Justin KhoeDigital Missionary, That Christian Vlogger. When it comes to reaching millennials, social media is a necessity, not a luxury. With only 2 in 10 millennials considering regular church attendance important, it just makes sense to meet young people where they are, and in 2018, that’s online. Millennials spend on average 18+ hours per day behind a screen consuming movies, podcasts, social media, and playing video games. If you think that’s crazy, consider this: when I shared this statistic at Andrew’s University, over 50% of the seminarians I asked said that this was an accurate representation of their day. As a church, our first response has been to point out the inherent dangers in online media, and rightfully so. However, if we have any desire to reach the unchurched or those who have left the faith, running away from social media is no longer an option. As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Rather than running away from social media, I believe God is calling us to run toward it, not as mindless consumers and gullible sheep, but as digital missionaries. The digital missionary recognizes that “…Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13, NIV). But as Paul said, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15, ESV). The digital missionary is a faithful Christian who is committed to taking the gospel to the world, whether that means selling books door-to-door, hopping on a plane to a third-world country, sharing their testimony on Sabbath afternoon, or creating videos on YouTube. So here are 5 of the most important tips that I’ve learned in my three years as a digital missionary: Tip 1: Assume no one will ever come to your church. When most begin thinking about digital evangelism, one of the first questions is, “How do we get them to come to church?” Respectfully, I think this is the wrong question to ask. After all, the mission given to us by Jesus was to make disciples, not to grow our local church. Stop treating Facebook or Instagram simply as advertising platforms for weekend services or midweek socials. Instead, ask yourself this: If the only teaching or discipling that my viewer receives comes from my online ministry, how would their walk with God look? Would their love for Jesus be increased? Would they be challenged? Would their faith grow? By taking the “disinterested benevolence” approach, always serving and never expecting, God will place us directly in the path of those who need it most. Sometimes that means our ministry will reach the shut-ins and disabled, the persecuted Christian living in a Muslim country (true story), or someone like Brook. Paradoxically, by making this assumption, people do show up at church. In fact, this past month Helen dragged her husband and all four of her kids to church when she found out that I would be speaking at a local Adventist church only 2.5 hours away. She may not be baptized yet, but as someone who has been convinced of the seventh-day Sabbath, Helen is doing the hard work of wrestling through these difficult questions. Thankfully, she doesn’t have to do this on her own. Tip 2: Numbers matter, but not in the way that you think. As a digital missionary it’s easy to believe two lies when it comes to “numbers.” On the one hand it’s easy to get proud when a video “goes viral” and the subscribers start rolling in. Conversely, it’s easy to get discouraged and think it’s not worth the effort when only a dozen people watch a video that took you five or six hours to create. In the same way that God values the small local church of a dozen members and the mega church with tens or hundreds of thousands of members equally, the same is true for the online video. It doesn’t matter if your video gets millions of views or dozens; God values it the same. After all, what matters to God most is the impact on the individual. It can be so easy to forget this simple fact, leading us to start interpreting views as a simple metric instead of what it really represents: actual real-life human beings who have taken the time to watch your content. No Bible worker would for a moment feel ashamed when only a dozen people showed up to their Bible study. No pastor would ever consider the many hours in sermon prep a waste if he only got to preach to 50 or 100 people. The same should be true for digital missionaries. Why? Because each view isn’t actually a view. It’s a person Tip 3: Teach what your viewers are looking for, not what you’re interested in. One of the most overlooked facts about YouTube is that it is the second largest search engine in the world. In fact, every month, YouTube sees over 3 billion searches! “How-to” videos are growing 70% each year. We know this intuitively. After all, what do we do when we need to learn how to change a tire? We YouTube it! Need to learn how to tie a tie? YouTube it! Trying to learn how to install a piece of software on our computer…YouTube it! The same is true for spiritual questions. Over 100,000 people every single month are searching for answers to questions like, “Is God Real?” “What happens after death?” “What is Faith?” and even…“What is a Seventh Day Adventist?” Instead of uploading an hour-long debate on who the King of the North is from Daniel 11, try targeting what people are actively searching for. Here’s a pro-tip on how to discover what people are looking for online. Open up YouTube on an “incognito tab” on Chrome (if you don’t know how to do this, ask a 13-year-old in your church). By doing this, you won’t allow your personal search history to influence the auto-complete in the search bar. Start typing phrases like, “What does the Bible…” “Does God…” and “Why does God?” Pay close attention to what shows up. YouTube is telling you that these are the most commonly typed questions by YouTube viewers from all across the world! This is where you should start when creating online content. P.S. Use free tools like VID IQ, Google Ad Words, or Tube Buddy to get more in-depth information on specific questions many people are searching for. Tip 4: Remember, community matters most! Most of your viewers will be casual viewers: those who watch one or two videos only to wander to some other part of the internet. Don’t be discouraged by this. Jesus mentioned that there would be different soils each time we try to plant seed. Don’t be easily discouraged when it seems like your audience is highly transient in nature. If you are consistent in creating quality content, never “grow weary of doing good.” The promise is that, “in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9, ESV). Building deep community takes time. This is true of digital missions and IRL (in real life) ministry. People may visit your church dozens of times before they truly engage with the community and get involved through service. When I first started my online ministry, I asked myself how I would define “success” if I were planting a church. After 12 months, would an engaged community of 50 people be success? 100? 1000? Apply this same long-term mentality to building an online community. Don’t get impatient. Other than creating consistent, quality content, there are many more things that you can do to build community. Respond to every single comment. Yes, all of them. Every comment is an opportunity to build community. Think of every comment as a real interaction (because that’s what it is). How would you respond if someone had something complimentary or critical to say to you after church? What would you do when a visitor had a question to ask the pastoral team? Respond to every single comment. Even the haters. Some of the most meaningful interactions that I have had online actually have come from people who were initially, “haters.” When fellow YouTuber, “The Raging Atheist,” made a very colorfully worded and angry video focused on attacking my channel (http://bit.ly/2NVbTrU - sensitive ears beware), instead of getting defensive, I tried to reach out. Two more VERY colorful videos and several months later, “The Raging Atheist” not only considers me a friend but is actively encouraging his atheist subscribers to go and subscribe to my channel. To hear the full story, check out the Restore podcast by Javier Diaz. Make it a practice to reach out to your viewers. Connect with them on other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Ask them questions. Offer to video chat or call them when they have questions. Respond to every email as if they were a person knocking on your church door, and over time you will build a deep and meaningful community. Tip 5: Prayer is not enough. Educate yourself and collaborate with others. Don’t get me wrong. Prayer is not only important, it is necessary. Any success that we will have in ministry, digital or otherwise comes as a direct response to prayer. But a digital missionary must combine it with an active effort to be informed and competent. Social media platforms change about as often as Apple releases new iPhones. As such, it’s important to continually invest in education and mentorship. I’m writing this case study having just gotten back from Las Vegas. No, I wasn’t trying to make it big at the casinos. Instead, I had just invested three days with some of the industry’s leading experts on social media marketing. Side note: many of the most proficient experts in social media are fellow believers seizing the power of social media for kingdom growth! Over the last three years, I have spent over $10,000 on online courses, coaching, books, conferences, and mentorship. Now, I realize that not everyone is in the position to invest this type of money, but there are so many free resources available to help equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to succeed as a digital missionary (thanks to the NAD for partnering with me to create a FREE course on how to start a video ministry. Perhaps one of the most beautiful things about digital missions is that social media actually rewards collaboration instead of competition. Whether you are looking to launch a YouTube channel, podcast, blog, or Instagram account, there is much to be gained from partnering with like-mission-minded people. Connect with other digital missionaries. Learn from their experiences, both the successes and failures. Seek to bolster and support their efforts with the heart of a servant. Here are some examples of fellow Adventist missionaries & resources: https://www.facebook.com/humansofadventism/ http://www.gorgeous2god.org/ https://www.stuffadventistsshouldknow.org/ https://www.facebook.com/burnthehaystack/ https://www.centerforonlineevangelism.org/ https://thestorychurchproject.com/ https://www.theabsurdity.org/podcast/ http://adventisthistorypodcast.org/ https://www.ibelievebible.com/ Part 2: P.S., if you’re still doubtful that digital mission work really makes a difference, this is Michael Troyonasky. He became a Seventh-day Adventist because of a YouTube video. Yes, it makes a difference.
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Justin KhoeDigital Missionary, That Christian Vlogger. Jamie Jean Schneider DommDigital Strategist for the North American Division. Recently, advertisements sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints began running on prominent YouTuber Justin Khoe’s videos. What makes this surprising is that Justin is a digital missionary for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. For every advertisement that runs on his videos, Justin gets a percentage of the revenue. In other words, when the Church of Jesus Christ targets their ads to subscribers of his channel, they are financially supporting his ministry, an Adventist ministry. Before we get into why this strategy makes sense and what it means for Seventh-day Adventist evangelistic methods, let us share some background information. Who is Justin Khoe?Justin Khoe is a digital missionary. Known online primarily as “That Christian Vlogger,” Justin runs a Christian YouTube channel with over 65,000 subscribers (as of October 2018) that seeks to have a positive impact on those searching for spiritual answers online. His YouTube videos have been seen around the world by over two million people. With over ten years of preaching, literature evangelism, and teaching experience under his belt, Justin’s current focus is leveraging social media to help reach unchurched young adults. Co-hosting the show with him is his wife, Emily. Justin and Emily aim to encourage young adults to have a stronger and deeper relationship with God and to help them discover who God has created them to be. They call this way of living “experiencing faith in the first person.” In the past year, Justin has created an interactive Christian community and received 2,334 requests for Bible studies. How YouTube Advertising Works Advertising on YouTube is simple and straightforward: pay Google a set amount ($0.20 per view, on average) to insert a commercial to play before a particular video. The revenue from this advertising is split between Google and the content creator. With over 1.8 billion people watching videos on YouTube each month, it’s easy to see why advertising on the platform is attractive for businesses looking to reach a wide audience. And they are coming in droves; in 2018 alone, advertisers are expected to spend an astonishing $3.9 billion dollars on YouTube advertising. It’s makes sense. Armed with an endless supply of targeted data from Google’s immense user base, companies can now target prospective customers with pin-point accuracy. Travel agencies can target young families with an interest in exploring South-East Asia. Makeup companies can target 13-17 year old girls from the United Kingdom who have recently searched for specific brands of lipstick. The examples could go on and on. Opportunities Beyond Profits But YouTube advertising isn’t the exclusive domain of makeup companies and travel agencies looking to turn a profit. For many organizations with non-financial motivations, YouTube has become an ideal platform for influencing targeted groups of people. Using Google’s powerful targeting tools, politicians use the platform to target key voter segments, nonprofits use it to target likely donors, and—most recently—churches and other religious organizations have begun using it to target spiritually-interested people searching for answers to spiritual questions. This last scenario is one that should be of particular interest to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As mentioned above, a religious organization has recently begun running ads on Justin Khoe’s (aka “ThatChristianVlogger”) YouTube channel. One ad in particular describes the conversion experience of Richard, an Asian-American atheist who became a Christian. The approximately three-minute video describes how Richard was unhappy with his life and how he began to search for a greater purpose. Richard ultimately found, not only a faith that could fill his need for purpose and meaning, but also one that appealed to his need for logic as a scientist. Eventually, Richard met with some missionaries and decided to join a church that loves and welcomes him with open arms. A Neglected Field The crazy part of this story lies in which organization is sponsoring these ads on a Seventh-day Adventist YouTube channel: The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints. The Church of Jesus Christ, known for their evangelistic zeal, have recognized—better than most churches—that when young people have questions about purpose and identity, they don’t turn to pastors and teachers as they did in previous decades. No, they turn instead to social media—Google, Facebook, YouTube, and the like. In fact, Generation-Z can’t live without YouTube, with 95% of them using the platform and half stating they can’t live without it. Gen Z prefers to watch, rather than read. They view digital video and short-form clips almost six times as much as they read traditional digital publishers/blogs. Social influencers play a significant role in defining what youth audiences like, view, and buy…This is particularly true when marketing to Gen Z, who grew up with the internet and are not only demanding that all brands entertain them, but also that entertainment shifts to behave like a friend—it’s also why influencers are so effective in selling to this generation. —Maude Standish, Vice President of Programming Strategy, Fullscreen Rather than ignoring this trend, or attempting to counteract it, the Church of Jesus Christ has made the evangelistic leap that all churches seeking to remain relevant in the 21st century will have to take: they became digital missionaries. They found an existing online community of spiritually interested individuals (built by Justin Khoe through his YouTube channel), and then paid Google to spread their message to that targeted audience through advertising. As a result, a Seventh-day Adventist digital missionary—Justin Khoe—finds himself in the ironic position of being sponsored (via YouTube advertising) by the the Church of Jesus Christ, because they recognize the immense evangelistic value of the audience he his building, and the need to target the next generation on the digital platforms where they are searching for answers. Next Steps Supporting digital missions can take a variety of forms. For the individual, this may mean leveraging your own digital influence for the gospel or supporting your favorite Adventist influencer financially. Encourage friends and family members who feel called to the digital mission field, especially when they are frustrated and have doubts. When you don’t understand what they are trying to do, ask questions and never dismiss their ideas due to their “youth.” In my experience, most principles gleaned from the physical mission field have application in the digital one. If you have evangelism and discipleship experience, be a guide and a mentor that encourages young people’s ideas. You may not be a content creator, but if you’re on social media, you can share their content to help expand their reach.
This will take a cultural shift at every level of our Church to recognize, encourage, support, and assist our youth, who are the best suited to reach their own generation. We must recognize digital missionaries as legitimate missionaries. This means not only making room for digital evangelism and discipleship in our churches, but preparing our youth for this mission field by equipping them with the right technical skills. We, as a denomination, must value the tech-savvy and social influencers if we are to accomplish our great commission in a digitally-focused society. It’s time to invest heavily in digital missionaries, platforms, technologies, and advertising strategies at the corporate and local levels of our Church. The Seventh-day Adventist Church began as a grassroots effort that became a global movement. The explosion of digital technologies is affording us the opportunity to once again unite in a common purpose to expand the gospel. We are more connected than ever before, and the mission field is huge. I believe the next great awakening will be a digital one. I am challenging us to another grassroots movement of skilled individuals using their different talents (blogging, video, design, podcasting, IT, preaching, writing, healing, etc.) to share one message. I know there are thousands of faithful believers with the skills, expertise, and faith necessary to take our message online en masse. There is a place for everyone in this movement, but it will take everyone working together. The wisdom of traditional evangelism combined with the technical fluency of the youth could preach the three angels’ messages with a loud voice to the ends of Earth. This is possible if we seize this opportunity before it’s too late. Follow Justin Khoe on YouTube Support his ministry on Patreon Resources:
Akande DavisDigital Strategy Specialist and founder of Digital Pew. Livestreaming is one of the most powerful tools that you can leverage for your organization's digital marketing strategy and approach. Engaging with your audience in real-time and providing them unique experience comes second to none with most content experiences. In the world of content marketing, livestreaming is quickly becoming one of the most common and powerful tools for organizations. As powerful as it is, if done incorrectly, it can yield weak results or even hurt your brand! One of the most common shortcomings of livestream content is the quality of the actual livestream. If you're looking to engage with your audience effectively and produce content that is Evergreen in nature, the quality of the livestream is vitally important. After talking with several leaders involved in their organization's marketing and content strategy efforts, livestreaming can seem expensive and daunting. The truth is, it doesn't have to be. You can get a livestream that looks like a million dollars on a tight budget. In this article I'll cover 3 different ways that you can take your livestream to the next level. Mevo by Livestream: $299.99 - $399.99Mevo is likely the simplest and most effective way to give your livestream incredible quality without breaking the bank. Mevo is a complete livestreaming solution that allows you to setup and shoot wherever you are with great quality. They have a huge community of people that are willing and able to help, a dedicated support staff and a large user-base which is always a huge plus; big userbases typically means that new features and software will be considered with each release more often. Here are some of the most notable features that places it at the top of my list:
The next option has a drop in quality, but also a big drop in price and setup time, which is why I ALSO recommend the... Logitech C922x Webcam - $99.99The Logitech C922x webcam is a great, simple and cheap solution for livestreaming with really good quality. There are a few limitations, such as needing a laptop or computer to stream from and also lacking the ability to do multiple edits/cuts, but for the price-point, it is a great alternative. The Logitech C922x also comes with a ton of accessories such as tripods, desk clamps, and other accessories to bring your livestream to the next level. The Logitech C922x has a few standout features:
If you're looking to get your feet wet with livestreaming without it costing an arm and a leg, this is the option for you. Even with some of the drawbacks, it is still one way to get a great looking video. If you are looking to supplement this option to get better sound or visuals, consider getting some simple lights or even an external microphone that you can use via USB to help enhance the quality. They are small changes that you can make right away to notch up your livestream. This last option is for tech savvy people, but is still a great choice. StarTech.com USB Video Capture Device - $129.99The StarTech USB Video Capture Device is the only option listed in this blog that does not include a video camera option. Even though this option for livestreaming doesn't have a camera included, the potential is huge and here is why... With StarTech's equipment, you can use any camera that you already have, that has an HDMI output, to do a livestream. That means equipment that your organization already owns or uses, can be used for DSLR/video camera quality livestreams and audio! This device can be used for DSLRs, camcorders, and anything else that has an HDMI out, including a video game console (if that's your niche). When you have that sort of flexibility, you can begin to create livestreaming content that excels in visual and audio quality. You could potentially have the best looking livestream using this method, but it might take some time to setup. There are also a lot more considerations with this setup; how you setup your camera, lenses, audio and subject will all be much more important to maximize the value and quality. Creating great content doesn't have to be hard or break the bank. Find an option that works for you and start using livestreams to engage your audience TODAY! Reposted with permission from DigitalPew. Related Resources:Akande DavisDigital Strategy Specialist and founder of Digital Pew. One of the biggest appeals of livestreaming is all about capturing the ‘now.’ Church marketers (Digital Evangelists) can leverage their audience in a completely new way that is real, relevant, and in the moment. The level of exchange and interaction that Digital Evangelists can get from livestreams, gives creators unique moments in time with their audience. There is something awesome about that. With all of the benefits of livestreaming being used in church communication, there is one that often goes unnoticed and that is the value of creating livestream content that is ‘Evergreen.’ Evergreen content is great for promoting your message, church, or ministry to your audienceEvergreen content is content that can be shown to new audiences over and over while retaining its intrinsic value. It doesn’t become less interesting or less relevant, in fact, it has the same effect for every new person that watches it. Some great examples of Evergreen content pulled from livestreams are often conference videos, Q&A sessions, and even live group discussions. Even if it is happening in the now, it can still be Evergreen. While preparing for your next livestream to help aid your church or ministry efforts, here are 4 ways that you can do to make sure that your content is as Evergreen as possible:
Creating Evergreen content is practical and essential.But take everything with a grain of salt; not all livestreams can be repurposed to be Evergreen. Sometimes the ‘now’ of the livestream is what it is – there is nothing wrong with having a strategy that isn’t Evergreen or having content that isn’t constantly repurposed at every opportunity for your digital campaigns. Your church/ministry is unique - don't drown it out by trying to conform your communications strategy to what is considered 'better,' if what you're doing is working well. However, it never hurts to try new things. Test and see what works for your ministry, and keep trying. Don't know if your livestream can be used as Evergreen content?If you're wondering if something can be turned into Evergreen content, consider some of these leading questions;
Reposted with permission from DigitalPew. Related Resources:Akande DavisDigital Strategy Specialist and founder of Digital Pew. Livestreaming is a powerful tool that can be used to build up your digital strategy. But that is just what it is, a part of the strategy. Livestreaming should not be your whole digital strategy. Even if you follow every rule and best practice, your marketing efforts will fall short if you don’t have a solid foundation to build your livestreaming, and other social media efforts, on top of. More times than not, the basics of digital strategy are entirely missing, so when one strategy doesn't make up for what's missing, it's abandoned. Without the basics, you will fall short of your goals and not even know why. Here are some considerations to help you maximize your video content and pair your efforts together in a way that has a positive impact all around:
Download the following resources to help you establish a digital strategy for your church or ministry.
Using livestreaming as a digital tool can be incredibly valuable to crank your digital efforts to the next level, magnify your influence, and engage even more effectively with your followers.Many organizations see a much better engagement on video content than other types of content on social media. Below is one example where Facebook reach was 328% MORE on video content. Facebook engagement was 288% MORE. The page itself has a total following of about 17k on Facebook and 4k on Instagram. Notice the spike in reach that can be seen in November (below) when more engaging (video) content was used to reach their audience - it looks like a mountain range with an almost immediate spike! Next is another example of a page I manage that has roughly 300k across Facebook and Instagram. Again, we see that video content gets over 300% more engagement and over 250% more reach - than ALL of the other options combined! Leveraging video content isn't just beneficial, it's a must if you're looking to take your digital strategy to the next level. Livestream video content can be used over and over again when turned into Evergreen content - videos don't have to age out just because they were livestreamed. There are opportunities to maximize what you are using and are already doing with your livestream content. Check out our blog on creating Evergreen content to learn more. Simply put, don't wait! Start using livestream to maximize your digital strategy efforts today. Comment below with your experiences or use #DigitalEvangelism. Reposted with permission from DigitalPew. Related Resources:Karthik ReddyCommunity Manager and blogger for websitebuilder.org.uk. Jamie Schneider Domm Digital Strategist for the North American Division. Video has been around for a while now, but only recently has it really taken off as a marketing and ministry tool. Organizations all over the world are coming up with creative ways to use video content to share their ideas effectively. Potential video content is endless and can include: animation, educational videos, member testimonials, tutorial or how-to videos, documentaries, behind-the-scenes tours, inspirational shorts, thank-you videos and, more recently, even interactive 360-degree videos. If you're not sure whether or not you should be using video, click here for 127 video marketing facts that show the influence of video and why it is important for non-profits to embrace this medium. Once you are convinced, here are some basic tips to help your video content cut through the clutter online and leave a lasting impression on viewers. 1. Include people. Sure, explaining your mission and what you hope to achieve is very important, but this does not always catch your audience's attention and keep it. A trick is to include real-life people in your videos, showcasing success stories and providing testimonials. You could also include other organizations in your video, and let them talk about their ministries and why they choose to be involved. Having a video featuring a genuine person is likely to increase member trust. They will capture the viewers’ attention and help to build a sense of familiarity. Keep in mind, the human brain is programmed to recognize other human faces. 2. Keep it short. Although one might assume that a longer video means more opportunity to engage the viewer, having a long video is usually not a good thing. Unfortunately, the truth is that your audience has a very short attention span, so you should try to keep your video as short as possible (30 seconds to 5 minutes). Many viewers are likely to only stick around long enough to watch the first ten seconds of a video, no matter how long it is, so you need to ensure that the majority of the vital information is included in those initial moments. Make the first ten seconds interesting to encourage viewers to watch the rest of the content. Longer videos may work in some circumstances. As you create and post more videos, it will be easier to determine where the demand is for a longer video and where it is best to remain short and sweet based on audience response. 3. Don’t end with a black screen. It might be tempting to end a video with just a black screen, but resist the temptation! It is a waste of space that could be used to encourage someone to perform a certain action. If your viewer has watched your video all the way to the end, it must mean that they are pretty interested in your message, so don’t lose them! Some recommendations for the end of a video include: recommending a related video, giving them contact information, pointing them in the direction of how to learn more, or promoting an upcoming event...the options are endless. As a ministry, you should utilize every opportunity to keep a person interested in what you can offer them and engaged with your brand. When possible, you can also include a call to action button and/or clickable links! 4. Dedicate resources. If you're going to create a video, make sure you have the resources available to do it properly. The most cost-efficient method is to have trained staff in-house (or willing and skilled volunteers) that are able to produce high-quality video. If you don’t have video producers on staff, then invest in hiring a freelance videographer. You don’t have to break the bank to create good video. High-quality content is most important. If the video content is high quality, people are less likely to be distracted by the production value. 5. Think about video placement. Creating a quality video to support your cause and get your message across is not enough. Make sure to have a strategy to promote your video–otherwise no one will see it! The best places for your video to go are your organization’s website, social media profiles, and YouTube channel. YouTube is a social media site dedicated to video content and can be very effective because it is highly recognized in Google search results–plus, it is completely free. Facebook has recently enhanced its video capabilities, so this is also a good place for your video to go–again, completely free of charge. “Facebook users are inherently social and are now routinely beating YouTube users in terms of engagement and social shares,” (Social Media Examiner). Another way to share your video content is by including links to your videos in email communications, such as in your email signature or e-newsletters. 6. Optimize for search. You should ensure that your video can be found easily in the maze that is the internet. There is no point putting time, money, and effort into creating a quality video if no one ever finds it. There are many different tactics that you can use to do this. First, host it on your own domain (website) before you upload it onto any sharing sites. Be sure to enable embedding on the video as this will help increase the likelihood of receiving referral traffic from other websites. In addition, accompany the video with an up-to-date description, as this will help Google make sense of your video's purpose for search engine optimization. Tag your video with keywords that are relevant and unique. Google needs as much information as possible, and the more you give it, the more likely it is that it will be ranked highly. 7. Include some comedy. People are more likely to watch your video if they find it entertaining. Your audience wants to laugh; they want to be cheered up; they want to be taken out of the world they live in for a few seconds and just enjoy what they are watching. Humor, if used in the right way, can work extremely well in awareness campaigns. Stand out from the crowd and take risks. These risks can pay off! You can be funny without being irreverent to our faith or your cause. 8. Tell a story. If you make your video too pushy and sales-y, this will probably have the opposite of the intended effect. An effective video will usually tell a story. Through storytelling, viewers are drawn into the video and become emotionally invested in the overall message. Ministries should utilize the emotive power of video to appeal to the audience's wants and desires. 9. Make use of social media. Social media and video fit together perfectly. Four times as many people would rather watch a video about something than read about it (eMarketer). Plus, social video generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined (Brightcove). People who use social media expect to see their news feed full of videos, and many people use social media for the specific purpose of finding video content. Using social media automatically gives you an advantage, because if an individual likes what they see in your video, they have the ability to easily share it with their friends and followers, instantly expanding your reach. Always include captioning on your video because a large percentage of social viewers will be watching with the sound muted. 10. Make it mobile friendly. It is more important than ever before to design all the content you produce to be mobile friendly. People use their mobile devices to browse the internet more often than they use their desktop computers. Organizations should take a mobile-first approach to everything they create, ensuring that your content looks great on both small screens as well as larger ones. People love to watch short videos on their phones to pass the time, and this is a perfect opportunity to grab your audience and connect them with your cause or message. For more video tips, download a PowerPoint presentation from the Social Media 101 course. Dustin CommDirector of The Media Story, podcast and blog. If you don't have captions on your Facebook videos, you are losing a ton of views. Most people will swipe past if their attention isn't caught or if they are in a situation where they can't listen to the audio. If you have a YouTube account, this solution works really well and will save you a ton of time!
Videos with captions have the highest completion rate. It's worth the time it takes to generate them, and now you have easy options that anyone can do. It's best to know all of your options! Watch the video tutorial above that takes you through YouTube's features, or explore how to create them in Facebook below. NEW FEATURE: Don't have a YouTube account? That's okay. Facebook now allows you to generate video captions easily without a SRT file. Go to your video library, choose a video and select 'Edit Video,' then choose the 'Captions' tab and click 'generate,' and finally edit your captions as needed. All you need is a little time and effort. Watch the tutorial above, and ask your questions below. This article was originally posted on The Media Story. |
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