Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Custom videos to cut through the noise!

Reaching your donors is harder now than ever. Donors are constantly inundated with ads and noise. Thing of the amount of mail we get on a daily basis, be it in your physical mailbox, your email box, your social media messengers. Then think about the passive media you consume from TV commercials to ads in airports to decals on cars and the like. So in all of this noise what stands out? Personalization and customization always wins the day. In addition we also know that video is the current most consumed part of media out there right now. I've spoken about it before at length in blogs and presentations but now I want to present you with an even better solution! 

Imagine your donors receive an email and not only is the subject line personalized to them, but the contents inside have been created just for them. It's a personal, custom video recorded just for them by the recipient of their generosity. That's what the fine folks at ThankView make possible each and every day. It's one of the most exciting developments in gratitude I've seen in years. You create a custom envelope and design to send the donor, see my personal video stationery here:




And then when the recipient clicks play, they receive a custom video filmed perfectly for them. Some of my clients and friends have been trying out the software with amazing results. Think about 80% open rates and 90% viewing rates for the videos inside. and the software is so easy to use and affordable- and because you're a friend of mine, you receive 20% off of your package when you tell them my name. 

**Thanks to one of my astute readers for mentioning this sounds like a commercial. I am happy to say I never receive any payments or incentives from ANY company I showcase on this blog and am just trying to bring you the latest and greatest in gratitude!**

For those of you in higher education, imagine your scholarship recipients thanking their donors in a custom video that is easy for them to film on their devices and that the donors swoon over when they receive them! Or you could use the software to send an email invitation that's actually a video for a special event. How about having a great video made for your helpful volunteers? Or on your next giving day, have your students record custom videos for anyone who gives online that day- The possibilities are endless.

I constantly say that we need to create more video content for our donors. This allows it to be easy and affordable for any type of organization to have video content that is custom for their donors on demand. Wanna give it a try? Contact them and explore the possibilities. Have you used a software like this? What do you struggle with in video and custom messages to donors? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Cheers,
Lynne

16 comments:

  1. I appreciate all you do for our profession but this post comes off as an ad for ThankView. Are you receiving a commission for your referrals? If not, you should say that. I have to say this is the last thing I expected to receive as a subscriber to your blog.

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  2. Hi! Nope! I never receive commission for anything I refer ever that way my referrals are pure for my readers! I just like bringing new products and ideas to my readers- I'm so sorry that you felt that way and would never want that- I would enjoy a conversation with you offline if you are open to it!

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    1. Thanks for the clarification, and for adding it to your post. Knowing one isn't benefiting from endorsing a product/vendor makes the recommendation that much stronger.

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    2. My pleasure and really, grateful to you for pointing this out to me! I want people to use great products that I've tested in order to better connect with our audiences and will never take a dime from a company for a blog post! My transparent promise to you!

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  3. Thank you for sharing this resource! I never know where to find these platforms, and am always wishing I could communicate more creatively with our donors. This comes at a perfect time and I think my Steering Committee members will love using this to say thanks to their contacts following campaign meetings. :)

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  4. Last year at the CASE District 1 conference in Boston, you mentioned Animoto.com, which I signed up for and am using now in my work. I love it! Thank you for keeping us up to date on the latest trends and technology out there to make us more effective.

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    1. SO happy to hear it! Thank you so much and I am so glad it is helping you in your daily work!!

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  5. Wow, this is amazing! Thanks for sharing. I'm always looking for something different that stands out. I had planned on using my phone and making personalized videos...but this might be way easier. Might just have to give it a try. You rock as usual, keep up the great work. Stacey S. from Saskatchewan

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  6. Just set up a demo meeting with them. We've been wanting to add personalized video for our donors and we're hopeful this will be the avenue for this to happen. Thank you for sharing this great resource!

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  7. Thanks for such an inspiriting idea. I always think about different ways to thank our donors and this is definitely a good one. Unfortunately I haven't been able to play the video...may I please ask you which program I should be using? many thanks

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    1. Hey Clara that's just a screenshot. You can view videos on the thank view website!

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  8. Talked about this in a meeting today! People LOVED it not only for DR work, but personal as well. Thanks for always finding such wonderful products!

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  9. I realize I am late to this discussion but I was browsing your blog and this brings up a question we have had. Is there hardware/software or best practices that will enable us to create a quality video for posting while being on-the-fly sort of. We want a balance of spontaneous with professional. Tri-pod for cell phone? An app that helps non-professionals? We want to produce short videos that can be used in a variety of ways.

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