5 Ways to Engage Members with Video
By Beth Ziesenis
Did you know that eight in 10 consumers have been convinced to make a purchase after watching a brand’s video (via Wyzowl)?
Associations can benefit from upping their video game … and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Here are some quick and budget-friendly video tools to enhance your website, email communications and more.
Make a Movie in an Instant: Animoto
Animoto is one of those tools that make members go “WOW” and look at you in wonder. The premise is incredibly simple: Gather 10 or more pictures and/ or videos, throw in a title and choose a theme and soundtrack – then push a button. Presto! Animoto instantly creates a perfectly timed, perfectly professional, perfectly awesome video to showcase your events and services. It’s so fast that you can take pictures of your event’s opening reception then have the wrap-up video online by the time they check the social media feed one more time before bed.
Combine Video Clips into a Smart Highlight Reel: Magisto
Magisto is almost as easy as Animoto, but it’s twice as smart. Just upload video clips and images, such as clips of your staff busy at work, and choose a theme. Magisto uses artificial intelligence to analyze the content, finding the best clips and highlights automatically. Within five minutes, you’ll have a share-worthy montage of your clips and pictures. Magisto is also helpful for walking through online demos and showcasing testimonials.
Make an Explainer Video: Powtoon
Have you seen those videos where hands move words on the screen and draw cartoon characters that pop in and out? Those explainer videos can help you, well, explain your products to and services to members and sponsors. Wyzowl’s survey found that 91 percent of consumers have watched an explainer video to learn about a product or service.
Powtoon is a do-it-yourself site that lets you use a template to create the perfect explainer video. You can choose from different themes, looks and messages to get started, then personalize it with your own words, logos, product images/video and more.
Share News with a Social Video: Lumen5 and Automagical
Most videos are viewed at work where people are hesitant to turn on the audio. Don’t mute your message… create a video with key words and phrases that appear over your footage. You can use sites like Lumen5 and Automagical.ai to transform blog posts and industry news into dynamic captioned videos.
Talk Directly to Members with Video Email: Loom
Make your email stand out in an inbox with a personalized video. Loom makes it easy to create a quick video that you can send with a click. You can even create an instant thumbnail to give the recipients a preview of your message
to them.
Beth Z’s popular session, “Lights, Camera, Action: A Hands on Video Workshop” will elaborate on the information in this feature in a half-day, interactive TSAE Lab on June 7 in Austin. Learn more and register at www.tsae.org/education-events/labs.
Beth Ziesenis is Your Nerdy Best Friend. She is a speaker and the author of several books on technology, including “The Big Book of Apps.” Read more about Beth Z at www.yournerdybestfriend.com.
Photo credit: ©iStock.com/Jeng_Niamwhan and Lumen5