Videos are powerful for connecting with your audience and generating more faithful, enthusiastic members. Think about how football teams use videos to generate excitement for the coming season or an imminent rivalry game. Consider how Hollywood thrills and tantalizes their audiences with teasing trailers that virtually guarantee customers will line up at the box office. Done right, your association videos can be just as inspiring and effective. Here are some tips for optimizing your videos to build that kind of attentive audience.
1. Learn the Art of the Storyboard
Great videos don’t just happen. Steven Spielberg can’t do it, George Lucas can’t do it, and neither can you. (We’re not entirely sure what Stanley Kubrick did, but we definitely advise steering clear of it.)
Learn how to develop a good “plot” and “storyline” using a storyboard. Storyboards allow you to lay out how the video progresses so that it builds to a natural climax and ends in a controlled, reasonable way. This helps you make sure you’ve connected all the dots for the viewer, so they clearly understand where you’re going with the points you’re making.
2. Switch It Up
While many associations do have success with video series (such as an interview series or a tutorial series), until you start putting your videos out there you won’t really know what leads to the best member engagement.
Additionally, some videos may generate better engagement within one segment of your membership base, while another type does better for a different demographic. This is especially true if your member-base varies considerably in profile, such as age differences, social differences or cultural differences. Try interviews with industry experts. Film “behind the scenes” footage. Try live streaming your events. Make some helpful how-to videos. Whatever goes over well, do more of that.
3. Study Other Successful Videos
Before delving into video production on your own, take some time to see what others have done. It’s a good idea to watch a few of your competitors’ member engagement videos, but don’t limit your viewing to those from your own industry.
See what’s gone viral with mainstream audiences. Look at what other businesses have had success with. You can do this by going to YouTube and searching for, “best HVAC videos”, “top insurance videos”, or “best e-commerce videos”. Chances are, if it improved member engagement for those associations and businesses, it’ll work for your audiences, too. Look for techniques that were particularly effective, such as unique camera angles, catchy headlines, top experts in the industry, and other strategies for capturing and holding attention.
4. Keep Your ‘Why’ in Mind
While you’re diving deeply into the pool of creativity, don’t get lost. It’s easy to get your eyes focused on cool mood music, interesting film techniques, and funny lines for your characters, and lose perspective on what you’re actually trying to do. When you’re done, have you provided the viewer with strong points? Presented them with new information or new perspectives on old information? If the video doesn’t deliver something of value, it won’t be effective for member engagement, either.
You really won’t be able to gauge how well the videos are at improving member engagement unless you have the right AMS software. Aren’t sure if yours is up to snuff? Take our AMS assessment to find out now!