Signature March/April 2015 - 31

ickie?
BY MARIO MEDINA

If you're not using videos as a way to engage with your association's
members, you're missing out on easy opportunities to enhance membership benefits and interact with members. Sure, there are some
initial hurdles to jump - finding story ideas, investing in equipment,
training staff - but they're not as high as you might think.
MAKING THE CASE FOR VIDEO
Why should you integrate video into your
association's offerings? Consider these
statistics:
n■ 78 percent of people watch videos
online every week
n■ 55 percent of people watch videos
online every day
n■ 80 percent of all Internet traffic
will be video by 2019 (that's up
from 64 percent in 2014)
n■ 96 percent of B2B organizations
are involved in video content marketing
Regardless of the industry or interest,
people tend to join an association to get
the same types of benefits - and video
can add value to each of these benefits.
For example:
n■ Networking. Video can help
connect members who don't have
time or resources to attend net-

Advocacy. Videos can be a powerful
way to convey the importance of a
particular interest that's relevant to
your association. If you're trying to
create awareness or establish a position about an important issue in your
industry, shoot videos of members
discussing it. When you share these
videos on your association's website
and social media channels, others
can respond with their thoughts or
opinions.
n■ Inside access to industry developments. Videos that provide behind-the-scenes access to industry
developments allow your members
to be in the know.
What's more, if you have a smartphone,
you're already in business. Yes, there's a
lot more equipment and software you
could and should eventually invest in as
your video-storytelling capabilities grow
and improve (see our suggested equipment list, below), but smartphones can
get the job done in a pinch. Even organizations that have invested in the latest
and greatest equipment sometimes rely
on video shot with a mobile device, especially for time-sensitive stories. Heck,
even media companies have laid off staff
because high-quality consumer technology is so accessible these days.
n■

working events. Live-video streaming services like Google Hangouts
and Blab can allow multiple people
to join in topic-specific conversations online. Associations can use
these types of services by scheduling a topic and inviting members to
participate. Users can connect to the
virtual event through their mobile
devices or computers.
n■ Access to conferences, professional development, and education. Your members are busy, and
travel can be too costly for some.
They may not be able to attend that
national conference you're hosting.
Why not record highlights from
keynotes and other important sessions to share with members? Your
IT team can gate the videos so that
only those with an active membership can view them.

MARCH/APRIL 2016

signature

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signature March/April 2015