September 2017

Why the future of Social is Video

When it comes to Social Media usage among young adults, the landscape is ever-changing, however one thing is clear, Social Media in all its forms has quickly become an integral part of student life.

Students are social by nature with their choice in communication platforms reflecting their desire to be part of a digital community.

When information on everything from club events to coursework is circulated online, it is no wonder that last year Facebook alone had a 90.2% reach among UK Millennials (Fillipo, 2016), after all FOMO is a real thing. With the majority of UK students falling within the Millennial age bracket it is now crucial that brands take advantage of this demographics’ infatuation with today’s online communities. But how do you capture the attention of such an active online market?

The answer lies in Video. A picture can paint a thousand words, but a video tells the whole story. As humans we prefer to gather and interpret information through sight, with studies showing how the use of visuals can improve comprehension, transmit messages faster and increase the likelihood of the information being retained in our long-term memory (Gutierrez, 2014). However, if imagery is queen, video is king.

We live in an era of storytelling with visualisation more important than ever before. The interactive elements found in video, used to depict messages and stories, enable us to accept and attach on a much deeper level. Video quite literally does it all. Its content is likely to engage us and generate emotions, with the ignition of emotion often responsible for the first real connection a consumer feels towards a brand, helping build brand trust and increasing brand loyalty.

In relation to the use of videos when targeting the student market, you must first understand the student mind. Although no two minds are the same, from a young age the mere mention of the word ‘video’ in a school was enough to excite any Millennial classroom, with this happy childhood memory still present in many of today’s current students.

Spending what can seem like an eternity of reading and researching, in addition to print ads being everywhere from buses to billboards, the last thing students want is more text, yet another advantage of where video comes into play. When taking what most students would argue is a much needed break (but in reality it’s just an attempt to delay that pending report), the inevitable call of Social Media is often too hard to resist. A welcome break from the bombardment of text, an emotive, relatable and well placed video ad can be the momentary escape a student needs, as a result leading to a positive association and increased engagement between the student consumer and brand.

With the introduction of 360 video, social live streaming and most recently Facebook stories, combined with Facebook’s year on year decline in text (Zillman, 2016), the future of social videos looks brighter than ever, with the ability to provide more immersive campaigns than ever before, think towards the future, think big, think video.

Want to know more? Get in touch with our team today!

References

Filippo, G. (2016). Facebook retains Social Media crown for UK Millennials. Available: https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Data-Mine/Facebook-retains-Social-Media-crown-for-UK-Millennials. Last accessed 30th Aug 2017.

Gutierrez, K. (2014). Studies Confirm the Power of Visuals in eLearning. Available: http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/350326/studies-confirm-the-power-of-visuals-in-elearning. Last accessed 31st Aug 2017.

Zillman, C. (2016). Why Facebook Could Be ‘All Video’ in 5 Years.Available: http://fortune.com/2016/06/14/facebook-video-live/. Last accessed 31st Aug 2017.

The rise of the student blogger

Influencer marketing may seem like a relatively new concept to many, however there is evidence that dates this approach back as early as the 1920’s.
When The American Tobacco company set out to challenge the common belief that smoking was for men, and men only, they enlisted the help of the female company secretary, recruiting her as the new face of the global brand.

After carrying out a series of publicity stunts that challenged the stereotype, promoted gender equality and supported the fight for equal rights, the brand successfully altered the perceptions of the time and ultimately changed the future of Tobacco smoking forever.

Since this expert demonstration of the impact harnessing the power of an influential individual can have, influencer marketing has only gone from strength to strength.
However, as the world has shifted online, so have its influencers.

Whereas previous generations looked to companies to inform their purchasing decisions, today’s consumers look towards their fellow consumers.
Although the kings and queens of Social Media still remain a popular go to for the latest news on what’s hot and what’s not, there is quickly becoming a new ‘it girl’ in town. Welcome the student blogger.

It may surprise you the number of students out there writing their own blogs, building their social followings and somehow still managing to study, but what exactly makes these student influencers so influential?

Often referred to as Micro influencers, these students tend to have smaller sets of audiences but more importantly, a higher level of engagement in comparison to the coveted Instagram guru (Hammond, 2017).
In addition to this, student bloggers have also secured a high level of authenticity and trust within their social following, after all students trust students.

Micro influencing particularly thrives within the student market due to the social nature of students. News of the latest restaurant openings and social hangout hotspots spreads like wildfire between these interconnected individuals, with each student blogger keen to be the first to discover the newest craze on campus.

As the always ‘broke’ student stereotype becomes a thing of the past, it is now time for brands to realise that students are more than willing to spend their money on the brands they love, but instead of seeking the less genuine ‘sold to’ approach adopted by many of the well-known social influencers, they are now on the lookout for the trusted recommendations of the always honest and relatable student blogger, seeing them quickly becoming the new gateway into the student market.

Want to know more? Get in touch with our team today!

Hammond, A. (2017). YOUR GUIDE TO USING STUDENTS AS INFLUENCERS [INFLUENCER MARKETING]. Available: http://www.campusmedia.co.uk/Blog/Your_Guide_To_Using_Students_As_Influencers. Last accessed 15th september 2017.