Video Marketing: Tips All Associations Need to Know

Video content is on the rise, and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down any time soon. According to Forbes, over 500 million people are watching video on Facebook alone every single day. That’s half a billion! On top of that, in one single second, more video is uploaded than can be watched in two years. That’s right- it would take you two years of doing nothing but consuming video to just keep up with one second of the total amount of uploaded videos. That doesn’t include time to sleep either! At this point, if your association is not up to date on the video content trend, it needs to be.

‍In 2016, 60% of marketers used video content in their social media strategy. In addition, 73% of marketers planned on increasing video content in the future. Marketers know the power of successful video content. So, does your association produce video content for their marketing strategy? If not, it’s time to start. Video content is a unique way to get your association’s message across while also attracting member’s interest. An engaging video can pull audiences in that might not have been as engaged by other marketing forms. Here’s what your association should know in order to successfully create and market videos to current and potential new members.

What can video do for you?

We know that video content works well for online marketing, but what exactly does video do for associations? There are a lot of benefits to video content. To start, video increases engagement. A short video can grab attention much easier than a blog post or any form of written content. In fact, 51% of marketers claim video is the form of content with the best ROI. That’s not all- Marketers who create video content for marketing purposes grow revenue 49% faster than marketers without a video strategy.

‍If your association is looking to increase member engagement, video might be what it’s missing. Putting an eye-catching video on your association’s website is a great way to engage members while also keeping them on your site to explore after the video is over. Take a look at how the American Heart Association has incorporated video onto their website. Their campaign ‘Life is Why’ includes a heartwarming video right on their website. The video catches attention, adds an emotional element, and allows audiences to further explore the association’s offers. It’s smart marketing at its best! Another reason why video is great for associations is because it can increase web traffic.

‍According to Invodo, including the word “video” in an email subject line can increase click-through rates by 65%. In addition, organizations that use video on their website can see 41% more search traffic than those that don’t. Now that we know exactly how powerful video content is, it’s time to learn how to produce and market video to your association’s audience.

Creating the best video possible.

While video is great for promoting major marketing growth, a bad video could be extremely harmful to your association. Brightcove states that 62% of consumers are more likely to form a negative opinion about a brand if their video content/quality is poor. That’s over half! You don’t want your association to be in that statistic. So, how do you make sure your video not only stands out, but presents your association the best that it can? There are a few things to know. First, you want to make sure your video is both informative, but also interesting. If your video focuses only on your association’s call-to-action, your audience might not be so interested. You don’t want your video content to feel like a constant sales pitch. Make sure your video includes helpful information that audiences can use in their daily life. Teach your audience while also promoting your brand.

Once you conceptualize what your video will be like, it’s time to focus on the video quality. No one wants to watch a video that’s hard to see. Dim lighting, awkward angles, and background noise are all crucial killers to any video. Set up your video somewhere that is bright and distraction-free. At Web Scribble, we like to use a solid background and lots of light to invite audiences into our video content. Finally, make sure you don’t go overboard when it comes to editing. Adding too much into a video can oftentimes be more distracting than interesting. Make sure what you add into your video has a purpose.

Take a look at this video the Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing made. Their video, which won two Bronze Telly Awards, is a perfect example of a high quality production. It gets members excited about joining the conversation while also presenting their idea in a well thought out plan. Following these tips can help your association produce videos that audiences will enjoy, and maybe even share with others.

Effectively market your video content.

Even if you have great video content, it won’t get the engagement it deserves without a marketing strategy. It’s important to know which channels will bring your content the best engagement. For example, posting a native video to Twitter drives 2.5 times more engagement than a standard tweet would. However, posting your video to Facebook drives 135% more engagement than a Facebook photo post.

‍So, which channel should you pick for your content? It all depends on where your audience gathers. What platform do they use the most? Research your audience’s trends in order to promote your video content on the best platform. Then, keep track of your video’s engagement to see if your research paid off in the end. You should also put your content on YouTube in addition to your association’s website. According to FortuneLords, YouTube gets over 30 million visitors each day. On top of that, putting your videos on YouTube will generate traffic from a younger audience.

‍Overall, YouTube reaches more Millennials than any cable network in the United States. If you’re looking for a way to directly target a younger audience, YouTube might be your way in. The American Psychological Association knows what they’re doing when it comes to video marketing and promotion. Their YouTube channel has over 12 thousand followers, and it’s clear why. They’ve created different video series, categorized them into playlists, and even branched out into multiple YouTube subsections (like their help center channel)Your video marketing and promotion should reach channels that members use, but it should also try out new channels (like YouTube).

Collect feedback.

So, you have video content out and members are watching. Are they enjoying the videos that you produce? Or, are they looking for something different from your videos?

It’s important to know how your videos score with members. You don’t want to waste your time creating video content that members don’t find interesting or informational. Once your video content starts to get traction, reach out to members and ask for honest feedback. You can do this through email or even through a social media poll. You can also ask members what types of videos they want to see in the future. Or, if you have a section for members to ask questions, you can convert those questions into a video series.

The Credit Consultants Association has taken their frequently asked questions (FAQ) and turned them into something far more interactive. Their YouTube channel offers an FAQ video for members and potential buyers alike. The video takes all questions members might have and answers them in a reasonably short video. This way, audiences can watch this video before making a decision on whether or not to join their association. Your association can follow a similar approach to help minimize confusion with your potential new members.

‍Don’t let your videos become stale or lose their purpose. Collect feedback and take your membership’s opinion into consideration.

‍Video marketing can be a great solution to your association’s member engagement and recruitment struggles. Give video content a shot and use these helpful tips to boost your video marketing efforts.