Organizations are always looking to interact with the community. The rise of technology and digital platforms means organizations have the ability to quickly get their messages out to the community. This gives them the opportunity to capture the community’s thoughts about the brand.

There are many types of digital engagement. To be most effective, organizations need to engage with the community on many platforms. These may include social media, email, website, mobile, interactive maps.

In 2017, one of the most popular techniques to engage with the community is through video engagement. Video content provides the ability to visualize the brand and the community. It gives an organization the ability to personify a brand and make the community feel like they are a part of the brand’s identity. The possibilities for creating video content are endless. Video content opens up opportunities to visually show rather than tell a story.

If your organization isn’t using video engagement, you’re missing out. 2017 is the year of video content.

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What’s the connection between video marketing and community engagement?

Video marketing involves using any type of visual film to tell a story or portray a message to a target audience. Video content can be short and fast, such as a giphy; or it can last a few minutes, such as a video demonstration. Videos are versatile. Organizations can share videos across all digital platforms to maximize exposure.

Video is one of the most powerful marketing tools used to connect with your audience or community. Studies show more video content is uploaded onto the internet in a single month than there has been for television in the past three years. This is a prime example showing the rapid speed and growth of video content. It’s expected video content will continually rise and stay as one of the most dominant and helpful forms of digital marketing.

Watch this insightful video by Toronto City Planning video about planning for Downtown Toronto’s future.

The community is more interested in the outcome of a project. People want to know the impact a project will have on their life. And they want to have a say in the final outcome. It’s your opportunity to showcase how the community can get involved and create an impact on the overall outcome.

You can use video content to create an emotional connection. You can tell your community the story of how the project started and your intended outcome. Giving your community an idea of the background story and what you plan to achieve will help the community understand your project. This will also help shape their opinion and they will be able to give you a more valuable response on your project.

Is video engagement important for all industries?

Government, local businesses, large enterprises. Everyone has the ability to create video content. All you need is a video camera – even a smartphone will do! Once you have a core message you want to your community to hear, you can then develop a strategy to suit the message.

Determining what you use video for will help you better understand the type of content you need to create. A Forbes article about video outlined in 2017 video content will represent 74% of internet traffic. This is expected to continually rise over the next few years with Cisco projects predicting videos will make up 80% of Internet traffic by 2019.

Video content helps increase website dwell time on average, by two minutes. You can use video to give supporting information about your new project.

Be sure to add a comment box or call-to-action button at the end of the video. This will help keep the conversation open for discussion.

How does video content help connect brands with communities?

1.Video improves your project story

Videos can create an impact straightaway. Many organizations tell their brand story, but showing your story can help make it resonate with the viewer. Creating a video of your brand can help it gain a personal touch, and make your brand appear more human, rather than just an organization advertising their project. It’s no longer someone telling you how a brand can benefit a certain group or individual. Instead, it visually shows what the organization can do for the community and customer.

2. Video relieves uncertainty

A video demonstration can ease uncertainties when customers are unsure how to use a project. There are two main types – a video that is pre-recorded showing the features or functionalities of a project, which are informative and descriptive, with a goal in mind to help the community understand how to gain the full benefits of the project. There are also screenshare video conferences, that involve hosting a phone conference with a client and showing a virtual demonstration of the project. For example, at Social Pinpoint, we offer a free 30-minute screenshare to all of our Social Pinpoint customers to help tailor solutions.

3. Videos encourage communities to engage with email marketing

Email subject headings containing the word “video” tend to have 19% higher open rates and 65% higher click-through rates, according to a recent Forbes video marketing article. Videos can support your message and can help your audience get a stronger understanding of how your project can benefit them. An example would be attaching a video recording of a training session for members to view at their own convenience.

4. Incorporate testimonials to show your organization interacting with the community

Your organization has completed a project, is currently completing a project or wants an opinion on what certain individuals think of your organization. You have a great opportunity to connect with your audience by creating testimonials in video format. Video testimonials help give a positive outlook of your brand identity. They also help the testimonial feel more personal. People can feel the emotion of the words and connect with the person’s expression in the testimonial. Use video testimonials as your chance to tell a compelling story of why your organization helps people or the community achieve their goals.

For example, a community member or a customer says they are really happy from engaging with your organization.  Ask them about their experience with you. Share their joy and excitement. Ask if you can create a video testimonial. The extra step you take to visually showing the communities reaction to your brand will help personalise your brand and give it life. Video helps you capture moments. You can use video as a mechanism to say, “Hey look at this person. They’re really proud of what they achieved with our organization. They love it. If you engage with our brand, we can help you gain the best possible outcome too.”

Video engagement is only the beginning

You’ve developed video content. Now it’s time to get it out for the community to see. Share it on social media, broadcast the video on your website. Promote your project by creating a video about it. Video content gives you the power to engage with an audience on many different digital platforms. Give the community a reason to interact with your project. Show them how you get involved with the community. Show the community how your brand can improve their life. Video marketing is here to stay. It’s time to connect with your community on a more visual level.