Last Updated: May 9, 2024

Your members want to be a part of your association.

They want to feel important, valued and involved with your mission. Thus, the best way to make sure that your members are emotionally invested in your association involves showing them appreciation and building a trusting relationship with them.

Do you know that you can achieve all this through effective video content? According to the latest survey conducted by Content Marketing Institute, 95% audience find videos more relatable and emotionally appealing than any other type of content. Hence, it is no doubt that videos give a powerful voice to organizations.

In this article, we will discuss 20 creative ideas to create compelling video content that will not only connect with your members but will also highlight your mission and values with impact.

Let’s get started.

Key Takeaways

• Videos are highly effective for engaging and emotionally connecting with association members, with 95% of audiences finding videos more relatable than other content types.
• Capturing real events like seminars, workshops, or fundraisers is an authentic way to create engaging videos that showcase your association's activities and member experiences.
• Featuring member reviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and "meet the team" videos helps build trust, a sense of belonging, and pride among your members.
• Educational content such as learning tutorials, webinar recordings, how-to videos, and expert interviews provide valuable resources for members and can be a key reason for them to stay with your association.
• Recognizing members through testimonials, awards, and appreciation videos motivates them to stay engaged and actively involved with your association, driving referrals and advocacy.

1. Welcome Video for Your Members

When a new member joins your association, you want to create a good first impression and ensure they feel welcome. A well-made welcome video is a great engagement tactic. 

The first type of video you can make is a personal message from the president. A personal touch and a brief overview of the association's aspirations make the members feel welcome and inspired. The fact the leader has taken the time to make a video also shows new team members that the association is invested in its members.

Another alternative is a short video demonstrating association members in action. A video like this can be used with other types of videos to engage the new team members further.
 

2. Event Tour

Research by Content Marketing Institute shows that 66% of marketers use videos to engage and convert customers as part of their marketing and promotion efforts.

Thus, the best way to create an authentic video is to capture a real event. It can be a seminar, a workshop, a trade show, or even a fundraising event for your capital campaign.

Take clips of the seminars, volunteering activities, and your members' feedback about the event. Since events are great for networking and learning, you can also add that component to your videos.

Remember - you don't need to hire a video/ motion designer to make this video. You can always ask your members to help you with the task and give them special credit for their work.

Also, as you run your events, use event management software that will take the burden of registrations, check-ins, and payments off your shoulders so you could focus on capturing memorable clips for your videos.

3. Member Reviews

Member reviews are invaluable when you want to attract new customers. But how can they help you engage your current members more effectively?

The answer is - by featuring them in the videos.

People tend to get involved and share videos that feature them. Including them in this activity can encourage them to become more engaged with your organization.

For video reviews, you can ask your members to make a short recording of around two minutes explaining why they joined your association and how’s their experience so far. Feature five reviews in each video to keep it brief and interesting.

If you want, you can do this activity bi-weekly and post it on your website and socials. This can also become an exciting part of the members-only section of your membership site.

4. Podcast Teaser

People are increasingly using podcasts because of their instant access to content without having to watch a screen. They can listen to podcasts even when they are driving, walking, or cooking. Thus, they are great for getting members more involved through effective content.

The topics you choose for your podcasts will depend on your association's nature and the interests of your members.

For example, if you are a student’s association, you can include career counseling sessions as a part of your discussions. Alternatively, if you are a nonprofit medical association, you can explore topics such as awareness sessions, fundraising, or inspiring stories.

Once you have the content ready, publish them on a podcast hosting site. Make sure that they are gated to keep them exclusive to your subscribers.

Make a short, captivating teaser and share it within your members’ community for maximum engagement.

5. Behind The Scenes

“Behind the Scenes” is another interesting video idea you can use to improve your members' involvement. This may include the way you work towards achieving your mission, the activities you carry out as a team, or how you prepare for an event.

As a result, your members will feel a stronger sense of belonging to your organization. Furthermore, it will build trust between you and your members because they see how you go the extra mile to serve them.

6. Exclusive Member Benefits

Video can be used to promote exclusive member benefits and content to new and current members who may be unaware of all the benefits of their membership.

Promoting member benefits using video helps attract new and retain current members, so it’s well worth doing.

Using actual association members in your videos is always a good idea. It highlights the human side of your association and helps show the watcher how the benefits can help them personally. So, combine a breakdown of the key benefits with a human touch to achieve the most powerful member benefit video.

For example, the American Bar Association (ABA) uses videos alongside written testimonials. In these videos, the association members explain the benefits they reap from having full membership in the ABA.

7. Learning Tutorials (Tutorials for Software, LMS, or Using Job Desk)

Not every association has the budget to produce tutorial videos, so if you do, make the most of it. These learning opportunities may become the reason why your members choose to stick with you when having the option to choose other associations.

There are several topics on which you can create tutorials. For instance, if you have a job board or software that your members use, make videos on how to use them.

You can also provide awareness and training sessions that can help them in upskilling or solving real-world problems. The best approach here is to record virtual conferences or webinars and upload them on your learning platform.

8. “Meet the Team” Video

“Meet the Team” videos are similar to “Behind the scenes”. However, they highlight your association's professionalism and how qualified your team is to serve its members.

This type of video works well for organizations with board members as it can help you get more donors for your fundraising. Additionally, featuring members who are volunteering for your association can also increase their morale to participate more in future activities.

9. Partnership Videos

As you partner up with another organization, keep your members in the loop through a partnership video.

Include the reason for the partnership, how it will be beneficial for you and your members and if there are any partnership discounts for them.

Post it on your social media and make it public so that your members feel proud to share it with their friends.

10. Webinars Recordings

Live webinars provide quality educational content and resources to your members. However, most people cannot attend them due to time constraints.

One way to make these informative webinars accessible is to record them for your members. These can be related to your association or a topic your members want information on. Be sure to keep them interactive so that your members can easily follow along.

Some ideas you can have to make the webinars more interactive include:

• Make them interactive through gamification techniques.
• Add a FAQ section and provide answers.
• Use an efficient webinar platform to avoid disturbances.

11. Promote Offers

According to Forbes, the average user spends 88% more time on a website with video. Therefore, the video format is more likely to entice potential members to make your offers more compelling.

Instead of just writing a blog post or sending emails about your offers, create a video. These will likely perform much better, as one of your executive association members discusses the offers in a video. They can explain why those offers are a big deal helping to capture and pique the interest of association members.

Here’s an example of a video used to attract new members:

The video shares the Dallas Safari Club’s offers while also providing an exciting prize draw to new members. Combine sharing information about your association with incentives for joining for the best results.

You can also promote your video material to potential members using email campaigns. Email finder tools can be helpful here as they can help you get the contact details of potential members and even verify your email list.

12. Livestream Video Recordings

Just like webinars, you can also record live-streaming videos and share them across different places to enhance your members’ learning experience.

The only difference is that the live-streaming events are intended for a larger audience. On the other hand, webinars tend to cater to a smaller group of attendees.

13. How-To Video

Reading materials like instruction manuals, eBooks and blogs are not everyone’s cup of tea. In that case, you can create how-to videos for your members that are both educational and entertaining.

According to TechSmith, 83% of people prefer educational video content to text or audio. Also, the preferred video length is between five and 19 minutes long, so bear this in mind when you make your educational video content.

The best way to create “how to” videos is to use whiteboard animation.

Another method is to show a demonstration and then add the script while editing. Some great areas where you can create these videos are:

• How to avail the member benefits/discounts using the QR code?
• How to sign-up for an event?
• How to renew your memberships?
• How to send feedback using the survey?
• How to subscribe to the newsletters?

Check this out:

2015 ASBMB Annual Meeting from ASBMB on Vimeo.

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology uses videos to explain to its members why they should attend annual meetings.

14. Interview With an Industry Expert

Video interviews with industry experts equally benefit members and organizations.

First of all, they develop your association as a thought leader in the industry. In addition, they provide valuable insights into the industry, such as significant trends, innovation, and cultural shifts that help your members make informed decisions.

Since people tend to trust Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) more, these videos can help you a great deal in enhancing your members’ experience.

15. Day-to-Day Organizational Activities

Videos can be used to show association members everything about an association. You can introduce the association with welcome videos, show day-to-today activities, and showcase exclusive networking events. Any association updates can be made into a video format as well.

Having all your videos in one accessible place for members means they will understand the benefits of the association conveniently. Also, it’ll make it easier for potential members to access all the resources they need to make the decision to join your association.

Here’s an example of an association using video to show what they’re all about:

Create a series of such videos showing the different aspects of your association and answering some of the questions potential members might have.

16. Screencast Video

Screencast videos are digital recordings of computer screen output with audio narration in the background.

Screencast videos are useful for associations that either work with or teach about digital solutions like software. In that case, the videos can become the reason why people want to join your association. It can also help you increase engagement, provided that you also offer a QA or comment section below each uploaded video.

17. Case Studies

It is easier for your members to relate to your mission when they see case studies. By producing professional videos demonstrating how you are fulfilling your missions and benefiting your members, you can help them understand your importance and contribution to the welfare.

While you are creating case study videos, make sure you include these 3 components:

• Challenges
• Your contribution
• Results

As an example, here is a case study you might find helpful.

This video shows how Boys & Girls Clubs of America is helping kids become successful. This video begins with a description of the challenges that young people face as they grow up. In the following section, the club explains how they assist them (contribution) with innovation, bravery, and confidence to help them build great futures (results).

18. Video Testimonials

Video testimonials are a powerful tool to increase member engagement because people trust content coming from a real individual. The use of video testimonials allows you to share the personal experiences of your members within your association.

However, make sure to keep the format of the testimonial and review videos different. The testimonials being on a positive note should be displayed mainly on the homepage of your website. On the other hand, you can do a weekly video of member reviews and share it on your socials, private community groups or the members-only section of your website.

You can also share advice videos like the American Heart Association’s material. For example, here is one of their videos discussing how to prevent cardiac arrests:

The message is powerful and engaging. The member is told about how the association plans to prevent cardiac arrests from happening with the latest medical technology and advanced training.

Another type of compelling video content is a response to a big event that affects your membership. Using the example above, if a new development in cardiac arrest technology was found, the American Heart Association could make a video explaining the breakthrough to its members. Because the information is new, it will be more likely to engage association members.

19. Animated Explainer Videos

Animated explainer videos are a great way to simplify complex topics or processes related to your association's mission, values, or activities.

These short, engaging videos use appealing visuals and clear narration to break down information into easily digestible content for your members.
Benefits of using animated explainer videos include:

1. Increased comprehension and retention of information
2. Ability to convey abstract concepts or ideas more effectively
3. Versatility in sharing across various platforms and channels
4. Cost-effectiveness compared to live-action videos

When creating an animated explainer video for your association, consider the following tips:

1. Keep the video concise, typically 1-3 minutes in length
2. Focus on a single, clear message or topic
3. Use a professional voiceover artist for narration
4. Incorporate your association's branding elements and colors
5. End with a clear call-to-action for your members

20. Member Recognition

People love being appreciated and recognized for their efforts. Schedule a monthly video where you announce awards like “Member of the Association”, “Best Advocate” or “Best Volunteer”.

These recognitions will instigate a sense of motivation and competition among your members, hence increasing their involvement to a greater extent.

If you have enough budget, you can also organize member award events annually or biannually to elevate the recognition.

Read more: Member Appreciation Ideas: Different Ways to Thank Your Members

Member engagement is important for the success of any organization. It helps you drive more memberships through referrals, gain a reputable position in the market and develop a strong advocate program.

By providing quality videos to your members, you will create a solid base for engagement. If you are looking for more ways to increase their involvement with your association, contact Glue Up team today.

Being an all-in-one solution for member-based organizations, Glue Up takes all the administrative tasks off your list so that you can focus on what’s important i.e. increasing your member engagement.