Tips and Resources for Outreach with Video
Online videos are an increasingly useful marketing tool for both organizations and independent businesses and can reach audiences who may not otherwise be exposed to your outreach. Creating effective, short video clips doesn't require expensive equipment. When used with a tripod and microphone, even the most basic video cameras can do the job for web-only clips, and editing can be learned quickly. We suggest identifying a person with interest in this realm and get started! Creating relevant videos also may boost your website traffic and search engine rankings.
Videos can fulfill a crucial element of your educational campaign--and personalize your organization and members to website visitors. Your community members will be far more receptive to your "buy independent/local" message when you've told stories about your local business owners, put names and faces on the business names, and talked about things the owners do for your community. With due respect to The Godfather, we encourage you to make it personal, not just business!
We're always available to help you with ideas for video clips and offer a few examples and tips here to get you started.
10 Tips to Better Video (Camcorder News)
Facebook video marketing (Reel SEO)
Made to Stick is a great book on the value of storytelling and key considerations
The Center for Digital Storytelling offers a wealth of deeper information
The book Storyteller Uprising: Trust & Persuasion in the Digital Age is available as a free pdf or in other formats. The author, Hanson Hosein, produced two highly-recommended documentary films highlighting the importance of independent businesses in communities: Independent America: the Two-Lane Search for Mom and Pop and Rising from the Ruins.
Examples
You can use emotional appeal, humor, creativity, associations, logical argument or other tactics to deliver your message. Here is a sampling of videos to provoke your ideas.
Go Local Sonoma County
An example of coop advertising
Here is a new one from Louisville Independent Business Alliance--
part of an on-going series of videos
"LIBA Reason #58" by Keep Louisville Weird
"We're Open" by the Michigan Main St. Program (2009)
Michigan Main St. also produced a longer (2:49) version
"The Consumer" by Thrive (2012)
"Keep Boulder Weird" by the Boulder IBA (2010)
"Keep It In the Loop" by Portland Buy Local (2011)
(While some of these videos succeed at holding interest for two minutes
or more with professional, fast-paced editing, we
encourage groups to
start with videos of no more than one minute.)
Independent We Stand created this clip in the vein of
"We're Open" (2010)
The IWS YouTube page also has many videos promoting individual businesses
Video reports can update members about your group's
progress
Coverage of Capital Area IBA (Springfield, IL)
With permission, longer news clips like these could be excerpted
for publicity
Portland (ME) Independent Business and Community Alliance
Your Business or Members Can Leverage Their Independence
in Videos
"Parody of Unmentioned Megabrewery" by Breckenridge Brewery (2011)
Parting Tips
We've seen good videos by AMIBA members on YouTube that have few views, so don't forget to promote them on your website and through social media!
If you plan to create more than one video, use the same closing image on all of them for continuity (consider the same opening, too).
Consider crafting a video for every member of your local alliance who prominently displays/links your IBA logo on their website and ads (or some other incentive). Nearby colleges may be a great source of interns with video skills for such a campaign.
When using music on a video, your best option is to utilize local talent! See if any local artists are interested in having their music featured on the video. If you intend to use music found online, make sure it is copyright and royalty free. Such music can be difficult to find, but one resource we have found is Danosongs.
Note: This primer is among many produced by AMIBA on various aspects of operating effective buy local campaigns, Independent Business Alliances and other pro-local initiatives. Most are reserved for access only to AMIBA affiliates (since we relied on many other groups for content used here, it is accessible to everyone.) Thanks to all who submitted videos or suggestions (we welcome additional recommendations)!