fundraising
If your association is a nonprofit, especially a charitable organization, enhancing fundraising efforts with video can let you stand out from other groups soliciting the same limited donor pool. You can offer free videos as donor rewards — think special classes or ask-me-anything sessions (AMAs) with your officers) — or use videos to show what you are doing with your funding. A photo of a medical clinic in a third-world country, for example, will evoke less of an emotional response than a video of your members in action bringing care to an underserved population.
Conferences and Meetings
Association meetings and conferences are a natural place to incorporate video into your activities. You can save time and travel headaches by having your board of directors meet online instead of in person. Bring in a busy keynote speaker from halfway around the globe via video (and save on travel and hotel expenses), or better yet, open up your main sessions and breakouts to anyone by allowing people to attend virtually.
It can take a few tries to get your video presence down, so on a final note, use these tips to shorten the learning curve:
- Pick a couple of social media platforms and work them well, rather than trying to post to all of them.
- Use the highest quality camera you can afford. While you can use a mobile phone, an inexpensive vlogging camera with a good microphone is a reasonable investment and will improve the quality of your videos.
- Use tags like you would with other social media content, so your videos show up in searches.
- Join forces with noncompetitive associations that are already leveraging the power of video well.
- Periodically survey your audience to ensure the content you are bringing them is valuable and to find out what they would like to see next.