July 10, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
For charities thinking about how to use online video to tell their stories or motivate donors, a marketing consultant has some pointers to keep in mind.
More precisely, Nancy Schwartz, who writes the blog Getting Attention, comments on a step-by-step guide for first-time videographers that the marketing research firm MarketingSherpa has made available free on its Web site until July 15.
The first step, as Ms. Schwartz distills it down, is to set a clear goal for a video. Want do you want it to do: Increase Web traffic, build awareness, aid a fund-raising campaign?
Next, select a format to help achieve the goals, and this covers the video’s length, content, and tone. (Do you go with a more-serious newscast-style approach or something more personal and conversational, for example?)
The third step is to select the right equipment, and the fourth is to perform the necessary pre-production work to avoid unnecessary costs.
Finally there’s editing. “Don’t forget to brand your video with an opening and closing graphic featuring your org name and Web address so viewers can get more info.” Ms. Schwartz writes. “Most importantly, edit to minimize the file size of the video so it takes the shortest time possible to load.”
Do you have advice to share on how best to add video to a Web site?
