Changing channels
Ben Black gives his tips on how to use YouTube and video
There is more to social media than Twitter and Facebook. YouTube is simply the best place to learn new things and share videos. The chances are that the phone in your pocket can film better quality video than a TV camera from 20 years ago. If you’re comfortable sharing written updates or photos on social media you should try sharing a video. Videos play an important role in communicating your work to your colleagues and tenants. You don’t need expensive equipment or be an expert in video editing.
Welfare reform and YouTube
Welfare reform is a major issue in housing and let’s be honest it’s not the easiest to understand. The Department for Work and Pensions emails useful updates to read but YouTube can be a powerful way to explain the changes.
A great place to start is the Money Advice Service’s channel at www.youtube.com/user/MoneyAdviceService This government-funded site has short clips on topics like ‘How To Get Ready For Universal Credit’ and ‘Worried About Paying Your Rent?’. If you are communicating the changes to your staff you can use these videos as a free way to help staff understand what is happening.
The website is also a source of great content to share with tenants on social media. There are plenty of videos that talk about other welfare reform changes. Simply use YouTube like Google. Once you start searching it is easy to become addicted to finding new content to share.
Using YouTube in your organisation
If a photo says 1,000 words then a video must say 10,000 words. Your organisation will be providing services 24-hours a day. Think about how video could be used to show others about your services. You just need to find the right staff who want to get involved.
Get your workmates to make videos
During National Apprentice Week I asked one of our apprentices to record a short clip each day to show a typical week. He recorded
a great set of clips including fitting out a kitchen and being in college. This is the link to the video www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ryrsUw0lsVU. After a week it was just a case of a simple edit to put his footage from each day together. There are some great YouTube videos available on how to so easy edits on videos.
The Tower in Cwmbran is a landmark building and last year we fitted external wall insulation. One of our surveyors filmed a contractor at work on a gantry hanging off the side of this tall block. It gave residents an insight into something they could only look up at and wonder what was going on. This is the link to the video. Visit www.youtube.com/ watch?v=xiR6z0BkScA
You don’t have to be a newsreader to be on camera. It comes over as more authentic when your own staff are used on camera and it’s not too slick. Here are three tips to persuade them to appear in your videos.
1. Tell them it is a chance to show others what they do. Forget emailing people about what you’ve been doing. Don’t send a long report. You can say or show a lot in one minute of video. A colleague filmed his team pulling down a dangerous tree. He did this on his own mobile phone but I was able to share online and show people the skills of his talented team. The point is that in just 30 seconds the clip packs in everything you need. Visit www.youtube.com/ watch?v=3vuHZn10ets
2. ‘It’s something to show the grandkids’… ‘It’s a bit of fun’ etc. I’ve used these lines to persuade someone as at the end of the day it is a bit of fun and something to show your family. People like showing their friends and family what they do at work.
3. Reassure them they don’t have to be in the video. My colleague in The Tower clip came over as a natural but not all people will be as comfortable in front of the camera. This clip just shows the view from the new residents’ lounge at the top of Fairview Court in Pontypool. We used the camera to show people who have never been to the top of this building what the view is like. Visit www.youtube. com/watch?v=iS-lfbdvdzI
Getting the message across
Melin Homes has a YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/melinhomes. Mike Watkins, communications and marketing manager (@Melinmikey), says it enjoys using video on social media. He said: ‘Using YouTube helps us not only get our message across quickly, easily and cheaply, but also helps us build trust between us and our residents (viewers). It puts faces to a name and people really seem to like that. We often find that people engage with our tweets and posts more when there are videos and pictures on them. If they are quirky, fun or down to earth, they are more likely to get those all-important clicks.
‘Our recent video which had a cute dog in it was our most viewed to date and although the video was a bit of fun it had a serious message behind it which people related to. Getting staff and residents to take part in videos can be difficult, but building up a good relationship with them is key to putting them at ease in front of the lens. It’s not easy when you are faced with being the centre of attention but it’s made easier by knowing who’s behind the camera as they encourage and support you through to your debut on the big or little screen.’
Bambuser
You can actually broadcast live on the internet using a tablet or mobile phone. This is the sort of technology that would have been unheard of a few years ago. As long as you have a strong 3G or wifi connection you can use your Bambuser account to film. Sign up for your free account at bambuser.com/. It means you can involve people who can’t get to events by making it easy for them to see and hear what is happening. This is a tool I’m currently trying out on my personal blog to see how I can use it in work.
‘We’re only really scratching the surface at the moment’
United welsh has been using video to communicate with customers for a number of years and the response has been extremely positive. See www.youtube.com/ user/UnitedwelshtV for its channel.
Head of communications Greg England says: ‘Nowadays most people prefer to watch than read – there is an expectation from us all to be fed information quickly. The obvious benefits are that customers are able to put a face to an organisation and it can portray a more personal touch. Huge amounts of information can be communicated in a short space of time in a way that will be absorbed and digested. In addition it can help to overcome issues of literacy. YouTube offers the perfect stage to present these videos. The media channel provides storage, options to upload public and private files, and of course the ability to embed within a website.
‘Placing our tenant handbook on DVD and YouTube was a great success. Tenants have been more willing to watch a 20-minute video than trawl through a heavy “War & Peace” style folder. We’ve been able to showcase our projects to business partners and communicate human success stories around things like jobs & training and community projects. We’ve also started to use video within the business. Each year at our staff conference we create a film to celebrate our work. It’s a real pat on the back for staff and also gets individuals used to being in front of the camera. Undertaking this project has definitely made it easier to recruit volunteers for future videos. Our people can see the benefit and the impact that can be made. ‘We’re only really scratching the surface at the moment. Looking forward we’ll be investing heavily in video communication. Not necessary “slick” high quality films that cost the earth but more focus on story-telling and information provision. On a practical level that will involve in-house production and use of free on-line editing tools. The use of video and social media platforms such as YouTube is only going to grow within United Welsh. Our customers are heading in that direction so we need to be there before they arrive.’
Ben Black is communications and marketing manager at Bron afon community Housing @benblack