Is the video to target people who already support your cause, prospective supporters or even government legislators? What specific demographics do you want to target? Teenagers, young adults, or middle-aged professionals? How far and wide do you want the film to be seen? Is it a local, national or international issue? And most importantly, exactly how do you want your audience to think, feel and act once they have seen your video
It’s crucial that all of these questions are answered and in-kind donation that your objectives are crystal clear, as this is what will determine the kind of video you’ll need to commissio
If the video is to provoke action and inspire change, an audience must be able to make a genuine emotional connection with what they’re seeing. Being transparent and demonstrating tangible impact is also crucial. Potential donors will want to see exactly where their hard-earned cash will be going, who it will be spent on and why. It’s also useful to substantiate any claims you make with expert opinion.
The length of your film will of course depend on a number of factors, but less is often more, particularly if you want the video be successful online.
People lead incredibly busy lives in the 21st century and you have to ask yourself how much time you are expecting people to give up to watch your film. You don’t want them to switch off before the call to action.
Charity marketing videos are incredibly versatile and once produced, can be streamed online, duplicated onto DVDs, used in one-on-one meetings or as part of fundraising presentations and events. For maximum possible exposure, it’s very important that you incorporate the video into your organisation’s website, preferably with access to it from the homepage.
You should also distribute your video across ALL of your online marketing channels. That means sharing the videos via online networks, video-sharing sites, blogs, Facebook and My Space accounts, where they quickly become part of larger online discussions, commented upon by multitudes of online viewers.
There’s even a special section on YouTube dedicated to non-profits which includes enhanced promotion and a direct fundraising option via Google Checkout. A number of sites are also emerging that specifically host fundraising videos and when used in tandem with these sites, charity fundraising videos can be an exceptionally powerful medium for conveying the importance of any cause.