The Six “Sees” of Video for Non-Profits

The folks at Google are no idiots for shelling out $1.6 Billion for YouTube. For over 60 years now, the medium of video is still the most powerful way of communication – second only to face-to-face communication.

On-demand video is a no-brainer for small non-profits.

Getting big results with little cost make on-demand video a “must have” for any Non-Profit. Video can be used in a number of ways, but every NPO should at least have one video that highlights the mission and goals of the organization.

Here are the “6 Sees of Video”:

Consistency: Your NPO’s message is presented the same way, every time – on your web-site, on your blog and in your E-newsletters.
Control: The length, energy, what’s said, how it’s said, can all be fined tuned with digital editing.

“The stickiness factor of video blows away text-based media – a thousand-fold.”

Clickability: The web is an interactive medium that needs to be clicked. The stickiness factor of video blows away text-based media – a thousand-fold.
Concise: Your entire messaging and a “call to action” can be powerful AND under 60 seconds.
Contagious: Out of all social media, video has the biggest “viral potential” – people just love to watch TV!
Cheap: Yup, it’s pretty cheap to make a video…

Ready for a deeper dive into video?

The folks over at See3 have a wealth of information, including:

Incorporating Video Into Non-Profit Messaging
10 Things to Remember When Shooting Video for the Web
YouTube’s Basics of Using YouTube

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Quiz Time: What makes this “Operation Smile” video so powerful?

If you liked this, you should read these:

E-Newsletters can kill your NPO
Your NPO’s Sustainable Energy
The NPO Elevator Pitch
The “Rules of The Road” For Non-Profit Social Media

Posted August 25, 2008

John Haydon

Dorothee,

Thanks for the comment. I imagine that the “Operation Smile” video I posted above was done for under $200.

John
Dorothee

Great post! Here's See3's take on #6 (from our blog post It's Easy! How to Take Your First Steps into Social Media): You should be making lots of video and some can be done in-house, easily and cheaply. While these videos will never replace professionally produced material, they can supplement your online content and be an effective way to engage people on social networks. You can buy a point-and-shoot camera like the Flip video for under $200. For a higher quality consumer camera, we recommend the Canon HV30.