We manage our client Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe’s Nonprofit YouTube channel, and lately we’ve been experimenting with text boxes, which are one type of what YouTube calls “annotations.” Annotations are add-ons to videos that are available in a variety of formats. Annotations can include links to other YouTube videos or to YouTube channels. For Shizumi Kodomo, we used YouTube’s analytics function, Insight, to identify their highest performing video as the target for our annotation.
In the video below, watch for the annotation in the upper right-hand corner at second :06.
Trading on the video’s high rate of comments and subscription generation, we added an annotation linking the dance troupe’s YouTube channel and proposing that viewers subscribe to the channel. YouTube has recently made annotations easier to use and increased the choices in colors and fonts, so we were able to make choices that really complemented the video. We’re expecting that subscription rates will increase. Annotations look to be a powerful tool.
And if your nonprofit doesn’t have a YouTube channel yet, it should. YouTube has all sorts of special offerings for nonprofits. Check back, we’ll be talking more about that.
As always, if MiniMatters can be of help using this tip, we’d love to talk about contracting for you at 301-339-0339 or via email at [email protected].