[Editor's note: The following is an expert of an article in the June 2011 issue of NTEN:Change. Read the complete issue of NTEN's new quarterly journal for nonprofit leaders by subscribing to the journal for free! ]
By Michael Hoffman and Danny Alpert, See3 Communications
When the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan we saw the aftermath almost immediately. The world was hungry for stories and visuals of the devastation, and we were consuming this media as much on YouTube as from CNN, as much on our lap- tops and iPads as on our TVs.
And it’s not just the large-scale events we’re tuning in to: “smaller” stories are increasingly garnering huge attention. Last year, when a group of Chilean miners were trapped deep in their mine the world took notice. We were glued to our computers and TVs, watching the drama of the rescue of these anonymous miners. And through this coverage we learned about them and their stories, and we empathized with their plight. Along with their families, the Chilean nation and the world, when they were rescued our hearts also leapt for joy.
Online video is probably the most effective way to show your audience what you are doing. Video should be integrated into your online content development efforts. This can sometimes be professionally produced video, but building internal capacity to develop video assets has become a core need for nonprofit organizations.
If you are not convinced that video is worth the effort, consider the power of search, a major way people find content online, including your organization’s content. Google is now integrating video results into the first page of search results for many terms. As an organization, it is often easier to land on this first results page through video than by trying to get your page ranked higher.
In addition, the second biggest search engine online is not Bing or Yahoo!— it’s YouTube. People are starting their searches on YouTube. Give it a try for terms related to your organization’s mission and see what comes up.
Remember, most people do not really care about your institution. They care about your work, the difference you are making in the world. That’s the story you need to tell.
When you start developing your video content, planning is key. Your organization needs a communications plan and a content plan. The communications plan tells you what messages you are sending to whom, in what way, and when, usually over an annual time frame. A content plan outlines the themes of content you should be focusing on. These themes should correspond to the interest of your audience. Remember, most people do not really care about your institution. They care about your work, the difference you are making in the world. That’s the story you need to tell.
There are low-cost cameras and free or low cost editing software available. But the equipment is only the start. Planning the story you want to make will save you time later. Do not instruct your staff to simply take their Flip camera and shoot video. We recommend following a simple and logical process:
- Start with discussing the stories you want to tell, and then outline those stories.
- Create a “shot list” which notes the content you need to capture to tell this story.
- Script your “narration” so you can shoot the right material to illustrate what you are talking about.
- Make sure that you think about sound quality; people will watch bad video with good sound, but not good video with bad sound.
(Note: You can read the complete article in the June Issue of NTEN:Change when you subscribe for free.