By Andrea Genevieve Michnik
On Wednesday, June 15th the Austin Chapter of the Association for Women in Communication met for our monthly luncheon to learn from local professional about video communication. Panelists Richard Dietz @nonprofit_rd of Non-Profit R & D and Aaaron Weiss @one_story of One Story Productions spoke to a packed room of Austin women and men sharing basic tips for effective video communication. They also answered audience questions on the challenges of showcasing dry content, how to tell an engaging story and what to do with viewers after they have watched your video.
Creating a Visual Voice For Your Mission
Understanding Video Statistics
Did you know up to 48 hours of video are uploaded every minute to YouTube? Or that videos are viewed 100 million times per day on mobile devices? Tip: When shooting your video be sure to get close ups or use large graphics so they will show up on small screens. Also, remember that YouTube loves new content, even more than Google does, for indexing and searching. If you upload a video to YouTube chances are you’ll see it ranked higher and quicker than text content.
Getting Started
Before you embark on a video project, like any communication tool, make sure you have some goals. Think about what you want the video to accomplish and your call to action. What do you want viewers to do after they watch? Are you sending them to a donation page? Do you want them to come to an event? Or become your Facebook fan? Know your goals. Once you have your goals, think about your story.
The Story
Why will viewers care about your video? Why is your story unique? Answers these questions prior to starting a video project. Look to find the human connection in each and every story. This may mean getting your staff or interns on video to tell your organizations story. People connect to each other best individually, one-on-one. The best stories have a bit of humor, a clear message and touch on human emotions.
Clarity
Videos require pristine audio and sound in order to be effective. Viewers are more forgiving of shaky video, than they are of garbled sound. If you have access to a microphone, be sure to us it or purchase one to plug in to your camera. Clarity is also needed for viewer action and should direct them where to go next. If you are selling a product or service, your checkout needs to be clear at all times. Looking for donations? Put your donate button front and center.
More Tips
If you don’t have the time or resources to hire someone to create professional videos for your organization, short videos with sound and still photos are just as effective.
Ready to get started? Here are all the tools you need to create a visual voice for your mission:
- Suggested Camera: Kodak Zi8 or Zi10
- Suggested editing software: MovieMaker for PC and iMovie for Mac
- Suggested web-based editing software: Animoto
- Suggested Length: Videos should aim to run between 3 to 5 minutes, with an alternative 30 second version.
For more tips download the PowerPoint slides from the event or sign up for Richard’s webinar taking place on July 6th.
Photo by jsawkins, Flickr Creative Commons
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