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Video content is king

I’ll start by saying; this should be a Vlog, but, unlike hundreds of thousands of other people, I don’t like seeing myself on camera. Call me old-school – as opposed to some people: I really love cats.

I’ve been spurred on by the sheer number of videos we’ve been creating and intrigued by the announcement of Moby’s offer to provide his music royalty free (If you’re a NFP – jump on this offer).

So, I thought I’d ponder how more and more, we’re creating video to help us spread “the word”.

This is “word” that was once placed in a media release, splashed across collateral and blasted via email is coming to life.  And, whether it’s something to make you laugh on a Friday or enact change on a Tuesday, or simply showcase the work we do, it’s a great space to play in.

I received an email the other day about the power of stories. It made me think about one thing we’re very good at: telling a story. That’s in our nature as ex-arts and comms students, ex-journos and generally people who, at school, were bad at maths and good at English.

In 2010 alone, 700 billion YouTube videos were viewed. The 2010 Neilsen poll on Internet use tracked the amount of Australians who watched video content for September –more than three quarters of our population.  More current figures show that YouTube is the second most viewed social media platform (after Facebook) in Australia, with 10 million unique visitors – up 100,000 unique visitors from 2010.¹ It seems video content is king and it’s not just consumer brands that need to be there.

Newspaper mastheads are now broadcasters and broadcasters use print online bring black and white stories to life. It greatly changes the media landscape. This is something that we teach in media training; “if you have a  handheld recording device, you can report the news.” So, while we usually raise this as an issues management matter; it’s also a lesson of how, with the right tools, we can create integrated media pitches that extend a news story to different platforms.

It’s no new news, things are changing in the land of communication. And it’s fun keeping up.

I leave you with my favourite funny video. And three questions:

1. What’s your favourite video?
2. What do you find compelling, funny or interesting about it?
3. How can that formula be used to help share the story of your brand, organisation or cause?

The answer, may be in a phone call.

Reference 1: http://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics-australia-january-2011/

Social Media: Evolutionary or Revolutionary?

Social media is both an art and science (creative and/or practical). We can liken the life cycles of what are now “traditional” social media platforms to those of the fashion industry.  What was all the rage as little as five years (or even 12 months) ago, we have now turned against. MySpace suffered a protracted demise, as the younger, hipper social media user matured into the always on, always accessible, and increasingly professional user that we see today. But new ownership and purpose may yet re-invent MySpace in another, more effective way.

Will Facebook be the “jeans” of the internet and be just as timeless?  When a baby is named after “Facebook” in Egypt, it signifies revolutionary power.   Continual updates to the platform remind us of the importance of keeping our content and thinking fresh and relevant.  However, as rapid as evolution is, and as rapidly as the online ‘hotspot’ can shift, the user still remains fundamentally the same.

MySpace and MSN have been the infancy of social media, that period of early life where little is remembered, but much is learned. 

Now, with social media a powerful influence our consumer and belief preferences, the line between our online and offline personas fades.

Everybody must know by now why participation is important, but I like this infographic that puts some dollar flesh on the bones of that notion.