YouTube might be the most popular streaming platform in the world, but it isn’t just for funny cat videos and the latest celebrity gossip. Your Australian not-for-profit can leverage YouTube to tell a story, expand your digital presence, and build trust with a broader segment of donors, volunteers, and clients.
Perhaps you want to raise awareness about an upcoming charity gala or take audiences behind the scenes to show how you deliver on your mission. Either way, over 2.70 billion users rush to YouTube for cooking videos, instructional “how-tos,” and can come across your NFP’s messaging.
Why YouTube Matters for Australian Nonprofits and Businesses
What’s the point of using a streaming service owned by Google? When you have a strong video, it helps both your YouTube and Google search results rank higher. That increases your online visibility and enables more people, especially in your local community, to discover what it is your NFP does and how it benefits the greater good. Additional benefits include:
- Building Trust: Having a YouTube channel helps you demonstrate what you do, rather than just talking about it. You can highlight volunteer stories or provide customer service testimonials. You can even have training videos for your volunteers, streamlining your onboarding process. That transparency builds credibility, which leads to trust.
- Drive Engagement: Video content is a powerful way to grab attention. Over 52% of viewers prefer sharing video content over static text or images. Viewers stay longer and engage more deeply when there is video content to explore.
- Modern Integration: YouTube is a widely accepted video-sharing platform. That means it integrates exceptionally well with most modern website frameworks, such as WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, and custom-built sites like those we provide at Web 105. That multiplies your reach without needing additional software.
- Creates Partnerships: There are many microinfluencers and content creators on YouTube, always on the lookout for audience-supporting partnerships. You can boost the messaging you’re putting out into the online space by collaborating with a well-presented influencer or YouTube channel.
As long as you have a consistent presence with even a little following (250-1,000 viewers), you can gain significant traction to leverage for news, press releases, and community updates.
How to Build a YouTube Strategy in 5 Simple Steps
The trick is knowing how to get from wanting a YouTube channel for your nonprofit to actually putting those ideas into practice. It all starts with a simple framework strategy.
Step 1: Create the Calendar
Decide how often you want to post. Start with one video a week, but create a content calendar that outlines when you’ll record, edit, and post the video to your channel. The more consistent you are, the better.
Step 2: Draft the Video
Brainstorm what type of video you want. Maybe that’s an impact story on how your NFP helps the community, or some BTS footage of getting ready for an upcoming fundraiser. Organise these ideas into the length of video you want and create a basic storyline for filming.
Step 3: Schedule & Batch
When you film, try to record multiple videos in a single session. That will save you time and money.
Step 4: Optimise
Just like any other online content, you’ll need to optimise for SEO (search engine optimisation), which includes keywords, an engaging title, a hook, video description, hashtags, category selection, a great thumbnail, and even putting the keyword into the filename of the video you upload.
Step 5: Analyse & Adjust
Over time, you need to track the performance of your videos. Look at what hooks work the best, and which target audience responds to them the most. That will inform your future content.
The Proven SEO Cheat Sheet for Your Australian NFP
SEO is crucial to YouTube. After all, the video-sharing platform is a search engine. If you don’t use the keywords that audiences are searching for the most, you won’t send your message where it will have the most impact. Here is a quick cheat sheet to help you ensure you’re making the most of your channel.
- Choose your keywords carefully using Ubersuggest or Google Keyword Planner.
- Pick a strong title that includes the keyword, solves a problem, and sparks curiosity.
- Rename the video file to something meaningful that uses your primary keyword.
- Optimise your video description so that the first two lines include keywords, a brief explanation, links to your landing page, and a clear call to action.
- Add 3 to 5 hashtags that are relevant to the type of content you’re providing and the community you’re serving (don’t forget local terms with your target geographic area).
- Choose a category that fits your needs, like “Education” or “Nonprofits & Activism.”
- Design a thumbnail that creates a fantastic first impression. Utilise free tools like Canva to assist you.
- Add timestamps so audience members can easily skip to the section they want and use auto-generated captions for enhanced accessibility.
The goal is to create an emotionally resonant, educational, and authentic video that will connect with a broader digital audience. Everything from end-of-year recaps with financial goals to event highlights from a recent golf gala. Throw all you can at the digital wall and see what sticks. You may be surprised how quickly you “go viral” for a simple video idea.
Conclusion
YouTube provides a well-oiled machine for NFPs to deliver valuable information to donors, volunteers, potential clients, and the greater press community. Using this platform ensures you are meeting the needs of your audience and expanding your online presence.
At Web 105, we can help build an easy-to-navigate website optimised for mobile devices and ready for your YouTube content. With decades of experience helping Australian businesses, NFPs, and healthcare providers, we are your solution to a beautifully designed website.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and get started!
FAQs
What is the 7-second rule on YouTube?
The “7-second rule” refers to the amount of time you have to capture the attention of your target audience (i.e., within the first 7 seconds).
Can a non-profit have a YouTube channel?
Yes, a YouTube channel is free, easy to build, and can have incredible ROI for the time you invest. All it takes is signing up and using a smartphone to start creating videos.
How many people in Australia use YouTube?
While billions of users worldwide use YouTube, approximately 20.80 million Australians visit the video-sharing platform for entertainment, instructional videos, and more information.