You’ve probably wondered how to use video to get more new chamber members with video … because video is HOT!
That’s probably one of the understatements of the decade. YouTube has a billion monthly viewers (about a third of the world’s internet users), is the world’s second-largest search engine, and accounts for the watching of almost 500 million hours of video daily.
But this probably isn’t the first time you’re being told about the importance of video. However, it’s not enough to just “do” video. You have to do the right kind of video. Video that converts.
Luckily, 51% of marketers admit that video is their highest conversion tool. It can be for you too.
Here are some ways you can use it to get more members.
Your Community and Video
Before we cover the most effective types of video, and how you need to use them to see the greatest return on your investment, you need to understand your audience.
Who are you trying to convert? New entrepreneurs? Established businesses? The “who” behind your marketing strategy will help you shape the kind of videos you’re going to create.
Take the time to understand who your ideal audience is. That will help you perfect the tone of your videos and link them to your marketing funnel. You may decide to do two different types of videos if you have two different audiences. That’s a great idea because it will enable you to reach your target in a very effective way. If they feel like you’re speaking directly to them, they’ll be more likely to respond.
A video that is not aligned with what your audience wants will end up sounding similar to a noise that human ears can’t hear. And you don’t want that.
The Funnel and Your Video
The second part to creating an effective video is understanding where it fits in your marketing funnel. A very simplistic marketing funnel for chambers might be:
- stage one: discovery and understanding what the chamber is and what it does
- stage two: learning how the chamber can help a business
- stage three: applying how the benefits of the chamber will help their business specifically
- stage four: joining and making a decision about which tier or level of service is ideal
Each step requires more learning, decisions, and a call to action to move them along.
The membership sales funnel works in an orderly fashion. After all, one does not join before one knows about the chamber.
Keeping in mind that there is an order and a call to action to advance them, it’s important that you align content needs to the different steps or levels of the funnel so that a clog does not occur and people continue to flow through from discovery stage to membership.
When you begin to create videos, think of how you can move potential members onto the next step. What question do they have at this level and what answer will help them progress down the membership sales funnel?
Stage One: Discovery
These potential members don’t really know what you do or how they could benefit. You can help your membership person (or team) a lot if you create very basic intro videos that speak to what you do, how you help, and the problems you solve.
If you create these, you not only create valuable resources but you also allow people to self-identify as someone who may benefit. They will clearly understand the benefits of membership and your membership director won’t be wasting time talking to someone who isn’t a good fit.
For instance, you want a new medium-sized business to join because they’re a good fit and the demographic you’re looking for. You want the video to be quite clear about how you can help.
On the other hand, if your chamber doesn’t offer individual memberships you don’t want to encourage a business teacher to join. They won’t get the benefit that a business would. You can make it clear in the video that your membership is for businesses, not people who are merely interested in business. You don’t do so by outwardly excluding them. You simply gear your video and all of the benefits and solutions to a business member.
It may seem harsh to ignore a demographic but your resources are limited. For every moment you spend working with someone who you know is not a good fit for chamber membership, that’s time you’re not able to talk to those who are a good fit.
The other problem with recruiting people who aren’t an ideal fit for your offerings means that after year one, when renewal comes around, they’re more likely to drop their membership. You don’t make a lot of money on first-year memberships. If you have a revolving door of members, your membership team is working harder on recruiting with very little to show for it. A targeted video can help cut down on the wrong people making it down the sales funnel.
Remember, you don’t want the sale at any cost. Recruiting someone who’s not a good fit is not a good return on your time (and resource) investment.
Stage Two: Learning
From your first couple of videos (or video), your audience now knows what you do, that you’re not the city or the Better Business Bureau, and how you can help certain businesses.
Again, you don’t want to cast a large net. You want the types of businesses that will succeed with chamber membership. Those provide the best examples of your offerings. You don’t want many disgruntled business owners feeling like they didn’t get their dues’ worth representing chamber members.
Now you want to go deeper into how the chamber helps. A popular type of video for this stage are testimonials.
For a successful video testimonial, make your member the star. Talk about the amazing things they’re doing in their business and how that affects the community. Talk specifics about what services they used of the chamber. This is not the time for generalities. You want your audience to understand exactly how chamber membership benefited this business and how
Show how the chamber made things easier, made success easier. Everyone needs an “assistant” that can just “take it from here” and help them succeed with minimal effort.
One note of caution, don’t make promises that can not be backed up and don’t make it sound like all they have to do is sign on the dotted line and pay their membership fee. Show how the successful member worked with the chamber. You don’t want a business decision-maker to expect magic. There is something required on their part.
Stage Three: Application
At this point, if your videos are doing their job to move potential members through the sales funnel, the education component has caused some people to lose interest and decide membership isn’t for them. Others may linger and not take the next step you’ve invited them to. For those who are stuck, set up an email nurturing campaign to keep them interested until they either opt-out or move onto the next stage.
Now you want people to start envisioning how your chamber can help them specifically. Create videos that use storytelling to speak to specific challenges. Titles (and topics) might include:
- How to get more business through a chamber membership
- Improving a lackluster reputation through chamber membership
- How a chamber membership helped one business overcome a PR disaster
- Becoming an employer of choice with the chamber
Stage Four: Joining
The final step in your video strategy must be videos that cause people to sign on the dotted line. These should include final reasons to join as well as a video on how to join and what to expect right after joining.
At this point, people are trying to envision joining the chamber. They are imagining what life would be like as a chamber member. Create videos that show chamber life. Behind the scenes videos that only members would see. Show the community what chamber life is like and how excited you are that they are considering membership.
Think about this stage as making your guests feel comfortable and appreciated. They’ve already come to your party but you want them to stay.
10 Videos Every Chamber Should Have
- Chamber explanation video. What you do and who you help.
- Member testimonials. Highlight their struggles and how the chamber helped or what amazing things the business is accomplishing because of the tools the chamber has provided them with.
- Learning videos. If you bring in a speaker, record their presentation.
- Chamber story video. What is your “why” and what are you and your staff passionate about?
- Highlight your social proof. Create a “best of reel” that compiles your best compliments on social media. Set it to music.
- More learning videos. Give staff or members an opportunity to teach a three-minute skill to your audience.
- Showcase your culture. What are you like and what is the chamber like behind the scenes?
- Share the history of the chamber. People love to be part of a long-standing, well-respected organization.
- Comment on current events in your community. Blogs are great tools for chambers but they don’t all have to be written. Do the occasional video commentary or information session.
- Livestreaming events and chamber moments.
