Video First: Making an Impact

"In order to post videos successfully online you have to know how to play by their rules, and how to deliver what people want to watch and how to encourage them to share."

The practice of watching video online has increased exponentially, much of it now on mobile phones. As a result, media organisations and others wanting to communicate with audiences are having to reinvent their communication models to ensure that they provide the content people want to watch and read on the platforms and devices where they want to access it. From the educational charity International Broadcasting Trust (IBT), this report sets out the current media landscape in the United Kingdom (UK) and the trends that are influencing it - also exploring how video is viewed online, what works and what doesn't, and where the opportunities lie for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) wishing to produce their own video content.

Here, in brief, are some current trends in the UK:

• The way people consume news in the UK has changed significantly in the past five years. The popularity of newspapers has declined, and there has been growing demand for news via social media platforms. Facebook is by far the most important platform for consuming and sharing news.
• Live TV viewing has declined in favour of time-shifted, online free and paid-for video content. Video uptake online has been driven largely by improving mobile data networks, cheaper data packages. and faster broadband.
• Print media has declined in popularity.
• News video is becoming more common but is still less popular than text.
• More people are watching video on their mobile phones.
• Tablets and mobiles are no longer supplementing personal computers (PCs) and laptops, but they are replacing them.
• A generation gap has evolved. with younger people using mobile devices and social media and older people retaining more traditional habits.

The report examines what makes traditional TV different from online video. For one thing, traditional TV schedules are designed to achieve reach while providing a range of content for different audiences at varying times of the day. They are devised by commissioners and schedulers, and audiences are subject to their tastes, creative decisions, and curation of content. For online video to achieve impact, a completely different approach is needed, IBT asserts. This is a crowded space with a surfeit of content; if a viewer isn't instantly grabbed by content, he or she will move onto something else. Producers now need to know specifically whom they are wanting to reach and what that audience will respond to. The key difference between traditional broadcasting and social media platforms is the algorithms which determine how content is prioritised. There isn't an editor deciding what is important; it is your previous choices and the popularity of content, measured by shares, likes, and comments, which will determine what users see. There is an opaqueness and unpredictability about how these algorithms, controlled by tech companies and driven by commercial profit, operate; furthermore, they change constantly.

Future trends outlined in the report:

• It will be increasingly difficult to have an impact with online video as more and more video is posted.
• Organic reach for online video - that is, content that is not paid for - will continue to decline, so increasingly publishers will have to pay or be very clever with their strategy if they are to be noticed.
• Brand awareness will be lower as content is increasingly accessed via social media rather than from a branded website.
• In an ever-connected world, there are signs that people are suffering from internet overload. Companies are running email management courses, and digital detox and internet-free holidays are becoming more popular.
• Online video could cannibalise TV audiences further.
• Social and political polarisation are likely to increase as a result of social media users' echo chambers, which will present a challenge for the content which is in the "middle ground".

The report looks at specific types of platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Facebook Live, Vimeo, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat) and what works best on each in terms of online video.

IBT stresses that understanding online metrics and the response of users is crucial for videos to have impact. There are different ways of measuring impact and engagement:

• Consumption: How many people viewed, downloaded, or listened to a piece of content?
• Conversions: getting a user to take a desired action on your social media profiles, as defined by you. This can include filling out an online form, signing up for your website, clicking through from social media to your website, or any other goal that helps you achieve your objectives.
• Engagement: the total number of likes, shares, retweets, and comments on a post.
• Reach: a measurement of the size of audience you are communicating with. It can be defined on a per-post or overall reach basis.
• Visits versus unique visits: visits count each time a person visits your site or page, regardless of whether or not they have visited before. Uniques count each person only once.
• Bounce rate: the percentage of people who land on your page and immediately leave, without viewing any other pages.
• Amplification rate: the number of shares or retweets on average for each post.
• Referral traffic: the amount of website traffic that is being driven from your social media accounts.

There are three main ways to collect data: through the social media dashboards on the platforms themselves, by using third party social media analytics tools, or by commissioning a specialist agency to provide you with deeper insights into the performance of your social content. The report also discusses alogithms and their impacts and implications. For example, one consequence is that more sensational content is promoted because it provokes stronger reactions. This poses a particular challenge for organisations which want to publish content that is not sensational.

What drives the popularity of videos? Some suggestions:

• Have a clear proposition.
• Know what your audience wants.
• Prime audience expectations.
• Surprise them or tell them something new.
• Look for moments that will have visual impact.
• Inspire people with short stories.
• Ensure timeliness of content.

What makes a video work online? Often, it has to do with:

• The opening - start with a strong character that gets you straight into the story, ideally saying something emotional.
• Nativity to the platform it is on.
• Length - ideal maximum length of a Facebook video is about two minutes; YouTube videos can run longer.
• Square frame.
• How producers and publishers encourage people to view their videos.
• Ease of sharing.
• Engagement of partners to amplify content.
• Sharing as an indicator of personal identity.
• Allowing of a two-way conversation.
• Experimentation (learning from mistakes).

The report concludes with some key lessons for NGOs wishing to produce online video:

• Start from the perspective of what you think your audiences will be interested in. Different teams in an NGO may want to reach different audiences, so segment your audience, co-ordinate and use different platforms to reach different cohorts; have a range of playlists.
• Make the best use of data. Study the data gathered from previous campaigns and utilise it to understand what works and what doesn't for your organisation and the issues you're concerned with. As the video is posted online, look at the data but focus on the metrics which matter to you. Don't just measure success by the number of likes or shares - what does that tell you about impact? Understand algorithms to ensure your videos are promoted.
• When planning online video content, follow a step-by step process. Think about your desired consequence: What do you want people to do next both in the short and long-term: share, donate, get involved, join a community, be inspired? Identify your intended audiences. Identify the best platforms to reach those audiences. Optimise your content to work on those platforms. Think about what will motivate people to watch and share your video. Think about how your video will be watched and plan accordingly: the physical and social settings of your user. What is their digital connection – broadband or mobile network? What is the best delivery method – mobile app, chatbot, website? What's the best time of day or day of the week to make your content live?
• Borrow what works from commercial media producers, such as food, animal videos, humour, and "how-to" videos. Think about how you can use these genres as a way into a subject.
• Allow and encourage a conversation. If something doesn't work, re-edit it and try again. Use popular vloggers/influencers to attract audiences. Think before posting: more posts don’t necessarily mean greater engagement. How often do you need to engage with your audiences - would fewer, bigger, better posts work to your advantage?