Videos featuring members talking on camera can address specific situations; answer queries other members or prospects might have; provide reassurance that concerns will be understood and dealt with; make it easier to appreciate the benefits of joining or engaging, and foster a sense of belonging and confidence in the organisation.

Making content that teaches, inspires, and informs is key. 

Are you launching a new product or service to help your members? Are you telling them interesting news and advocacy with focused interviews or round tables? Members want to feel part of a community, so bring them together with stories and content that resonates with them. A picture tells a thousand words so get your members talking in their environments about how important you have been to them.

People are often – understandably – nervous about the time and/or cost commitment of making such videos, and are also unsure about being represented by people unused to being on camera. That’s where the professionals come in! You already know that being able to carry a tune doesn’t make you Tom Jones, and the same goes for producing a relevant, effective and economic video: it is not just a case of point and shoot!

Once filmed get them converted for social with either 1:1 format and 19:6 so you can work from all platforms:

5 Tips for making a great member shoot

1. Preparation is the key to getting the most out of your shoot, and we can help you with this by asking you to consider such key issues as what you’re hoping to achieve, who the primary audience is, and so on. A bit of time spent up front will not only save you time further down the line but will help ensure you get the most out of your budget, plus a really effective video.
   
   
2. Spend time thinking about the questions you want to ask to ensure the shoot covers lots of different benefits of membership, such as how your organisation helps, inspires and informs members and how valuable you are to their professional growth in terms of training, resources or other benefits.
   
   
3. If you’re making it, market it! Don’t expect people to bump into your video by accident. Consider how you are going to promote it, as this will impact on how the filming is done and, most importantly, ensure that the largest number of people get to see it. There is nothing worse than spending time and money producing a great film that gets tucked away unpromoted in a poorly visited area of your website. No film, however good, can work its magic unseen!
   
   
4. Think of your video as an essential part of your promotional campaigns, not an add-on. That means integrating it with your other comms by making sure you get the branding and the messaging consistent with your other activities. It’s not ‘one and done’! Companies don’t send out just one newsletter or write only a single blog or hold only one conference. Try to plan a few videos at a time. That way you can build consistency in your messaging and timing. And you may be able to benefit from economies of scale by capturing footage for more than one video at a shoot.
   
   
5. Analyse how your video performs against the goals you had at the outset. Gather statistics and feedback that can inform what you do in the future.

And because I've done it before – hundreds if not thousands of times - I know how to work quickly and efficiently and still deliver quality results.

Perhaps most importantly, I'll hold your hand throughout the process, so that you – and the members who agree to be included on film – feel comfortable with the process and confident about what they have to do and say.

I'll also keep disruption to an absolute minimum – no lessons were lost while we filmed for the NAHT (National Association of Head Teachers), no accidents occurred when filming for the IOSH (Institute of Occupational Health and Safety).

I'll also film in such a way that you have multiple uses for the footage, from longer, more detailed case studies for use on your website or at a conference, to short extracts for social media or as part of a promotional campaign; not to mention stills you can use for brochures and other printed material