Custom Graphics and Other Valuable Visuals – Must-haves for virtual live streamed fundraising events!
Engagement from your virtual supporters is essential for a successful Virtual Gala (VG). And visuals are vital for engagement.
Sound familiar? We’ve blogged about the importance of visuals. And since then, we’ve developed new tools intended to make your VG that much more fun to watch – thereby keeping your viewers interested and watching your live stream. The idea is to get people to not only watch – but watch until the very end. And then watch it again. And again! When they do, it’s great news for you AND your beloved sponsors.
Professional Production Quality
What do you need to do to make your event stand out? Consider the difference between a glittering gala at a high-end venue and a casual outdoor picnic (We’re not knocking outdoor events, by the way – we’ve had great success with them in the past!). When donors pay a higher ticket price and arrive at a fancy venue, their budget for giving tends to rise as a result. While we can’t currently offer huge gatherings in sparkly ballrooms, we CAN offer VIRTUAL bells and whistles to make your VG look just as polished and professional as any other television show out there. So if you’re not already, do start thinking of it as a professional production. A great way to do that is to invest in a custom graphics package.
Benefits of Custom Graphics
It’s hard to explain the value of something as invaluable for your show as graphics. But we’ll try! When it comes to branding, event pacing and awareness of your organization, there’s not much that will serve your visual needs better than a graphics package customized for your org. You might be wondering, what’s so great about it?
Pacing
A well-paced show is the secret to your success. Slow pacing has no place in the virtual world of fundraising. It’s boring, and people won’t put up with boring. They’ll log off and find something more interesting to watch or do. Graphics that fly on and off the screen make your show much more dazzling and fast-paced. Maybe it’s the movement; maybe it’s because it adds a polished element that looks WAY more professional than your VG otherwise would. It’s two seconds of IMPACT, as opposed to two seconds of WAIT. And you cannot underestimate the difference it makes in terms of pacing.
Branding+Advertising
Most virtual events are live the first time, of course, but they can be watched again and again and again. That’s what we’re planning for, anyway. In this vein, a custom graphics package really sets you apart visually. They’re designed around your unique logo, colors and event theme – you know, the ones you spent tons of time, effort and resources designing? You can display them again and again throughout your VG to visually benchmark for your viewers what’s happening at all times. When people view your live stream, they’ll immediately notice it’s for your org. You simply can’t beat that type of brand recognition, ESPECIALLY when the graphics in your VG align with the event landing page on your website and social media marketing of the event.
Imagine the Imagery
So where oh where can we put your unique logo that belongs to your org and your org alone? The better question might be, where CAN’T you put it?! Picture your logo on lower-third and right-third banners, on full-screen graphics, featured on a logo bug. What about customized PowerPoints to proudly display your logo and vital info? You can and should brand all of your still pictures and high-quality videos with it. And don’t forget about backgrounds and set designs. They also provide opportunities for increased visual awareness, interest and cohesive marketing for your organization. Perhaps best of all, you will please your sponsors, who are tangentially associated with your org’s high-quality production. We’ve even seen some beef up their sponsorships as a result of their association with such a fantastic, professionally-produced VG. And while no one knows what the future holds, we DO know that right now no one in this market is planning in-person parties or galas for the near future. So this format is not going anywhere. We encourage you to embrace it. You’re producing a high-quality fundraising show. You’re not inviting folks to another boring Zoom call.
Zzzzzzzoom Fatigue
Do yourself, your org, your supporters and your sponsors a solid and don’t subject them to yet another boring Zoom call or Zoom-style fundraising event. Folks have MORE than enough of those while working from home, right? Just say no and treat them to a show – an entertaining, well-paced, engaging, dazzling live stream. You WILL be rewarded – not only with donor+sponsor dollars but with priceless brand recognition.
See why you NEED custom graphics and other valuable visuals in your VG live stream? Well, maybe you don’t technically NEED them, but they ARE worth investing in for the value they add to your event. With custom graphics and other vivacious visuals, you can make your VG entertaining in ways you haven’t yet imagined. Reach out – let us show you the show we’re capable of producing together!
