On Wednesday, October 5th I’ll be joining Allison Carter from Roundpeg for a discussion about community marketing on their More Than A Few Words podcast. One thing I’m particularly passionate about is volunteering my time and expertise to neighborhood, civic and professional events, and it usually comes in the form of video production. That sentiment is echoed by 12 Stars Media’s work with non-profit clients.
No one needs to be convinced that video is a great way to promote an event. There is no better way to show the sights and sounds of a festival, the speed and excitement of a competition, or the emotion and magnanimity of a fundraiser. Here are some tips to ensure that you’re successful:
Make An Investment
If you want to cover an event that happens annually, you’ll have to capture footage one year ahead of time. This represents a significant investment, but one that will pay dividends. When I first got involved with Startup Weekend Indianapolis, the event organizers and I decided that I would concentrate only capturing video for my first event. By the time the second event came by, I had more than enough footage to put together promo videos for attracting attendees, sponsors and volunteers.
Cover the Bases
Don’t show up at your event with just a video camera and no plan. It’s not enough to simply shoot b-roll of the event. Interview as many of (and at least a couple each) of the following types of event stakeholders:
- attendees
- sponsors
- volunteers
- presenters
- organizers
Be Impactful
When interviewing, always keep your goals in mind. Do you want to attract more attendees? Do you want to attract more significant sponsors? Ask the kind of questions that will elicit the answers you want:
- attendees – Why do you attend this event? What makes this event different than others? What keeps you coming back?
- sponsors – Why do you consider this event to be important enough to support financially? What does this event do for the community-at-large? What would this community look like without this event?
- organizers – Why do you give of your time to make this event possible? What do you get out of it personally?
Crowdsource Your Content
The best thing about the affordability of digital video cameras is that you don’t have to do it all alone. Consider putting a street team together – a group of enthusiastic volunteers or attendees. Put a Flip camera in each of their hands and tell them to shoot video at the event. Give them free admission and let them keep the camera in exchange for capturing all that footage. Our Candidio service, which allows you to upload video clips to be professionally edited, is the perfect companion.
Using video to promote your event is an awesome way to not only increase participation in the event itself, but also to showcase the good work that your organization does throughout the community. Take a look at your events calendar for the coming year and decide how you can include video in your marketing mix.
About Steven Shattuck
