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Video marketing is an incredibly powerful tool for establishing an emotional connection with potential backers and supporters of your project. It allows you to show off your personality and share more detailed information than you would be able to with written text alone.
Plus, it’s more engaging, entertaining, and persuasive than a simple text post. Let’s take a look at how to use video to engage with your backers and potential backers:
Using video within a crowdfunding campaign can be one of the most effective ways to drive engagement with potential and existing backers. Videos provide an invaluable opportunity to display the mission and purpose of your fundraising goals, appeal to emotions and keep backers interested by communicating frequently. When done correctly, videos can allow you to create a visual connection with your audience that will result in more donations, funders and ultimately a successful campaign.
The benefits of using video throughout your campaign include:
Increased Visibility: Videos can help to spread awareness about your fundraising campaign more quickly due to their ease of sharing online. Potential donors may be exposed to your message via organic search or social media channels as well as other digital marketing channels such as email campaigns and YouTube ads. In addition, they are often shown in individual backer’s news feeds which gives you even more opportunity for exposure.
Increased Engagement: Video content has been proven to challenge viewers on an emotional level which can lead to increased engagement with viewers who may be interested in donating. Audience engagement is key when it comes to getting generous contributions or creating strong relationships between the project teams and its supporters; videos offer a powerful tool for making meaningful connections with potential backers and keeping current supporters involved on an ongoing basis.
Showcase Your Product: Video offers a unique opportunity for demonstrating complex products or services that cannot always be conveyed through text alone, giving both potential donors and existing backers more insights into the product you are crowdfunding for along with any associated risks or expenses associated with it. It also allows viewers who haven’t yet donated the chance to understand why you’ve launched this particular fundraising effort by providing detailed information about what exactly the money is going towards – ensuring everyone knows where their hard-earned money is being spent from day one!
Videos can be an incredibly engaging way to keep in contact with your backers and potential backers. With video, you can not only present content but showcase your personality and the energy behind your project. There are lots of content ideas to create videos, from behind-the-scenes updates to tutorials.
Let’s explore some ideas for using video to engage with your backers and potential backers.
Behind the scenes content provides an intimate look at the people, processes, and products that make up your business. Sharing this content can grow trust between your brand and your community while giving customers a glimpse into the workings of your brand.
There are many creative types of behind-the-scenes content you can utilize to create an engaging experience for customers.
Interview or Feature Employees on Social Media – Employees are great ambassadors for any brand and interviews with team members on various platforms can showcase specialties, interests, accomplishments, skillset, and/or other talents they may possess. Interviews also give viewers more insight into the personalities that make up a company as well as different roles within its structure.
Process Posts – Depending on what kind of product/services you offer there could be several different processes to highlight; from software development to production of physical products – showing these processes visually through videos and photos provides another layer of transparency to potential customers or clients who may be interested in ordering from you but don’t know how items or services are created. Additionally it is great opportunity to recognize the hardwork put in by various teams across the board that often go unrecognized externally yet contribute immensely towards product availability and customer satisfaction!
Interviews are a great way to engage with your backers and potential backers. They allow you to directly provide information in an interesting way, letting your own personality shine through. Interviews can focus on the people behind the project, relevant industry-leading figures and others who are involved in the project’s successful execution or have been involved throughout its history.
It can be helpful to portray professionalism while also remaining genuine and personable, as this will invite viewers into more of an emotional relationship with both you and your project. Depending upon the type of content you will be creating and its intended audience, it is important to tailor stories accordingly; choose topics that matter most to those viewing them so they can relate emotionally while still learning something informative.
Some suggestions for interviews:
When creating video content for your backers, the key is to engage them with something of value. Video tutorials can serve as a great way to establish trust and deeper engagement by offering educational videos that help potential and existing backers understand how to use an aspect of your product or do something related to it. Creating tutorials also positions you as an expert in your field and is a creative way to show off the unique applications of your products.
Videos tutorials should consist of relatable examples for beginner learners that make use of established phrases, visuals, patterns and accessible language in order to maximize the engagement levels. For more advanced learners, complex topics can be broken down into multiple titles under one main theme so that you can target several different user levels with a comprehensive set of tutorials instead of just one. Try to introduce incentive or reward-based activities like quizzes or competitions throughout each tutorial in order to encourage further participation from your backers.
The length of each tutorial should depend on the “depth” it covers— some may just be 30-second videos while others may need more time depending on what type information needed to be conveyed. Try adding music which can help keep viewers engaged without overloading them with information too quickly. Experiment with different video formats and see which ones draw more attention or interaction – i.e., explainer videos using graphics or picture-in-picture style with simultaneous narration over visuals/video content, etc.
Be creative when planning out tutorials so that you don’t lose interest from your potential audience.
Make sure each tutorial ends with a concept for future opportunities for additional materials/learning resources available on whatever platform you’ve chosen for distribution (e.g., YouTube channel).
Live streams are an engaging way to connect with your user-base and create meaningful conversations. You can setup a live stream on any streaming platform, including YouTube Live, Twitch, or even Facebook Live. The possibilities of leveraging video for marketing your fundraising project are endless when it comes to hosting live streams.
There are various ways you can use this medium:
Introduce yourself, the project or product concept in an “AMA” (Ask-me-anything) setting where you allow viewers to ask you questions and explain how the project works.
Ask backers for feedback on product development – Feature early prototypes and discuss topics such as design changes/improvements/additions that could be incorporated into the end product.
Host an event – Use this opportunity to build momentum for the launch of your campaign by collaborating with influencers and industry contacts who can help spread the word about your project.
Interviews – Invite influential guests from your industry to discuss their views on crowdfunding and how it has become a reliable source of funding new projects or products. These conversations can be shared multiple times across various platforms to maximize reach and acquire new backers.
You can use video to engage with your backers and potential backers by sharing your video content on different video platforms and across multiple channels. This allows you to reach a wider audience and engage with them in a personalized way. This section will discuss the different ways you can distribute your video content to create a successful engagement strategy with your backers and potential backers.
YouTube is the #1 video platform in the world, and it can be an essential part of your product launch strategy. When you upload a video to YouTube, you not only create an opportunity for potential backers to watch your content but also for influencers, media outlets, and press outlets to find and share it.
The first step in using YouTube is deciding whether the videos you’ll showcase are promotional or educational. Promotional videos are typically ads or demonstrations of what your product looks like, how it works and why someone should buy it. Educational videos should teach potential backers about how a product works and why they should care about it. Once you’ve determined which type of video best suits your needs, make sure that each one includes an engaging hook or interesting detail that will draw people in.
Take the time to optimize your videos on YouTube by including keywords and descriptions so they can be found more easily when someone searches for them on Google or in YouTube’s search box. Additionally, create playlists with related content so viewers have multiple opportunities to consume all of your content on the platform.
By leveraging these tools correctly, you’ll be able to use YouTube effectively as part of launching your product!
Facebook is one of the most popular social media networks and can be an effective tool for connecting with your backers and potential backers. To maximize your reach on Facebook, you should start by creating a Page. This will allow you to keep up with fans, share photos, videos and other content that is related to your project.
Once you have set up your Page, it’s time to start posting as often as possible with content that is interesting and engaging. Videos are particularly effective when it comes to connecting with backers, so be sure to include them in your posts. You could post a video of a brainstorming session, a development update video or even a behind-the-scenes look at the progress of the project. In addition to bringing potential backers into the fold, videos also give existing backers an insider look at how the project is progressing which can help strengthen their support for it.
Once you have created relevant content and shared it on your Page or in groups related to crowdfunding projects, consider boosting posts using Facebook Ads if appropriate. This will increase reach dramatically which can help put more eyes on your project faster!
Instagram is a great outlet for video distribution. The platform allows for up to 60 seconds of video footage, helping you get the most out of your content. Videos need to be captioned and include appropriate hashtags in order to reach more viewers. With Instagram, you can also include links so that backers can easily jump back over to Kickstarter and make a pledge when they’re finished viewing the video.
Posting videos on Instagram allows you to reach a new audience who don’t already follow your campaign, as well as staying visible for current backers interested in key updates related to their project life cycle or product delivery dates. Here are the main benefits of posting videos on Instagram:
When it comes to getting your video content out to backers and potential backers, Twitter is an ideal platform. It only takes a few minutes to make an account with a profile image, create high-quality posts, and share your video content with followers. You can link either the full video or just the trailer or excerpts from it in the post using a larger image as the “cover.”
Take advantage of hashtags when creating posts to make sure that followers can find related content quickly by searching hashtag terms like “#videocontent #crowdfunding” etc. Additionally, you can also embed these videos within Twitter itself for followers to watch directly on Twitter. This is an ideal way to attract new viewers who may have not have seen your video otherwise.
Finally, use analytics and listen actively towards viewer feedback when you are sharing your content on twitter and other channels in order to know what kinds of video content resonates most within your target audience. This will help you better refine the types of videos that you make for more effective engagement with potential backers and existing fans alike:
Video content is a great way to engage with your backers and potential backers on your crowdfunding project, whether they are existing supporters or new to your project. From short, informative snippets, to extended product demos and tutorials, the possibilities are endless and if done right, it can dramatically increase the engagement levels with your backers.
In this section, we will cover the best practices for creating and utilizing videos to engage with your backers and potential backers:
High-quality videos help build viewers’ trust in your campaign, product and mission. You can achieve great quality with relatively inexpensive equipment like high-end smartphones, microphones, lighting and tripods. However, even if you don’t have professional equipment available, simple practices can make a big difference in video production.
When shooting video consider the following:
Use light to your advantage; shoot during daylight hours or invest in artificial lighting for dark spaces.
Frame shots for adding visual interest to your videos; include movement when appropriate.
Invest in good sound with an external microphone — this will make a world of difference for viewers.
Be mindful of the background noise; you may need to move locations or add in additional audio later during post production.
Make sure production values are consistent throughout your video; avoid editing clips from different cameras together as this will create inconsistencies between scenes.
When creating a video for your crowdfunding campaign, make sure to keep the length appropriate for the platform you are using and for the message you want to convey. Generally, shorter videos (1-2 minutes) perform better in terms of grabbing attention and inspiring action from viewers. The most effective videos are concise and target one message, highlight key features or benefits of your project, and communicate in a compelling way.
That said, longer videos can be used if they are well-produced and targeted at a specific audience. If you’re introducing backers to your team or showing how someone is using your product or project, longer format may be applicable in order to drive more shares or views. Pay attention to metrics such as watch time (amount of time viewers watch the video), completion rate (percentage of people who finish watching it), as well as interaction rates with CTAs (Calls to Action).
If you’re creating a series of videos around your project, providing behind-the-scenes content about your process or fundraising activities, adding engaging video clips across platforms such as social media can be effective.
Ultimately, it depends on what messages and visuals you need, who you’re targeting with your video(s), the timeframe of when it will best reach those audiences — so determine what length is strategic for you!
The beauty of using video to engage with backers and potential backers is that it allows your team to tell compelling stories in a visual, powerful way. Video can make a real impact when it’s used properly. Thinking about how best to use video for effective engagement requires thinking through some parameters of your story: who, what, when, why and how?
Who: Your team is the obvious choice for the creators of engaging video content. It’s likely that other people will want to be involved as well — from sponsors or partners, to industry professionals or an experienced event organizer.
What: Think about what types of videos are appropriate for your audience. Will you appeal more to people who like long-form pieces or short snippets? Should you focus on storytelling or educating on an issue? Does humor fit into this equation?
When: The timing of video releases also matters — will your audience appreciate frequent content or would they prefer something fresh once every few weeks? Make sure you have enough material so your videos don’t become stale too quickly.
Why: This is where you really get down to the heart of the matter — why are you creating videos in the first place? Is it because you want to connect with backers more deeply and build loyalty around your project? Is it because you want raise awareness and generate new leads around important issues related to your campaign goals? Or is it solely for entertainment purposes such as fundraising for a charity or sharing funny moments at an event?
How: The playing field expands when we move into talking about how best to create engaging videos. Here we can look at different approaches from DIY methods or account sharing tools — even large format documentary style pieces are possible depending on what’s right for telling your story!
Creating an engaging video as part of your crowdfunding campaign is a great opportunity to present your project or idea in an attractive way and to help attract potential backers. However, in order to keep consistency with current followers and attract potential ones it’s important to make sure that the messages conveyed in the video reflect your brand.
First, you’ll want to establish a defined look that is appropriate for both your project and potential backers. Try to find visuals that will resonate with the audience you’re aiming for – if it’s a tech product, include shots of the product in action; if it’s an art book or album, focus on providing visuals that best express what you’re creating. Avoid generic images unrelated to the project — this will help ensure that viewers get immediately drawn into the story you’re trying create.
You’ll also want make sure you have consistent messaging throughout the video – from its style and tone, to any audio and even text overlaid on your footage. If there are key themes associated with your project be sure those are carried throughout, too. This helps viewers understand more about who you are as creators, what inspired this project and how much time/effort went into creating it—creating viewer trust along the way. It’s also helpful to include talking heads (i.e., interviews) with relevant people involved in your project – this gives potential backers insight into who they may be supporting when they back a particular product or service.
In conclusion, using video to engage with your backers and potential backers can be a powerful tool for making your crowdfunding campaign stronger. Videos can help to attract attention, create hype, generate more pre-launch support, communicate the value of your idea/product and promote word-of-mouth sharing. Ultimately video boosts your crowdfunding campaign with its high impact visual messages which are necessary in connecting with people on a personal level.
While creating videos may require additional resources upfront, it pays off significantly in the long run by providing the quality content that people cannot ignore. So if you need help creating a video to share with your backers or potential backers, there are plenty of options available for you to choose from!
You can consider the following options to create a video for your crowdfunding campaign:
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