Video marketing has emerged as a popular tool among nonprofits looking to expand their reach, raise brand awareness, and build stronger relationships with donors. That’s because nearly 60% of all donors use video to make their giving decisions.
Whether your nonprofit is new to video marketing or looking to improve your current strategy, creating effective video content that resonates with your audience will contribute to your nonprofit’s success. In this guide, we’ll explore some practical tips for using video marketing to advance your mission. Let’s get started!
1. Identify your target audience.
One of the keys to successful video marketing is identifying and targeting a specific audience. Having a defined target audience not only helps nonprofits create personalized content, but it also helps them make more efficient use of their marketing resources.
When you have a clear understanding of who you’re trying to reach, you can strategically appeal to people who you know will respond positively to your messaging. Get to know your target audience by:
- Scanning through your donor database. Gather demographic and engagement information on donors in your database to narrow down your target audience and their preferences. For instance, if you’re running a capital campaign to build a new facility for your nonprofit, you might target major donors and collect details about their preferred communication channels to inform your video marketing strategy.
- Conducting targeted research. Once you have an idea of who your target audience is, use surveys, interviews, and focus groups to better understand their needs, priorities, and preferences. Common questions include, “How often would you like us to send you video content?” and “Where do you prefer to watch our videos?” Then, adjust your next video marketing campaign according to these responses.
With this information in mind, you can tell your nonprofit’s story in a way that resonates with your target audience and captures their attention.
2. Craft a multichannel marketing strategy.
Now it’s time to select the channels that are most appropriate for your target audience. According to Tectonic Video’s marketing tips, you should publish your videos across multiple networks, rather than solely focusing your efforts on one platform. This multichannel strategy will provide you with multiple touchpoints for reaching as many potential donors as possible.
For instance, if your nonprofit is filming fundraising content for an annual GivingTuesday campaign, you might reach out to your target audience through several of their preferred communication channels, which may include:
- Email: Send bi-weekly emails leading up to GivingTuesday with fundraising videos that introduce your beneficiaries, campaign, and fundraising goal. Use compelling subject lines to grab people’s attention, such as “Watch our video message to learn how you can celebrate GivingTuesday.”
- Website: Add relevant videos across your website to inspire visitors to take action. For instance, your donation page might feature a series of testimonial videos from beneficiaries, so supporters understand the impact of their contributions and feel compelled to give.
- Direct mail: Send out “save the date” cards with information about your upcoming campaign, along with a QR code that links back to your fundraising video.
- Social media: Promote the campaign across social media using short promotional videos and relevant hashtags. NXUnite also recommends reaching out to influencers within the space and asking them to share the content with their own networks. This will help increase your reach and visibility.
In addition to boosting the chances of supporters seeing and sharing your video, establishing a strong presence across multiple channels will reinforce your organization’s brand identity and messaging.
3. Ensure your branding is consistent.
As you share your content across multiple channels, ensure your branding is consistent. Consistency is crucial for building and maintaining your brand identity, as it helps viewers instantly associate a video with your nonprofit instead of with the platform they’re using.
Here are some tips for ensuring consistency in your video marketing strategy:
- Develop visual brand guidelines. Create a branding strategy that includes guidelines for visual elements, such as fonts, logos, and color schemes, to create a cohesive visual identity for your nonprofit.
- Stay on message. The message and tone of your videos should align with your organization’s values and goals. For instance, if your nonprofit intends to be a thought leader in the space, you might ensure that each video’s tone is professional, formal, and serious.
- Hire a professional. Consider partnering with a nonprofit video production company that understands your organization’s brand and can help you maintain consistency in your videos. Their teams know how to create high-quality content that aligns with your mission and tells a cohesive story across channels.
By implementing these tips, you can improve brand awareness, drive engagement, and increase the impact of your videos.
4. Measure the success of your videos.
After you launch your video marketing campaign, gauge its effectiveness and determine what type of content resonates best with your target audience through actionable metrics.
Here are a few ways to gather insights and measure the success of your videos:
- Use Google Analytics or built-in engagement tools on your preferred video hosting platform to capture data on video performance.
- Track engagement rates, clicks, and shares of videos posted on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
- Monitor email marketing campaign metrics to see how your videos perform through that channel.
- Consider how videos posted on your website help improve the time visitors spend on each page.
- Conduct user surveys to gain feedback and understand how the video impacts your audience.
Use these metrics to better understand how your video marketing campaigns reach and engage with your target audience and make improvements accordingly.
By following these tips, your nonprofit will be well-equipped to create and share compelling video content that resonates with its audience. Remember to stay on brand, use a multichannel approach, and collect marketing metrics to maximize your results. With dedication and creativity, you will have a video marketing strategy that inspires action and raises awareness for your cause for years to come.
