There are currently more than 1.5 million nonprofits registered in the U.S., and that number is rapidly increasing with each passing year. With every one of them competing for valuable donor contributions, how does an organization break through and convince the public that their cause is worth attention?
Drive Action With Real Life Stories
Most nonprofits have one thing in common: they have powerful and moving stories that are best brought to life through video. Visual storytelling helps you create an emotional bond with your audience. Research shows that around the world, individuals are more likely to trust “others like themselves” than the leadership of an organization. So conveying the real-world impact of your work is critical when it comes to recruiting sympathizers for your cause. There are no words as powerful as when a survivor candidly shares how the support from your organization helped save their life. Through genuine – and sometimes raw – emotion, video turns a statistic into a human story, and stories are what drive action.
Engage Intellect
Video marketing is also a great opportunity to educate your audience on the importance of your organization’s cause and your need for support. Strive to engage both the intellect and emotions of your audience. In your video, try integrating a few compelling statistics that convey the importance of your work or its impact in the community (the percentage of people in your area who desperately need your services, the number of lives saved by your work last year, or the number of people who will be negatively affected if your organization ceased to exist).
Add Video To Your Website
By 2019, internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer internet traffic. The key is to use it wisely. Consider the short attention span of web users. Your video should be compelling and concise. The quicker you can convey your message, the more likely viewers will stick around til the end. In terms of SEO, consistently adding new video content to your website will help boost your page rank, making it easier for people to find you on the web. Additionally, visitors are more likely to come back to a site if they’ve seen a particularly moving video there before.
Amplify Your Video Content
Creating a video and posting it to your website are just the first steps. You must then consider other avenues to get it in front of the public eye. Traditional TV advertising is one way to reach a substantial audience quickly. For nonprofits with more conservative marketing budgets, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube all favor video content and provide a means of targeting specific audiences through advertising. You should also consider integrating your video content into your in-person interactions like public speaking opportunities, charity events and prospective donor meetings.
In conclusion, by adding video to your nonprofit marketing strategy, you can increase awareness and sympathy for your cause and maximize your donor contributions. Morgan & Co. has helped hundreds of for-profit and nonprofit entities navigate the realm of advertising for more than 20 years. To explore how we can help you with your campaign strategy, contact us today.
