This post wasoriginally publishedby Nonprofits Source and is shared with their permission.Think for a second, how many videos have you watched this week? This whole month? If your browsing habits are anything like the majority of people’s, chances are you see at least a couple of videos every day.
It’s really not surprising. Video content has grown to be so ubiquitous that you’d need to go out of your way to avoid watching them.
It is the main reason why so many nonprofits like yours looking to improve their digital marketing are turning to video. It just works.
Videos increase user engagement, boost traffic and time spent on websites, help boost SEO efforts, and are outright fantastic at communicating a company’s message. And while several types of videos can deliver on some of these accounts, few hit all the marks, as well as explainer videos, do.
Explainers are short videos (usually, under the 2-minute mark,) that describe your mission in a concise, clear and entertaining way. It follows a basic, yet effective structure – First, getting into the particulars of the issue and then portraying your solution. Your mission.
They allow you to showcase what your nonprofit’s all about, what you do and whom you have come to help. It also gives you a platform to include a compelling call-to-action that prompt your audience to take the next step – visit your site, fill out a form … – without seeming too “salesy.”For example:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzN3WPeIhtY
Now, let’s take a look at how you can create one that makes your nonprofit shine.
If at any point you feel a bit overwhelmed by this prospect, don’t be! As you work on developing your explainers, you’ll see how many of these elements play off of one another, connecting the whole process.
Other than the basics ofrealizing any project, producing fantastic explainers hinges on three main aspects you should know. Understanding who you are talking to, making your message feel relevant to them, and customizing it, so it speaks directly to their worldview.
Additionally, you also need to keep an eye on quality, branding, and promotion, to be honest. But if it sounds like a lot, don’t be discouraged! We’ll go through a bunch of tips and suggestions that will help you get there.
Though all nonprofits further a social cause that provides a public benefit, no two are ever exactly alike. It’s not the same thing to bring awareness to climate change as to be working to provide shelter for the homeless.
You can say the same about audiences.
People willing to collaborate share a sense of generosity and empathy. But there are also plenty of personal, cultural, and even regional reasons why people support one organization or another.
Understanding those reasons is crucial for the success of your nonprofit’s explainer video. You want them to feel that your video is talking specifically to them.
Don’t make the assumption that you already fully understand who you are talking to. You want to base your audience’s persona out of a serious analysis, to avoid missing out on critical aspects.
Such research might include:
Gather all the data you collected and create an audience persona. In other words, create an outline of the individual that’s more represented in the data set and more likely to contribute.
For instance, you can find that women aged 20 to 40 in California are more likely to share your content and bring attention to it.
The more defined this persona is, the better. Use this persona as a mold to base your explainer’s protagonist around.
Let’s talk about your message.
What you want to say should be almost immediately apparent: Your nonprofit’s mission.
But that’s not all you need to focus on! You should also convey how that affects your target audience to make them care. You need to get them involved, and you’ll only get that with a message that feels personal.
For instance, let’s say your nonprofit is all about reducing food waste by connecting food locales with community kitchensHere are some tips to enhance that message:
Do you know what you are going to show in your explainer video? Images have to relate to your mission and message, as well as fit your nonprofit’s overall voice and your audience’s preferences.
Maybe you want to use sequences describing what your contributors do, or focus on your organization’s effect on peoples’ lives. You can use some effects to punctuate important parts of the script, or detailed graphics to help illustrate your message.
Here are some suggestions you can benefit from:
A crucial thing in great explainer videos is that they need to feel personal and unique. Your presence has to be so strong that the audiences leave with the sense of knowing and understanding you a bit better. As well as the ability to identify you the next time they come across your content.
In other words, you need to make an impression.
It’s evident that the choices you’ve made thus far will speak about who you are, but there are smart strategies that let you do so much more! Things like:
A common rookie mistake that many organizations make, creating a video just to upload it to YouTube or bury it on their home page without sharing it. Don’t! If you make a fantastic explainer, but if no one gets to see it, your organization won’t reap the benefits it can bring!
To make sure that your explainer video spreads the message in the way you want it to, you need to use it whenever and wherever you can. Fortunately, the flexible nature of videos allows you to do that in several ways, including:
US adults spend an average of 6 hours watching video content each day. And explainer videos have proven to be very effective, conversion-wise, with 74% of people saying that they’ve bought a product after watching one. So, if it works for commercial companies, why wouldn’t it work for your organization?
Explainer videos increase awareness, boost website traffic, briefly explain what you do, and are an excellent gateway for action. They are pieces of evergreen content that you’ll keep benefitting from even long after their creation, without lessening their impact and usefulness.
It’ll be hard work to make a perfect one by yourself, and it’ll take some time, but it’ll all be worth it.
Your nonprofit will surely gain more exposure, feel fresh and relevant to your audience, and have acquired an amazing asset for its marketing efforts. Give them a try!Related Articles:
