5 Reasons to Incorporate Live Video Into Your Nonprofit’s Marketing Efforts

Live video can be daunting. What if nobody tunes in? What if the technology fails? What if the speaker forgets what to say? These are all valid concerns—but with a little preparation and practice, live streaming can become an indispensable part of your nonprofit’s marketing strategy.

If you’re not already using live video at your organization, here are five top reasons to get started. 

1. Live video boosts viewership and engagement 

Live video is a compelling format. Seeing that an organization they care about is going live entices people to immediately stop scrolling and watch in a way that pre-recorded content might not. Why? Because pre-recorded content will always be there for them to go back to later—but if they miss a live stream, they might miss out important information or powerful moments that won’t be repeated. 

Algorithms also favor live content, bumping your videos higher up a person’s social media feed and, in many cases, sending them push notifications when you go live. Platforms do this because they know the content is likely to garner high engagement from viewers. On LinkedIn Live, for example, live videos get 6x more reactions and 23x more comments than native videos created by the same organizations. That’s good for the platform—and for your nonprofit. 

So, why do these videos encourage such high engagement? For one thing, it gives viewers the opportunity to directly interact with your organization, especially if you acknowledge and respond to comments and questions during the stream. Live streams are also a communal viewing experience, creating excitement and allowing viewers to interact with each other. This drives active participation—sending your likes and comments soaring.

2. Live video creates urgency, which drives action

Watching something unfold in real time generates a sense of urgency that is difficult to recreate with on-demand content, even if the issue you’re talking about is still vitally important. This makes live streams a particularly useful tool for encouraging supporters to take a certain action, like making a donation or signing a petition. 

People become swept up in the moment and eager to help. And since many will comment that they’ve taken the desired step, this can motivate others to follow suit.

3. Live video helps to humanize organizations

Live video has a different feel than highly produced, edited content. Since these videos are often unscripted (or at least more organic and spontaneous) than pre-recorded content, they convey authenticity and transparency, building trust, affinity, and goodwill among your supporters. 

They can also provide a peek behind the curtain, allowing supporters to see what your team, leaders, and facilities look like. Viewers feel as though they’re being invited in for an intimate discussion, rather than just being talked at, and they’re likely to walk away feeling like they’ve learned something new about your organization. 

4. Live video is relatively easy to produce

It would be an oversimplification to say that live video doesn’t require any effort. There are still factors you need to think about if you want to create high-quality live content, like how and where you’re going to stream it, what lighting to use, and, of course, what you’re actually going to talk about. 

But compared to shooting and editing other content, live video is relatively quick and easy. Many modern smartphones have sufficient cameras, and since audiences respond well to content that feels organic, you don’t need to worry too much about the backdrop—a well-lit, uncluttered space will do the trick. If you have someone who’s a confident public speaker and comfortable on camera, you may not even need to create robust notes for them—just a few talking points that they can use to get the conversation started.

5. Live video can be replayed and repurposed 

The best thing about live content? You can enjoy all the benefits listed above on top of the benefits of pre-recorded videos, because your live videos can easily be repurposed as on-demand content. 

If you hosted a live webinar, for example, you might later decide to embed the recording on your website or on your blog. If you went live for a fireside chat with a leader on LinkedIn Live, people who missed the live stream as it was happening can visit your LinkedIn Page to watch the replay in their own time. Your marketing team could also take previously live content, cut it down, or edit it together for future YouTube videos or social media clips. The possibilities are endless.  

Get started with live video today

Live video is an invaluable tool for nonprofit marketers, fundraisers, and beyond. There are so many different ways to use this medium, whether it’s a discussion with volunteers to encourage participation or a live auction to raise funds. Start small by hosting a few live streams with people who are readily available to talk, even if that’s just you and another member of your team. As you get more experienced with the format, you can plan more ambitious live streams—and drive even greater engagement. 

For more tips on using live video at your nonprofit, download Events and Groups on LinkedIn: A guide for nonprofits. 

This post was inspired by the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions Blog article “Why Live Video Is Becoming Indispensable for Marketers,” authored by Farraz Khan.