Your Personal Network and Youtube Advocacy
What is YouTube?
YouTube, www.youtube.com, is both a video content distribution system and a networking tool. One of the most effective ways to generate more traffic to your website is to network with other users on the site. YouTube is the world’s most popular online video community, where millions of users watch and share millions of videos each day. Joining AMWA’s YouTube community can help you meet and connect with people who share your interests, expand your professional network and communicate with AMWA members about important advocacy issues. You can use YouTube to inform viewers about your mission and advocacy goals, post interviews with advocates or members sharing personal stories to underscore the impact of hot healthcare topics, network with ally organizations, call an audience to action, create groups of videos on an AMWA channel or make Facebook or Twitter content more engaging.
Getting Started
You can visit AMWA’s channel http://www.youtube.com/user/AMWADoctors without creating a personal account. However if you would like to upload videos yourself follow these steps:
- Visit AMWA’s channel http://www.youtube.com/user/AMWADoctors
- Click on create an account. Choose a username and complete the other information.
- Once you have an account, click on the gold Upload button in the upper-right-hand corner of the page to post a video file from your computer.
- Click Browse to choose the video file you would like to post.
- Select the file; click Upload Video
- While video is uploading, complete the description, category info, and tag the video with key words like “AMWA” or “AMWADoctors” or “women’s health.” The more information you enter, the easier it will be for people to find your video.
- Click Save Changes
- Roll over your username and click on My videos
- Click on video link you would like to upload
Tips for Advocacy Content on www.youtube.com
Consider using the following types of communication with your community:
Direct Dialogue: You can use YouTube to communicate directly with an audience eliminating the need for media and news outlets to convey your information. You can solicit questions from regular viewers and respond via video postings. Or you can make a request for ideas or reactions to your work to mobilize interests in your campaign or AMWA’s advocacy issues.
Call to Action: Mobilize people by soliciting user generated content on YouTube. If your issue is healthcare, ask users to send you videos about specific topics you are interested in. Testimonies and personal stories are more memorable than statistics and very effective tools in advocacy. Creating a collection of personal testimonies that can be shared with an elected official or key decision maker are powerful tools. Use the “Group” function on YouTube to collect the videos together or set up a contest with a prize for the best video submission you receive.
Serial Stories: Online video is an ideal medium for episodic content and can be thought of as a video newsletter or TV series for your organization’s advocacy issues or goals. Create a series of videos around a specific theme or topic. Create a weekly video in which someone in your organization provides updates on your work or progress on a particular issue. Create a series of profiles of people you are serving or volunteers in your organization who are passionate about their work. Passion and progress conveyed in a powerful video can motivate and inspire viewers to get involved in your cause.
Rapid Response: Respond quickly to events in the news and media with a video that explains your organizations position. When people search YouTube for information, they will find your organizations video and see where you stand. You can also send these links to your email lists- a tangible video message can be more effective than a text laden email. Responding rapidly to current media topics is a good way to reach people who share your interests but have not connected with your organization yet. It is also effective tool for demonstrating you are an active, engaged and up-to-date organization.
Commercials and Public Service Announcements: Create a commercial illustrating your organization’s mission and online video outreach.
Eye-catching Titles: YouTube users are sorting through millions of potential videos to watch. Your title has to be catchy and descriptive enough to separate it from the other videos and engage the viewer to watch it. Questions and provocative statements work better than general topics. “Doesn’t your child deserve the best healthcare possible?” is better than “healthcare reform”.
Playlists: Once you have created content use the playlist function to create groups of videos with target demographics, geographies, advocacy issues, or constituency groups.
Identify Channels with Like-Minded Values: Search friends, colleagues, voters, constituency groups, non-profit organizations and click “subscribe” to their YouTube channels. Clicking “Subscribe” is the most basic unit of currency on YouTube. It indicates to the channel you are interested in their content. You can also send messages, comment on their videos and favorite or like their videos to indicate support of their content. Congratulate and encourage their work.
Identify Channels with Opposing Values: Draw attention to your work by interacting with users who oppose your views. Consider posting specific reply videos to candidates or organizations who have views contrary to your own. Request an online debate with opposing organizations.
Make Reply Videos: Reply videos are videos you make in direct reply of released content. You can also designate existing videos as reply videos. Each time someone watches the video you are replying to your video will be listed underneath it. Search for other videos on the issue, choose the one that is the most popular, (i.e. highest rating and most views) and designate your video as a reply to that one. Then your video is attached to a highly visible video and your content is more likely to get attention.
Drive Traffic to Your Website: Videos posted to your YouTube account can generate interest in your organization and drive traffic back to your website.
