Tips + Tricks for Promoting Your Work with Video

by | Jul 28, 2016 | Video Tip

It’s no secret that video is a powerful way to market your work. If you can make videos that are inspiring, entertaining and informative, you will succeed in establishing a strong brand identity, connecting with audiences, and building relationships with presenters and donors.

 

A successful video is one that connects with the viewer’s emotions – at NSP, we call this the chill factor – and one that has dynamic images and captivating music. Luckily – these are all things that dance already does on its own!!

The hard part then, is framing your promo videos for specific audiences. Just like when you’re planning your video shoot, it’s essential to ask what you want your video to do for you when you start editing your promo.

Institutional Promos

When making an institutional Promo video, the main priority is storytelling. Institutional promos show the organization’s mission and values and introduce its programming and leadership. Successful institutional promos can encourage donations from board members, community members, and potential new donors.
We created this video with Urban Bush Women, led by Artistic director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, for their 30th anniversary season.

We worked with a script writer and the company to create the narrative Jawole tells in the video – a narrative that gives a big picture view of UBW, straight from its leader, with passion and excitement. She tells us about the company’s history and why dance and community engagement are their modes of work. All of this is sprinkled with dance video clips of captivating performances, classes, and behind-the-scenes looks at how they make all of this happen.

PERFORMANCE PROMOS

Performance promos are really about selling tickets – so they are about generating excitement. You want to catch a viewer’s eye quickly with captivating content, and keep them hooked!
We made this promo for Ballet Hispanico for their 45th Anniversary Season at The Joyce Theater. The dance video catches your eye right away with exciting movement and music. The edits move quickly, and the entire video is only 30 seconds long.

Ballet Hispanico also framed their video around their #BAllYouCanB campaign – and the bold typography choices, motion graphics and clever slogan really help to make the promo memorable and impactful.

Brand Awareness Promos

This is an opportunity to get really creative with your promos – which we love! But these can also be challenging when the goal for the video is not as clear as selling tickets or inspiring involvement or donations.
Let’s take Dance/NYC’s New Yorkers for Dance campaign as an example. These short videos are being released as part of an effort to spotlight local leaders and passionate advocates for dance — and increase investment and engagement in dance city-wide!

These dance videos have such a bright, joyful tone. They inspire feelings of community and support. There’s not a clear call to action, but we hope they inspire viewers to learn more about how they can support dance in New York City!

Are you ready to make a promo?

If you’re editing on your own, please show us what you make, and let us know if our tips inspired you! If you have any questions or want a free 15-minute phone consultation on making a dance promo together, let us know!!
Get in touch

Nel Shelby is Owner & Filmmaker for Nel Shelby Productions, her New York City-based company dedicated to dance videography and editing. Nel shares her mission to preserve and promote the art of dance with her husband, Christopher Duggan, a dance and wedding photographer. They collaborate on projects with dance companies of worldwide renown, up-and-coming choreographers, dance educators, dance schools and more. Nel is Video Producer at Jacob’s Pillow and Vail Dance Festival and is also the proud Director and Producer of PS DANCE! — a New York Emmy-nominated documentary about dance education in NYC’s public schools.

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