Social Media 101: Incorporate Video and Increase Engagement (by Chris Syme, Chair, and New Media/Technology Committee members)

Social Media 101: Incorporate Video and Increase Engagement (by Chris Syme, Chair, and New Media/Technology Committee members)

main image (above) via videoblogmarketing.com

This article on using video is one in the continuing series of "Social Media 101" articles prepared for CoSIDA members by the CoSIDA New Media/Technology Committee which is chaired by Chris Syme. The other articles in the series:

Mar. 23, 2011: Social Media 101: The evolution of Twitter

Feb. 25, 2011: Social Media 101: Demystifying Facebook content for college athletic pages

Feb. 2, 2011: Creating collaborative social communications on campus: by Chris Syme (New Media/Technology Committee Chair)

Jan. 29, 2011: Social Media 101: Facebook Basics for Your Media Strategy: by Chris Syme (New Media/Technology Chair)

Nov. 17, 2010: Social Media 101, Part One: You need a PIE: by Chris Syme (New Media/Technology Committee Chair)

Sept. 28, 2010: Overcoming Twitter's fleeting influence with "paper.li": by Chris Syme (New Media/Technology Committee Chair)

Sept. 17, 2010: Geolocation Apps and Athletics: Making the Most of Your Brand: by Cassie Gage (University of Oklahoma)

Aug. 13, 2010: Nine things you need to know about mobile applications: by Dr. Bill Smith (University of Arkansas)

Aug. 4, 2010: Five easy steps to becoming an expert on YouTube: by Chris Syme (New Media/Technology Committee Chair)

July 15, 2010: PERSPECTIVE: Get Organized 101: by Cassie Gage (University of Oklahoma)


If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a video worth? Statistics are telling us that pictures and video are the top two engagement tools in social media today. And, with the price of video equipment and editing software coming down, most organizations can now afford to add this highly-touted medium to their online communications.

So, where do we start? In this ongoing Social Media 101 series, New Media/Technology Committee chair Chris Syme asked the committee members to weigh in on the subject. Here is what she found:

• 100% of the respondents are using video on their websites, social media or other online channels.
• 78% are doing some production in the communications department while 42% of the production is a collaboration with marketing.
• 14% outsource (paid) some of their video and 7% are using institution-produced video.
• 70% have a dedicated YouTube channel and everyone puts some video on their website as well.

Many schools are taking advantage of cross-channel promotions with video for higher fan engagement. Lisa Champagne at the University of Vermont said, "At Vermont we post our videos to our YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/uvmathletics). We also post it to our website, which has a sidebar on our front page as well as each sport page. The video is also posted on the all-access page on our website, our Facebook page, and we also tweet out the link to the video."

For those who post videos to YouTube, many use the embed codes (HTML) offered by YouTube to embed the videos rather than send people away from their websites. Website companies such as SIDEARM Sports also offer an embedded branded YouTube channel or a dedicated video player as part of their packages for a website home page or individual sport pages. SIDEARM's content management system provides the ability to upload any YouTube channel video to a separate sports page only, home page only, or selected pages.

When it comes to video editing and software, there are a number of different options. A handheld Kodak Zi8 or Flip (@$150) camera with embedded editing software was the choice of most for interviews and post game press conferences. A good review of the two side-by-side can be found on CNet at http://reviews.cnet.com/2722-6500_7-654.html.

Many offices have higher end video cameras such as the Canon GL-2 or similar models used for promotional spots or video streaming events. These cameras can run from $750-$5000 depending on their capabilities. For editing, the software of choice seems to be Final Cut Pro for Macs or Windows platforms like Sony Vegas or Windows Media Maker. Vegas, a Sony product, sells a "consumer" version of their higher end software for less than $100 and includes all the bells and whistles needed to do high quality video production on a Windows machine.

For video streaming and production, AJ Henderson of Georgia Southern recommends the highly portable NewTek TriCaster. "I like it because it is a compact system that doesn't require an external encoder from your mixing deck (because the computer is the mixer)," Henderson said. "The Big South provided each of their schools the equipment as a convenient way for fans to watch all their road conference games in football and basketball for one fee rather than having to buy different subscriptions at each opponent."

When asked about resources for learning, committee members had several pieces of advice.

"Talk to someone who does it and does it well," said Mary Beth Challoner of the University of Toronto. "Use students - this is their thing these days and many of them are already using software and creating videos, clips, highlight packages of their own. Take a quick crash course on editing software, or talk to your local media people. They are often full of knowledge and might be willing to give you some tips and or point you in the right direction."

The internet is an often-overlooked source of information on video production. Marcus Dittmer at Georgia Tech recommends online search for "how-to" articles and videos. "I would probably suggest start by using Google to search topics. Or, see if someone else on your campus has knowledge to share," he said. A quick search on YouTube under the term, "video production how-to" yielded over one million results.

When it comes to innovation, there is no shortage of creative uses of video out there. The following were some recommendations by the committee to give you a few ideas:

"We did an outtake video for men's soccer and called it "Having fun with the Hokies," said Anne Panella from Virginia Tech. "It's the last page of the document at this URL: http://www.hokiesports.com/msoccer/fanpage/."

Also recommended: University of Miami football introduction, Kansas football, Marquette's video production, Hofstra's coaches show (gohofstra.com), UTsports.tv (Tennessee), St. John's "Inside St. John's" online video guides produced by undergraduate and graduate students in the Athletic Communications Department.

Challoner remarked, "We stole North Carolina's idea of doing a football camp highlight package - a behind the scenes look at camp and the team getting ready for the season - it was a big hit. We also used it to promo tickets and a big game against the No. 2 team in the country - we did our own version of the Old Spice ad with one of our student-athletes."

The options for the use of video to promote your organization are as endless as your imagination. The equipment and products are available, and the learning curve is getting easier all the time.