Raising Money and Building Business with Online Video
The Wired Wealthy bandwagon
Earlier this year I was turned on to a white paper called “The Wired Wealthy.” The piece talked about fundraising to the internet donors and the growing number of people willing to make donations to a charity of their choice online. The big takeaway for me was the need for non-profits to constantly provide reasons for supporters to continue to engage in the mission of the organization.
One way non-profits can quickly and effectively connect with supporters and prospects is through online video. With online fundraising hitting it’s stride, there may be no better way to tell your story than through video. Fundraisers for non-profit organizations, like galas, are getting more and more competitive and both volunteer and professional fundraisers alike are looking for new tools.
Video Library
Through the use of monthly videos as part of an online video library, organizations have the ability to engage and stay in front of their supporters in an intimate manner. They can announce significant events on their website through video, email links to supporters that take them back to the non-profit site, they can say thank you to participants, volunteers and sponsors (as we did with the Walk for Fraser) and they can share unique, heart warming stories. Through online video, organizations can bring their non-profit to their supporters and prospects instead of waiting for the prospects to come to them.
The beauty is, it doesn’t stop with non-profits. Business clients are also trying to continue to engage their customers (supporters) in an ongoing dialogue: How can we help? What services do you need? Which of our products will help solve your problems? Our clients are trying to give their customers and prospects reason to shop again, buy more goods and/or services. In fact, in a down economy isn’t loyalty marketing a really good thing? Add value to the relationship.
For the online world, none of the videos in an online library should be in excess of 3:00. In fact, I think anything longer than 2:30 and people get the itchy mouse.
The age of online video is here on the web folks. The key for many now is bringing it to life on your website and making it work for you. Put the videos on your site, link them to e-blasts that go out to loyalty groups or supporters and then put them all on to your Twitter page. What’s Twitter, you ask? Whew, that’s another discussion.
Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.
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