Holidays might look different this year, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t stay connected with customers and your community.

In response to continued restrictions on in-person gatherings, many companies, communities and artists are adapting to these challenges by hosting their holiday events onto a virtual platform. Rather than abandon the holiday spirit altogether, you might consider using video to connect and engage with your audience, whether that consists of fans, employees or community or church members.

Concerts & Theatre

Nothing evokes as much collective joy and celebration around the holidays as enchanting music. For that reason, it’s important to keep the festive cheer alive by offering online access to concerts, recitals and Christmas plays or services.

With a video platform to live stream, record and save for later viewing pleasure, fans, friends and families will be able to enjoy renditions of their favorite holiday tune and reenactments of cherished, timeless stories.

If you’re a school administrator, community theatre organizer, musician or singer, you have the opportunity to use video to attract and engage viewers while having the ability to charge admission to your events — if monetization is one of your goals.

On the topic of monetizing your videos, there are several ways to supplement your revenue stream, including:

• Pay-per-view
• Video on demand
• Subscription
• Ad sales

Each of these options can help achieve your financial goal depending on what your viewers expect from your content. For instance, if you want to sell tickets to single events, then pay-per-view would be ideal. On the other hand, if you have a lot of content to offer and your audience would benefit from a package deal, then providing subscriptions would be the way to go.

As for ad sales, you’ll want to keep control over what advertisements are being displayed with your videos — especially around the holidays when viewers prefer wholesome, family-friendly content. So, it’s best to choose a video platform that allows you to choose relevant ads, free from irrelevant material that deters viewers from watching your videos. Although it might seem like common sense, this control over ads is lost on public streaming sites like YouTube or Vimeo.

Companies

Businesses typically choose the holidays to show appreciation for their employees by offering best wishes and corporate updates on the past year’s job well done.

Since many employees are still working from home (at least part of the time) and are encouraged to socially distance, it’s hard to maintain that same level of holiday spirit in the office. That’s why companies can benefit from the convenience that video provides.

From holiday wishes to year-end wrap-up meetings and shareholder announcements, you have the freedom to communicate with a broad audience while maintaining full control over your video distribution. It might not feel as personal as previous years, but rest assured your viewers will nonetheless appreciate the gesture.

Communities

Towns, cultural/religious groups and non-profit organizations frequently use the holidays as a way to conduct community outreach, host member activities and raise funds for worthy causes. Granted, in-person fundraisers and holiday parties aren’t advisable at the moment, but video can be an ideal substitute.

Connecting virtually provides all participants with the peace of mind that their health and safety are being held as a top priority while still enjoying socialization. Especially when next year’s operations rely heavily on the generosity of others over the holidays, churches, philanthropic organizations and other benevolent groups can easily provide community members with a convenient built-in donation button to securely give and receive funds.

Fortunately, video offers your community ­— big or small — a platform that can effectively reach viewers and promote your highly anticipated holiday events despite physical separation.

Whether your goal is to generate revenue, to virtually connect with people more effectively, or you simply want to spread your love of the holidays with eager viewers, video is a safe, efficient and cost-effective way to come together.

Visit our website to learn how to take your holiday events online.