Michael Hofman, CEO of See3 Communications' presentation at the 2010 PEJE Conference about how schools must use video to meet their goals, build awareness, and raise funds

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Mission Video
Harness the World of Online Video for Your School
Michael Hoffman: See3 Communications
Prepared for PEJE
Presented by Michael Hoffman, CEO,
See3

2. Michael Hoffman: See3 Communications
Today’s Session
The web and TV are merging, turning your website into a
channel. Schools that can harness this new world of video will
gain invaluable attention to bring in new students and donors.
There is a paradigm shift underway--you now have to stop telling
people what a wonderful school you have and starting showing
them.
But how can you do this with limited resources? What roles do
YouTube and your website play? In this session, you will develop
strategies for programming this new channel, study compelling
and interesting content designed to deepen parent engagement
and promote your school, and learn how to develop a culture of
storytelling that directly benefits your bottom line.

3. About Me
Michael Hoffman, CEO, is a leading authority in online video for
nonprofits and a long-time consultant to nonprofit leaders on online
fundraising and outreach strategies. He started his career as a political
consultant and Washington-based nonprofit fundraiser before joining a
venture investment firm to develop internet start-ups. Post-bubble,
Hoffman founded See3 to bring together his belief in the power of the
web and his passion and experience with nonprofit fundraising,
advocacy, and education. He is a frequent blogger and tweeter on
nonprofit marketing and is a nationally sought-after speaker on topics
such as online cause marketing, web video, and Web 2.0 for social
change.
See3 Communications is an interactive communications
agency that works exclusively with nonprofits, foundations,
associations, and social causes. We specialize in online
strategies and campaigns, video production, and web design
& development.

4. Source: Nielsen//NetRatings (December 2009) - US audience.
48%27.3Female
52%29.8MaleGender
19%10.955+
21%11.945-54
22%12.335-44
19%11.118-34
19%11.0<18
–57.1AllAge
%
UsersUsers (M)
In 1 Minute
24 hours of video are
uploaded to YouTube
#3 Biggest Site in the World
Bigger than MSN and
Wikipedia
58 Minutes
Average time spent on
YouTube
Video is BIG

5. Donor Demographics
Last year, Convio, SeaChange Strategies and Edge
Research released a report called “The Wired Wealthy:
Using The Internet to Connect to Your Middle and Major
Donors”
Surveyed donors with email addresses who donated
over $1000 during an 18-month period
Findings:
• 9 % of these donors use Facebook
• 16% of these donors use LinkedIn
• 52% of these donors use YouTube

6. Your Website is Your Channel

7. Graphic from HubSpot

8. Why Storytelling is Important
“Stories are the best way to
convey information, ...the
best way for people to
remember things ... The
best way to get to
people's hearts and make
them take action.”
-- Roger Burks

10. Find
Them
Where
They
Are

12. People Pay Attention to Good
Stories

13. Laws of Social Storytelling
Be prepared to tell 3 types of stories:
• The story of self (org)
• The story of us (community)
• The story of now (change the world)
“A story communicates fear, hope, and
anxiety, and because we
can feel it, we get the moral not just as a
concept, but as a
teaching of our hearts. That’s the power of
story.”
- Marshall Ganz

14. Keep It Short
 Powerful videos are often under 2 minutes long. The
effort you put into keeping it short will go a long way
in helping you focus your message.
Keep It Simple
 Try to focus on one main topic (i.e. an event, one
person’s story, a lesson, a testimonial). It’s easier to
get excited about a video that is focused.
From our friends at flipvideospotlight.com
Storytelling Tips

15. Be Genuine
• Viewers want to connect with the work that your
organization is doing. Focus on content that is
compelling rather than what’s “cool”.
Keep It Fluid
• Beginning-Middle-End: Catch the audience at the
beginning and explain what is happening, build
emotion in the middle, and come to some sort of
resolution at the end.
Storytelling Tips

16. Keep It Moving
 Audio: Video shows the story but don’t forget the
importance of audio. Audio adds emotion
Keep It Interesting
 Wide shot - establishes the scene
 Medium shot - gives more intimacy
 Close-up - for emotion and direct connection
 Extreme close-up - very intimate, emotional effect.
Storytelling Tips

17. Above All, Tell a Story
 Show it visually
 Give your viewers the right web
tools (portability)
 Sound is critical
 Prepare a script and get
feedback
Storytelling With Video

18. Current video assets
• What do you already have that you can repurpose,
reuse, and recycle?
• What about parents, families, and other community
members? Do they have video you can leverage?
People
• Who do you want to get on screen? Who is going to
shoot and manage logistics? Who needs training?
Events
• Think hard about the opportunities and barriers
before deciding which events to get on video
Fundraising Opportunities
• What do you need to capture to make an appeal?
Organizational goals and messages
• What content is a “must have” to deliver on your
message around your goals?
Think Strategically

19. • Get your calendar out!
• Determine what video
resources you'll need
• Build internal capacity through
trainings
• Make at least one more video
than last year
• Write grants focusing on visual
storytelling
Grow Your Video Strategy

20. Key Planning Questions
• What are our goals?
• Who are we trying to reach?
• What message do we want to send?
• How will we reach our audience?
Where will this video live?
• What action do we want them to
take?
• How will we measure success?
Grow Your Video Strategy

21. Documentary
• Strong way to show a
school’s work and
impact
• Focus on the individual
stories of real people
• Create a media library
to pull from
• Reuse and repurpose
for different mediums
(live
• events, DVDs,
meetings, website)

22. Staff Produced

23.  Behind the scenes – people are much more
interested in process than you think!
 Use computer cameras or Flip Video to staff
members, interns, volunteers, students?
 Conduct video interviews via Skype (i.e.
bloggingheads.tv)
 Good for immediate updates
Staff Produced

24. • Very popular style (use
with caution)
• Great example is Girl
Effect – success is in
framing
• the problem in simple
terms
• Distill the story through
words and music
• Method to bring
important speeches/text
to life
Animation/Typography

25. Broadcast Live Events
• Stream important news or
organizational events
• live using Ustream or
Livestream
• Reach and connect with
larger audience online
• Use live streaming to hook
into top news stories
• Stream and archive
trainings

26. So Many Ways to Show Video

27. • Tie your video to an
action/campaign
• Mobilize your email list
• Build relationships with
bloggers
• Feature in multiple areas on
your website
• Distribute on social
networks
• Give as a tool to your
partners
• Talk about it offline
7 Ways to Distribute Video

28. • Get a pocket camera (or 10!) for your school
• Build a media library
• Start an account on TubeMogul.com
• Find the passionate people in your organization and
• let them loose!
• Use YouTube Annotations
5 Things You Can Do
Right Now

29. You Made The Video. Now What?
Distribution
Bring people to your video
◦ Website
◦ Email
◦ PR (earned media)
Bring your video to people
YouTube
Social Networks (Facebook, etc.)
Blogger Outreach
TubeMogul

31. Discussion
Michael Hoffman
 Email: michael@see3.net
 Twitter: @Michael_Hoffman
 Phone: +1 773-784-7333
The slidedeck and links will be
available after this session at
www.see3.net/peje