Become a Video Mogul with Tube Mogul

agardina — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:36:56 +0000

When you're working for a nonprofit, or any organization for that matter, it always seems like you have more tasks than time. Luckily, there are some social media tools out there to give you a hand. In a future post, I'll talk about ping.fm, which can help link a lot of your networks. This post, however, will focus on one tool that's vital to successful video distribution: TubeMogul.

TubeMogul helps you distribute your videos to a wide variety of sites, including:

Plus, you can set TubeMogul to autopost to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, but make sure you're not just setting up these accounts full of autoposts and no conversation!

How To Use TubeMogul

TubeMogul is pretty easy to use, there are just some caveats to keep in mind:

You have to register with each video site where you want to post your videos. Be sure to pay attention to terms of use documents, which may prohibit videos that are selling products or promoting a brand. All in all, nonprofits are widely accepted on these sites, so you shouldn't have a problem. Once you're registered, go to TubeMogul and select a video file to upload. After you choose a video, you can enter all your login information for the video sites.
TubeMogul only accepts certain file types: avi, wmv, mpg, mov, mp4, flv and m4v. If you're editing on a Mac in iMovie, just export to QuickTime - which brings me to the next point:
The maximum file size is 300 MB. You may have to reduce your export quality, depending on how long your video is. Not sure how to do this? Contact me and let me know what questions you have!

TubeMogul's Reports and Analytics

TubeMogul has a pretty great analytics system, which breaks data down in a variety of ways. First, publisher reports let you know what sites have been most successful for your videos. If you're lagging on certain sites, you may want to refine what tags you're using or go to the site directly to edit your profile and interact with the community there a bit more. Video reports break down, video by video, which sites have been most popular, how many comments and ratings you have and, best of all, how long your viewers stuck with you and where they stopped watching.

It takes a little while to get started, but TubeMogul is a great resource for nonprofits looking to add a video component to their social media campaigns. It's a tool that gets your videos out to a wide variety of sites and - who knows - maybe you'll find a new audience!

The Power of Video – YouTube for Nonprofits

agardina — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:29:52 +0000

When you’re marketing a nonprofit, most of your campaigns are going to focus around a story. A life you changed, an impact you’ve made, a reason to give. Thus, your social media involvement should also tell your story. Video is a fantastic way to tell these stories in a visually engaging and meaningful way. And you don’t need a professional crew to do it!

Here are some basic things you need to get your video campaign off the ground:

A Flip video camera ($149-$199) or you can apply to get one for free through Flip Video Spotlight
Editing software (I use iMovie, but you can also try Final Cut Express)
A YouTube nonprofits page

The YouTube nonprofits page is incredibly important. Once you’re approved, you can brand the page and add information about how viewers can donate to your cause. Corporations pay thousands of dollars to brand their YouTube pages, but nonprofits get to set theirs up for free! All you need to do is supply the graphics – dust off those Photoshop skills!

A lot of nonprofits fear the leap into online video, thinking that you need to buy tons of equipment, like a lighting kit, $10,000 camera, $5,000 editing software, but you really don’t. A great example of a nonprofit doing it right is the Anaheim Ballet. They’re #3 in subscribers and #3 most viewed in the non-profit category on YouTube. They’re not filming in HD, their graphics aren’t made for Hollywood, but their videos are engaging, informative and personal. They tell a story.

We all have stories to tell – grab your Flip camera and start filming! It’s as easy as lights, camera, action.

(Coming up next: TubeMogul: Taking your video beyond YouTube)

alyssagardina.com - YouTube

Become a Video Mogul with Tube Mogul

The Power of Video – YouTube for Nonprofits