With some 80 percent of organizations producing video, it’s no surprise associations are jumping into the mix. Recently, the National Association of College Auxiliary Services became the latest to announce a new video initiative to keep its members informed and engaged.

Earlier this month, NACAS launched its own video platform, NACAS.tv, for programming focused on professional development.

We have a strategic goal of bringing our education to where our members are.

“We have a strategic goal of bringing our education to where our members are,” said Caleb Welty, chief marketing and information officer at NACAS. “Using a video medium for professional development made sense because so many of our members are moving toward consuming our professional development through mobile devices. They’re using video-friendly interfaces, and they’ve communicated that they want something that they can watch from their desk, from their home.”

Developed in partnership with Naylor Association Solutions, the platform so far features two types of video: webcasts of NACAS events and educational programming and videos in which the association’s business partners share their expertise. “We’re not looking for a sales pitch, but we are looking to leverage knowledge that business partners have,” Welty said.

NACAS hires a videographer to shoot the video, while preproduction scripting and planning, as well as final edits, are done in-house. If all goes well, Welty said, NACAS may invest in an in-house studio, but right now the association is using third party’s facility.

It’s the association’s first foray into video, and the jump was quick—four to six months, Welty said. “We basically sat down in late summer, and within three to four months we were shooting video and then in another month we went live.”

The biggest challenge was convincing thought leaders and members to be recorded.

“We were surprised to discover that a lot of our members and speakers were adverse to the idea of being videotaped,” said Welty. Providing good customer service and reassuring video subjects that they would be involved in the entire process was key to creating more comfort around the idea.

“Now, that we’ve launched,” Welty said, the challenge “is going to be figuring out which content is really popular with our members.”

University of West Georgia Assistant Vice President of Auxillary Services Mark Reeves, featured in a NACAS video. (NACAS.tv)