Right now, we’re in the midst of a general decline in trust that has impacted almost every organization. As the public relations firm Edelman put it in their annual Trust Barometer study, “Trust is in crisis.”

So, how do you get trusted information in front of the right people at the lowest cost?

Today, your audience cares much more about what their peers have to say. They need “social proof” of an idea. And because of always-on smartphones, the power of peer influence has increased dramatically. This is true now in almost every industry, which is why we have Yelp and TripAdvisor and a whole slew of peer-review sites that rates companies, services, and software.

Welcome to the new world of marketing and technology, where it is much more important to amplify the voices of constituents than it is to be clever.

And with video dominating the content mix today, it becomes critical to collect and record videos that give your audience the first-person opinions of real people. But collecting enough video in traditional ways is expensive and impractical, which is why associations should turn to user-generated video. User-generated video by definition is made by people, not companies. These types of videos

• get 10 times the views as branded video on YouTube
• are authentic, not manufactured
• carry implicit trust of people-to-people communication

User-generated video is the modern-day version of word-of-mouth advertising, and today, thanks to technology, your constituents are walking around with a very powerful video camera in their pocket. Here are three ways how user-generated video can help to energize your association.

Luckily, video cameras now fit in your members’ pockets. And just a few tools can help to solve a major problem—getting more user-generated video content on a shoestring budget.

Promote Your Conference

Imagine having video testimonials from a couple dozen members all telling their own version of, “I organize my year around the annual conference because … .”

Member testimonials recorded at your conference can help tell your organization’s story in succinct ways. These videos can be used year-round as evergreen content to speak to the value of membership. Testimonials can also be used to promote and sell meetings in the future. Frequently, associations post and promote these videos to their website, conference registration page, social media platforms, or email newsletters.

Highlight Member Diversity

Many associations are faced with generational changes in the makeup of members. It’s common today to see highly diverse groups of new members. But when your board of directors and leadership teams are dominated by older white men, there can be a disconnect. The folks on the stage might not look like the same as members seated in the audience, and it’s easy to see why many new members might not feel like they belong.

Imagine having videos that show a wide range of diversity, and in those videos, each member is talking about how enriching it is to be engaged in the association. These stories have the power to break down barriers and make members feel like they belong. And once you have these stories recorded, the videos can easily populate your Facebook page or become a core part of new member recruitment efforts.

Recruit for Certification and Continuing Education

Certification and continuing education are core parts of many association offerings. But convincing busy professionals to take an online course or sit for a test isn’t always easy. The key to recruitment for education is having members talk about how their careers were advanced through a certification or educational program.

Imagine integrating video into the education process. When people sign up for a course, they are asked to record a video about their goals and expectations. Midway through the course, they are asked to assess their work. At the end of the course, they are asked to share their top tips and takeaways. Finally, a few months later, they explain how their new knowledge is being used practically in their work. Videos like these will be gold for your recruitment efforts. The key is to incorporate them into the expectations and workflow of the course, instead of collecting them as an afterthought. 

No Time to Waste

The importance of social proof is here to stay, and you need to build marketing efforts around a few critical opportunities with your members. Luckily, video cameras now fit in your members’ pockets. And just a few tools can help to solve a major problem—getting more user-generated video content on a shoestring budget.

This isn’t some far-off future. Today’s marketers who don’t want to be left behind are making it their mission to collect and amplify real stories of their members’ success.