Video will play a huge part in the success of your communications strategy in 2019.
When to use video and when not to is just as important as knowing how to shoot video for any effective communicator.
Key video insight for 2019
Smartphone use in the UK will pass 92 per cent by 2025 – source: Deloitte, 2018.
Those aged 16 to 24 in the UK spend on average an hour a day watching YouTube – source: Google, 2018.
Video will account for 82 per cent of web traffic by 2020 – source: Google, 2018.
There are more than twice as many people watching video on YouTube in the third quarter of 2018 at 1.2 trillion than 510 million on Facebook – source: Tubular Labs.
A majority of UK over 55s own a smartphone – source: Ofcom, 2018.
58 per cent of UK people with a mobile phone watch video once a week, Deloite, 2017.
The optimum length of a YouTube clip is almost three minutes compared to 15 seconds on Facebook – source: Google / Facebook.
Sport recieved 1.8 billion views in the UK in first six months of 2018 – source: Tubular Labs.
There are 25 million unique viewers a month of the Daily Telegraph Snapchat channel – source: Daily Telegraph.
ESSENTIAL VIDEO SKILLS FOR COMMS workshops 2019
As video is what your audience is likely to be consuming your video strategy will help you deliver a successful communications strategy.
To help you achieve this, I’m running workshops in 2019. Delivered along with cameraman, filmmaker and academic Steven Davies the sessions will help you plan, shoot, edit and post engaging comms video. We’ll make sure you are safe and legal, GDPR, copyright law and PSBAR compliant.
We’ve had four years of experience and have delivered training for more than 2,000 people across more than 300 organisations.
The FutureProof publication has been a Blue Peter annual for the past three years. In other years, it has been a collection of essays. This year, it has focused on individuals who are steering a course. ‘Twenty one pioneers who are shaping our industry’ and told in a quirky classical story telling format.
Across the download there are 22 people in 21 entries, 20 are individuals and two are a double act. Kudos to Sarah Hall for piecing this together and credit to her for celebrating those she sees as playing a vital role in shaping the industry. It’s a thankless task. Every list is subjective and every list is unique. Add one in you’ll leave more out.
Here’s what struck me.
Men dominate the list but I’ll bet women dominate the future. Thirteen of the list are men and nine are women. If this exercise is run again in a few years time I’d be highly surprised if that balance isn’t flipped with women in the ascendancy. A few years ago, I’d noticed that much more women are being appointed to junior roles. Those people are now working their way to senior posts. Quite right too.
Eighteen of the list are private sector. No doubt they deserve it. Many names are new to me as I tend to work in the public sector.
Just one is from the public sector. I’d take nothing away from each person listed in the book. The Government Communications Service’s Alex Aiken is a good example of a pioneer shaping our industry. But there are so many others from the public sector too to admire. Long hours. Poor pay. Constant sniping. Why would anyone do it? Because they can genuinely make a difference. How many communicators would handle the Manchester Arena attack? Or the London terror incidents? Or Grenfell? Or a 60 per cent budget cut like local government. Yet, the public sector did.
Three are from Higher Education. One man and two women. All three deserve it.
None are from the Third Sector. Charity comms is an area that has its own unique challenges and some exceptional people working in it. I can name you some but it also makes me think about the need for people across sectors to learn from others. A good idea is a good idea.
Strategy rather than delivery is recognised. None of the 22 are operators in the trenches although all will no doubt argue they’ve had their time knee-deep in mud.
It got me thinking about who I’d list and then quickly binned the idea as career suicide. As someone who works with hundreds of people over the course of the year so many people impress. But trouble making Robert Phillips author of ‘Trust Me: PR is Dead’ would be one.
There are some fine communicators in the public sector but none are better than fire and rescue people.
They can switch from the day-to-day campaign to the drop-everything-now blaze.
Other blue light services can argue they face a similar challenge. They’d be right. But none are better than fire. Yet as a sector they are often overlooked. Ordered into a taxi by the Home Office and eyed-up by police and crime commissioners their skills are often unappreciated.
When Grenfell happened, many communicators would have frozen but fire and rescue people didn’t. I’ve worked with fire and rescue before and I’m always impressed. So, the two days of hosting the FirePRO conference in Birmingham was a real pleasure.
Here are things you can learn from fire and rescue comms:
People have the same regard of firefighters as they do the NHS. They just don’t have the opportunity to show it.
A drone brilliantly tells the story of a large unfolding incident.
In a high-profile emergency you will be flooded with gifts of water, biscuits and other donations. Say ‘thank you’.
Play the public messages of support back to the people in the frontline.
Help the media tell your story by giving them good access.
Don’t forget internal comms. Keep the rest of the organisation up to speed at least once a day in a rolling incident.
A major incident doesn’t stop when the fire is out. The public enquiry can be demanding to your time.
Good practice can work right across the public sector and beyond.
Think on your feet.
Back yourself.
Heroes are great. But there are dangers posed by looking at volunteers and staff as almost untouchable.
Don’t shelter from a negative social media storm. It may hoover-up your time, but go out and look to challenge each negative post. There are medium and long term benefits.
As an organisation, look to do the right thing. Even when this causes a short-term headache.
Listen to staff across your organisation.
89 per cent of men who die after a night out are found dead in water.
Think of your audience and how to best reach them. Be bold if you have to.
People respond well to bright yellow ducks in a campaign.
Don’t do what you always do.
There are lessons to learn from across the field no matter what sector you work in.
As a keen junior newspaper reporter, I was once told the key to writing features was to put the best quote in the intro.
So, John Lennon’s ‘Beatles are bigger than Jesus’ should always shout from the first paragraph to reel the reader in.
I was reminded of this gem listening to Marc Reeves, editor-in-chief Reach Midlands, talk at the FirePro conference about what the present and future of newspapers looks like.
First, a disclosure. I’m from newspaper’s past. I started off on a hot metal newspaper, learned shorthand on an NCTJ Pre-Entry certificate and learned how to write a news story to deadline and quietly keep something back for the over-night schedule. I loved being a reporter. But all the newspaper offices I’ve ever worked in have closed and the industry as I knew it is dead. But a new one that can look the 21st century in the face has emerged.
Second, a disclosure. I’ve known of Marc Reeves for at least a decade. His ideas around Business Desk‘s online business news service helped shape in part shaped the partnership that became comms2point0. Six links in the morning? That was originally an idea that translated.
Here are NINE things that could be the first paragraph.
‘I can reach 40 times the audience online compared to print.’
When I had my interview for my NCTJ Pre-Entry certificate in 1994, I was asked what impact the internet would have on newspapers. “Until,” I replied “people can read the internet on the toilet, on the bus or while watching the telly it won’t totally overtake it. But there should be enough time to work out how to use it.”
Newspapers used to be licenses to print money. And then came the internet to take their lunch, dinner and breakfast. Small ads are now ebay and buy and sell groups on Facebook. Sports reporting is now Twitter and the podcast. Lucrative property ads have moved online.
What remains is a hollowed-out industry that has has cut jobs, cut corners and cuts and pastes your press release to get a page away. Print revenues have declined in line with the glimmer of hope in the eye of the freshly minted journalism recruit.
‘I can reach 40 times the audience online compared to print,’ says Marc.
‘The press release is almost obsolete’
What matters is a decent story well told. So, the days and weeks spent on signing off a press release is becoming increasingly fruitless.
‘We’re creating a digital lifeboat for when print sinks.’
Reach are rolling out new brands that build on what came before but are different in look and feel. For the Birmingham Mail this is now online BirminghamLive on Facebook and online.
The switch works fine in Birmingham. But county boundaries don’t slice so easily. So, news from the Staffordshire market town of Uttoxeter in DerbyshireLive jars for some people.
But 14k print sales of the Birmingham Mail and 450k daily uniques on BirminghamLive says in numbers where the future lies.
“We’re creating a digital lifeboat for when print sinks,” Marc says.
‘There will be fewer newspapers.’
Smaller titles will close, Marc warns. More will go.
‘Journalism used to be a one way process. We shouted and you listened. Not anymore.’
I remember the role of the central role of the newspaper as the absolute gatekeeper of what was news and what was important. What they’re becoming better at is looking at the stats to see what works and what doesn’t and seeing what is important to people.
Reporters get to know their patch by joining Facebook groups
Back in the day, on my first proper newspaper I had the patches of Cradley, Hayley Green and Hasbury. I got to know them by ringing around contacts and going out on them. I met the newsagent and the florist who became a vital source of stories.
For the Birmingham Mail / BirminghamLive the beat includes joining the Facebook group, too. But interestingly, Marc says the same rules apply. Their reporters need to build trust and be careful to nurture it.
Video remains key but standards have improved
Video as a driver of traffic is not new but the quality threshold if anything has risen. Not just any old video, please. Good video that tells a story on a subject readers want to know about, Marc says.
Big newspaper groups have a better chance
Big groups like Reach have a larger clout in the sector so have a greater chance of success. The group has more than 100 titles. The often quoted line about print dollars and digital dimes has a ring of truth.
The role of journalist has changed
Days after this session the Birmingham Mail – or BirminghamLive which ever way you want to look at it – appointed a replacement for local government editor. Jane Haynes is the new editor politics and people. I bumped into Jane about 12-months ago on a train. She’d left local government to go and complete a masters degree in mobile and multi-platform journalism at Birmingham City University. She wasn’t sure at that stage where that would take her. But I remember thinking that the doors it would unlock would be hugely interesting. Rather than file copy from Full Council she’ll be live blogging or using Facebook Live or whichever platform best works. That’s exactly what we all should be doing.
Almost a decade ago, then BBC journalist Robert Peston spoke to say the blog was at the heart of everything he does. I was reminded of this as I was following the latest twist with Brexit. It wasn’t the newspaper I was waiting for. I was using Twitter and Facebook to see Robert Peston’s take along with the BBC’s Laura Keunnsburg as well as @thesecretbarrister for the legal position. Then it was the BBC Brexit podcast for a more considered take on the breaking news.
What does this tell you if you are a comms person?
It tells you that the world is changing, that the press release is not omnipotent. That newspapers are not omnipotent. That if they change they have a chance. That there’s a chance for you to be in newspaper-free desert. That the newspaper that hasn’t radically changed probably won’t be around for longer.
But beyond that, it confirms that newspapers are no longer the only show in town. But by putting a hand up to recognise that that’s no bad thing and by doing so newspapers can re-invent themselves.
Of course, the real proof of the pudding with newspapers will be if they survive financially. They can do this by providing a product that people want. For all the applause they get for the new approach if their site opens with three pop-ups, a quiz and a auto-playing video with sound that’s something they’ll struggle with.
There’s a confusion over the differing names of the website and the print edition. But as the print audience dies out you can see this being quietly dropped.
Finally, the one constant is people. They haven’t fundamentally changed. They still want to know what’s happening in their area. It’s just that the way they can find out has changed.
As a comms person, if you want to talk with people, it’s useful knowing the landscape.
On the one hand, those who think he’s a disgrace and in the other those who understand his reasons.
I’ve found a piece of myth-busting from the Royal British Legion themselves really useful. Text that shoots down regular myths that surround the appeal. It’s not only useful because it’s accurate but because its also clear and shareable.
The 40,000 shares show that the message has got out.
What then makes this particularly impressive is that they don’t just leave it at that. They then go and talk with people who post on the Facebook post.
There’s the straight forward.
But also the quite challenging.
And yet
A challenging post by the excellent Stuart Bruce challenges some of the conventional rebuttal approach.
Ignore it and hope it’ll go away? Nope.
The things that Stuart suggests people do to rebut lies the Royal British Legion does.
They create shareable content.
They get in first.
They let others speak for them through the shareable content.
But what was most challenging was the idea that you really shouldn’t repeat the lie in the rebuttal. Stuart points to academic evidence that the point by point denial doesn’t cut through.
They discovered that online, there was a need for the police to go back to rebut rumours in a four-hour cycle as people switched on their phones to discover the original unchallenged piece of fake news.
They also found the need for citizens with online reputations to be out challenging myth and rumour.
In Birmingham, one rumour centred on disorder which alleged the Birmingham Princess Diana Children’s Hospital was on fire. This was shot down by a prominent blogger Andy Mabbett pointing out that Steelhouse Lane police station was right opposite. So, that probably wasn’t true, right?
It’s that line about citizens sharing things that stays with me.
You can only really hope people will rally round and share your rebuttal if you are engaging online and are an organisation with a degree of trust in the bank already.
Four years ago when I first started to blog about the role that video could play in comms the examples were often thin on the ground.
Fast forward today and they are rich and plentiful. Here are eight examples that have caught my eye over the past few months.
Hyperlapse to explain a route around town
Windsor & Maidenhead Council are past masters in dealing with a big influx of crowds. Windsor Castle is on the patch. So, for the marriage of Princess Eugenie they used hyperlapse to explain the route the happy couple will take. The hyperlapse technique is to replay the footage at high speed. Many phones do this as part of functionality but if yours does not the microsoft hyperlapse app will do just fine.
James works for Birmingham City Council on the bin route. He narrates the story that shows he’s more than just a driver. He looks out for people. An elderly lady who fell. A lady who brings out biscuits. It’s a nice film.
3. A video as eye-catching social media auto-playing content
Fun videos like this one were part of a wider campaign around a serious issue. A video of a dog with a rainbow flag flagged up the #noplaceforhate app to report hate crime. Overall, the campaign led to a 400 per cent increase in the use of the app which won Best Public Sector Campaign at the Public Sector Social Media Awards in 2018.
Rather than tell a story the content flagged up the link to the app with eye catching auto-playing content. Well done Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner staff.
This Ryder Cup footage captured the first tee and how the crowds flocked as the dawn broke. This technique could just as well be used for any public event.
The Edelman Trust barometer tells us that people trust the staff more than those at the top. So, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue used their staff to tell their story. They read lines from a broader story of what they do backed by footage of them at work. It’s hugely powerful.
This film from rural Wales shows that video isn’t just a city thing. While on the long side it uses frontline staff and the parents and children Home Start helps.
7. Newsjacking to spread some basic advice
When Glenn Hoddle collapsed the spotlight was shone on the CPR that saved him. West Midlands Ambulance Service shot this short explainer. While quite long for Twitter, bonus points for subtitles throughout.
You were probably shocked to see the news about Glenn Hoddle. Thankfully, one of the sound engineers was on hand to start #CPR while the ambulance en-route. If you were in that position, would you know what to do? Community Response Manager Cliff Medlicott says CPR is easy: pic.twitter.com/WaJcuSLKmm
— West Midlands Ambulance Service (@OFFICIALWMAS) October 29, 2018
8. Real people sharing their NHS treatment good news
End of treatment bells are sounded in some units when patients reach the milestone. This one is just 12-seconds. Well within Twitter’s tight guidelines for effective video. The text of the tweet tells the story and the video shows the smile.
If you’d like to get up to speed on how to plan, shoot, edit, add subtitles, text, filters and music book onto one of my workshops. Or if the dates don’t work drop me a line dan@comms2point0.co.uk.
You may have seen the Blackpool police appeal for a suspect who looked rather like Friends actor David Schwimmer.
You may have also seen the star’s tongue in cheek denial that he was involved.
Both updates were shared heavily online.
I’ve long argued that human comms should be part of the tool box online for comms people at the right time and in the right context.
It was people online who made the David Schwimmer connection rather than town police themselves.
Officers, I swear it wasn’t me.
As you can see, I was in New York.
To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation.#itwasntmepic.twitter.com/EDFF9dZoYR
But aside from the arrest, what was the impact on Blackpool police of the tongue-in-cheek exchange? It’s a question that intrigued me. So, I ran a quick unscientific poll to try and capture some data.
The results were surprising.
60 per cent of people outside of Blackpool viewed the town police better
Of those surveyed, more than 60 per cent had a better perception of the Lancashire town’s police force.
Less than 1 per cent had a negative perception of the service and a third were unchanged in how they viewed the force.
IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE OF BLACKPOOL: What is your perception of Blackpool police after reading the David Schwimmer Facebook update?
Inside Blackpool, the stats were illuminating.
50 per cent of people in Blackpool itself viewed their police better
IF YOU LIVE IN BLACKPOOL: What is your perception of Blackpool police after reading the David Schwimmer Facebook update?
The numbers were different but again, less than 1 per cent viewed the town force negatively.
More people were unchanged in their perception – 50 per cent – but this is to be expected if people in the town have a view on the force.
But what is striking is that 27 per cent felt much better towards officers and 23 per cent better. Or, in other words, 50 per cent felt better about their force.
More than 350 people took part in the online poll on Twitter and 27 were from Blackpool. Clearly, this is unscientific. But it does start to give some useful feedback on how people perceive a less formal tone online.
Clearly, UK police forces can’t rely on enlisting Hollywood actors to help with shoplifting appeals.
But as a broad yardstick this does show that the human approach has a positive impact with audiences.
This does have a bigger impact in those outside of the area.
But there’s a striking majority of people in the town itself who think more positively, too.
Of course, you do have to be human to carry off this approach.
I blogged this week that most dangerous words to a PR or comms person are ‘oh well, that’s what they want.’
It’s the going along with the request for a leaflet, poster or video from a more senior person even though you know its not the right course of action. You can read the original post here.
One question in particular was spot on… what do you do when the client doesn’t want educated?
What do you do if your client doesn’t want to be educated?
The really glib answer is to leave and get another job.
It’s something I’ve done and I know others have, too.
If the choice is to be a glorified shorthand typist knocking out posters or not pay the mortgage that’s not much of a choice.
Besides, there’s no point in heading for the door over a pretty minor disagreement.
But long term, you need to grow as a professional or else it all catches up with you.
Four levels of dealing with people
Very often the advice that you give is exactly that. It’s advice.
You can point out the open goal.
But if they really insist on kicking the corner flag instead, that’s up to them.
Level one: Try improving your advice
Come from the point of view that you’d like to help them deliver something.
More sign-ups?
More tickets sold?
More flu injections?
For this try asking two questions.
The first is simply ‘why?’
We need a press release.
Why?
Because the chief exec wants it.
Why?
Because he wants more hospital staff to get flu jabs.
Why?
Because we’ve a tough winter coming and having more people at their post would be a good idea.
It may not be a press release you are after. It sounds like a poster, reminders at staff meetings, something for managers to tell their team.
The other good prompt is to ask is ‘So that…?’
If your questions point to a good reason for something to have and an audience, that sounds like a route to take.
Level two: Seek advice
But good advice doesn’t always land.
If you are junior, ask the views of your manager or head of comms. If you are the head of comms there’s no harm in comparing notes with a fellow head of comms.
If you are being asked to break the law, talk to your union representative, HR and take a look at the whistleblowing policy.
Level three: Spell out your advice verbally
Explain your thinking face-to-face if you can or over the phone at a time when you are able. It’s easier to talk through something without an audience.
I’m struggling to think of a time when a row over email was solved by email. That said…
Level four: Spell your advice out in writing
Once you’ve articulated your ideas and they still say no, put it in writing. Politely. Just to re-inforce and formalise the advice. So if and when things blow up you can present it back to them.
Something like this maybe:
“In my respectful submission, my clear professional advice is that the suggested course of action is not effective, not the best use of money and would be exposed to justified criticism in the event of further scrutiny and FOI requests…”
Look for the chapter and verse
Maybe you need to step things up.
If the issue is political pressure in local government, you have the Government’s Recommended Code of Practice for Local Government Publicity here.
This is really clear on what you can and can’t do.
If you work for a public sector or third sector organisation you have an extra array of ammunition. It’s called the constitution. It’s the rules that govern every aspect of your behaviour and the organisation’s decision making.
In particular, if you are local government, it will set out the relationship between you giving professional advice to elected members. It’s really important to know this. You are likely from time-to-time to have the boundaries pushed either from ignorance or devilment.
You are politically impartial and you need to stay that way. Your constitution will set out how you do this.
If this is you, take 10 minutes to read yours. You may find a gem or two in it. The council I worked for included an expectation that professionals were to observe their profession’s code of conduct.
That’s gold.
This opens the door to the NUJ and CIPR codes.
CIPR Ethics Decision Making Tree is a flow chart to help you. You can find it here.
You can find the CIPR Code of Professional Conduct here.
1.1 maintain professional knowledge and competence through continuing professional development, to ensure they provide a professional, up to date and insightful service.
2.2 exhibit and role model professional and personal integrity and honesty at all times.
I don’t tend to blog about tech news as there’s already a whole pile of useful new sites that do that job well.
However, the exception is news from Mashable that could really change how people can connect with Facebook groups.
Facebook is trialing the ability for a page to join a group.
This is potentially huge as it gets over an obstacle where comms people have to use their own Facebook profile on behalf of the organisation to reach groups.
A quick recap: #1 Why Facebook groups are important
I’ve been banging a drum for Facebook groups for some time now.
The barriers that have stopped public sector people getting involved with pages are clear. Maybe comms people don’t want their personal profile to be exposed to criticism or abuse.
So…
A quick recap #3: Current ways around the barrier
There’s two current ways to connect with Facebook groups.
Use your own profile to join a group and contribute directly.
Use your own profile to send a private message to the group admin to introduce yourself and inquire if they’d share content for you.
There is a third. Create a work profile to connect with groups or admin directly. I’m strongly suggesting you don’t do that. It’s against Facebook’s terms and conditions. There’s a slightly messy undertone of fake news and spying, too.
What the changes mean
Firstly, it’s important to stress that these are a trial.
No, this won’t open the whole of Facebook’s wide ecosystem of groups to you. Group admin will have to change settings and then vet your application. Don’t expect to waltz in anywhere.
Yes, a page that joins a group can still be chucked out as if it was a member. So, don’t expect to be a fixture.
But if you are in, you’ll be able to post and comment in groups as the page rather than as yourself. This can give some credibility to your answers or your content. It’ll also re-assure people reluctant to use their own profile.
But you could be a grief magnet. Having a corporate page talking in a group rather than a person may attract more abuse. If you’re a real person the tendency is for there to be less abuse as people mind less shouting at a logo.
But you could unlock a big chunk of audience that you wouldn’t be reaching otherwise. The new Mum who doesn’t read the local paper or listen to the radio could be reached through the New Mum Facebook group she’s joined for support.
But you’ll have to change your mindset. This won’t be one-and-done comms. You will need to search Facebook for the right groups, build a relationship with the admin and maybe target a dozen groups for your targeted content. The New Mum Facebook group will want to hear new parent advice. It won’t want to hear about an exhibition of Old Stafford.
Yes, you’ll need to know about Facebook groups on your patch. A trawl through the towns, villages, estates and communities on your patch will surprise you. You won’t need to know all of them. But you will need to know the process of searching for the right community.
So, the answer is broadly good news for public sector comms people. But it’s also a bit messy. Just slightly less messy than it was before.
