We talk a lot about engagement around here. How to track it, what to do with it, how it affects fundraising, all that good stuff! However, you’ve got to create it first and foremost. So it’s important to take a step back and think about how to that part, too.
There’s so much noise coming through email, social, events and everything else in life that it’s no secret getting someone engaged is hard. But! People will always take time out of their day for a good story. And the advancement world is full of incredible stories to tell.
It’s time to consistently tell them in the way people are consuming things. We’re talking about video.
Everywhere you look there are statistics on why video is the best way to get attention – here are a few:
85% of all internet users in the United States watch videos monthly on at least one of their devices.
54% of consumers want more video content from brands or businesses they support.
73% of consumers claim they’ve been influenced by a brand’s social media presence when making a purchasing decision.
The average user spends 88% more time on a website with video.
Viewers are 95% more likely to remember a call to action after watching a video, compared to 10 percent when reading it in text.
Numbers, as they say, don’t lie. We set out to find some great advancement videos from higher ed institutions to show you what’s possible. There are a ton of excellent examples out there, but these are a few that recently caught our eye.
University of Virginia
This video made its way around the whole EverTrue office in a few hours. People kept talking about how awesome it is. And we’re way up in Boston with no UVA alums among us. Which shows you don’t need to have any connection to the university to be touched by what the school is doing for these two two scholarship recipients. But if you do have a connection to UVA, this is a powerful motivator for current donors, future donors, potential students and parents alike. Basically we’re saying this one gives us all the feels.
Florida International University
Campaigns have a lot of key priorities, so it’s important to break them down so constituents can see the pieces of the larger puzzle that mean something to them. Because research is a pillar of Florida International University’s current campaign, they brought in a dean to talk about the specific ways they’re helping the world by investing in research. Targeting a specific audience for this piece of the message and tracking who engages with it will help FIU deliver compelling solicitations to the right people.
Louisiana State University
This video highlights the timely and imperative work Louisiana State University is doing to with coastal communities in their state and around the world. It shows the kind of impact the Center for River Studies is having, not only on the state, but with current students, future students and the public at large. In just a few short minutes this video captures incredibly powerful work being done on campus. And given the topic, we’d imagine there are more than a few people who’d like to pitch in and help out as soon as the credits start rolling.
Have you created great advancement videos and ignited amazing engagement on social? Would you like to track who interacted with it and how you can use that data for targeted solicitation across the giving spectrum? Schedule a time to chat with EverTrue today!