It’s already that time of year. Weather is cooling, projects are wrapping up, and you’re scrambling to summarize your achievements, unify your employees, and thank all your partners.
But, how do you frame a whole year’s worth of success into one story?
You might be tempted to send a festive email, but the longer you write, the less they read. Maybe you could make a PDF, print it, and send it to offices that sit half-empty. Our favorite idea, however, is much more fun, effective, and engaging: you could make a video.
End of year videos come in all shapes and sizes. They’re great for spotlighting all of your organization’s accomplishments, engaging your supports, inspiring your team, or even establishing priorities for the new year. Whatever works best for your goals, works for LAI Video, but before you just start making videos, we recommend you do these three things.
1. Pick your audience
Is this cliché? Sure. Is it true and important? Absolutely. Audience matters for all year-end messages. How you summarize or report on your year will be different for staff, clients, and donors. It also matter where your audience will see your message. At an event? On social media? In their inbox? These answers change how we approach everything from video length to the tone of messaging.
2. Pick your theme
You did so many amazing things this year. Great job! But please, do not list them. DO NOT LIST THEM. First think of a filter, or a theme for your year. Was this year an undisputed triumph? A real comeback? An unexpected transformation? A bit of a do-over? Whatever your unifying factor is, it should help you decide what's worth saying, and what you can save for the blog.
3. Pick your format
Lastly, decide how you want to relay all your information. From big, hour-long communication or awards programs, to nothing-but-the-hits reels and thank-you sizzles for social media, we help all kinds of organizations share their incredible work in a kinds of ways.
But, what will you do?