Outreach 2.0 ...

with Bill Seaver

No YouTube Without You

Let me assume a few things about you, or any average pastor.  You're familiar with online video to some degree.  You've been to YouTube at least a handful of times or you've seen YouTube videos on someone's blog or Web site.  You may have seen some of the now infamous online videos like the evolution of dance (the most viewed online video ever with 50 million views) or the treadmill video by the band OK Go.  If you haven't seen these, take the next nine minutes and four seconds to watch them and get up to speed with a little pop culture. 

Now that you're current, let's look back for a moment: Broadcasting in video format has been in churches for more than 20 years.  According to my local access channel, it's still thriving today—but over the last few years online video has emerged in a big way. Projections from eMarketer.com and the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that in 2008, 137 million people (73% of U.S. Internet users; 47% of population) will be viewing video online!

Online video creates a unique outreach opportunity for any church or ministry that decides to use it.  Today a video can be “broadcast” in a million different places and people can choose to grab the video and show it themselves in their own environment.  Make no mistake; this is exactly what you want to happen.  Not only can a person now recommend the videos they like, they can provide the recommended video on their own blog or Web site. Think of the potential for your church.

If your wheels are turning but you don't know where to begin, here are five things to consider as you jump into the world of online video:

1. When in doubt, entertain.  The most interesting online videos seem to be either highly entertaining or very funny.  No matter what your video content, you've got to remember you're sending it off to a culture that's accustomed to entertainment.  If you have a specific message for your video, do it in such a way that you creatively inform a viewer in an entertaining way.  Think of it as the spoonful of sugar that will make the medicine go down.

2. Send them somewhere:  At least once on the video, you should put up the address to your Web site or a Web site you want the viewer to visit.  This is your golden opportunity to request that they spend a few more minutes with you, so don't let it pass without at least asking for them to visit your site for more information. 

3. Post on multiple sites:  Almost all online video sites work the same way these days.  Although YouTube seems to get most of the press, you should put your video on a number of different online video sites.  After YouTube, head straight over to GodTube.com.  It's a great YouTube alternative for Christians and has some other online video tools your church will find helpful. Beyond these two, put your video on Google Video as well.

4. Make it passalongable.  Yes, passalongable isn't a real word but it should be part of your online video vernacular.  Is your video one that you would tell 10 people about?  Is it good enough (both in content and delivery) that nine of those 10 friends would tell at least one other person about it?  If the answer to either of those questions is no, then you should tweak it or perhaps rework it entirely.  Online video works best when people tell their friends about it.  If your video lacks the needed passalongability, you have likely misapplied the time, energy and financial resources that went into making the video.

5. Don't limit online video to preaching.  Preaching is often the first online video use that comes to mind with many churches, but consider other opportunities with online video like classroom-style teaching, global missions, idea sharing, promotion, and video blogging.  Maybe you're starting a building campaign at the church. If so, you could post regular updates about the progress of the project and even interview some of the building crew, just to give the church a differrent perspective on the project (and also keep it top-of-mind so those campaign pledges aren't forgotten).

Bill Seaver is the Vice President of White Post Media where he consults churches and ministries in the development and implementation of new media (web 2.0) strategies. He's also an avid blogger on his personal blog, MicroExplosion.com.  For questions or article ideas contact Bill at fourthbill@gmail.com.

-Outreachmagazine.com "Web Exclusives," July/August 2007

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