#SocialMediaWhatsTrending at BBC College of Journalism
Earlier this week I paid a visit to Media City in Salford, Manchester for the BBC’s College of Journalism event #SocialMediaWhatsTrending.
Media City is part of the regeneration of the Salford Quays area that has rapidly helped grow the media industry in the north of England. Significantly boosted by the presence of the BBC, ITV and the cultural additions of The Lowry and the Imperial War Museum North, Media City has an exciting atmosphere from the natural buzz that media production creates as well as from its contemporary architectural landscaping.
#SocialMediaWhatsTrending is an event for practitioners working in the content world and is run by the BBC Academy College of Journalism. From digital marketers, journalists and digital media producers, the BBC North hosted event consisted of a series of presentations and discussions from industry experts. The presenters shared their experiences in how to make the storytelling process interactive, how to leverage the social web for maximum reach and how to innovate and offer more value with social content.
At Parallax we use social media platforms for many of our clients as well as in our personal lives. From a content marketing and SEO perspective, social media has helped many of our campaigns go viral and gain real traction online and is becoming an important tool for our digital marketing clients.
#SocialMediaWhatsTrending brought together the big names in the media industry to talk about social media from a number of different angles. I’ve put together a breakdown of some key takeaways and insights from the event.
Takeaway #1 – Weave the Brand, Ravi Mathuru, Edelman Director Digital
Heavily involved with Red Bull’s Stratos Skydiver Felix Baumgartner PR stunt, Ravi now heads up digital at Edelman. Ravi discussed the importance of brands building relationships through two way conversations and how social media can be a platform to develop a brand identity. One of his key points was how successful companies weave the brand into the lives of their customers and target market. Constantly forced brand exposure does not sell the brand, but detailed insight of consumer behavior and clever creativity will win attention and exposure. The essence of the brand should be projected through the tone of voice and content promoted on social media channels and encompass what the brand represents.
Takeaway #2 – Cross Platform Social Content , Ben Cooper, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra Controller
During his keynote presentation Ben tackled some of the issues that radio faced across the board and also specifically for Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra. He also spoke of the change of lifestyle we have acquired through the growth of mobile technology and how the industry has responded to this.
Most interestingly was his reflection of mobile use that he refers to our ‘HD’ (head down) generation and the ‘Bed to Bed’ cycle of daily mobile interaction and how radio has responded to this.
BBC Radio 1’s listening figures had been declining over the past several years with the advent of mobile devices and advances of technology. The question was where were these hours being lost? How could content move with technology to keep an engaged audience? Was radio dying? Thankfully, today BBC Radio 1 is as strong as it has ever been – and this is due to the change in how we as consumers absorb their content.
We have become a population obsessed with visual content, from Vines to Instagram and from YouTube to LOLcats on Tumblr. Ben and his team considered their approach to how they produce content and where how the audience interact with the shows. By rigging up cameras in the studio and creating outstanding video content through YouTube, BBC Radio 1’s content has exploded online, reaching more viewers and larger audiences, filling the void that has seen traditional numbers decrease and reaching new audiences.
Here are some examples of the successful visual content that the Radio 1 team created over the past six months:
Ben also revealed that BBC Radio 1 are launching content through the BBC iPlayer shortly as they continue to create visual content to engage their audiences through social and shareable content.
Takeaway #3 – UGC, Chris Hamilton, BBC News Social Media Editor
Chris put a huge emphasis on user generated content (UGC) and how the BBC News social media team are looking to involve their audiences through it. Generating audience interest by encouraging them to submit content and help ‘make the news’ is becoming more and more important in modern communications, particularly as journalists can’t be everywhere at the right time. Chris’ caution around UGC credibility and authenticity was also raised by Guardian Witness UGC Community Coordinator Phillipa Law, who highlighted the importance of ensuring that the content is correct, owned by the user, and true to the news story. Engaging audiences through UGC and tackling big issues by encouraging engagement with stories will become more prominent as technology grows and more news organisations involve the public.
Takeaway #4 – Piggyback the second screen, James Cooper, The X Factor Senior Interactive Producer
This discussion focussed on ‘capturing the nation: the battle for the biggest audience’ which saw X Factor’s James Cooper, BBC’s Rob Francis (Continuing Drama Online Producer) and Channel 4’s Thom Gulseven (Made in Chelsea Senior Online Producer) debate social engagement for television.
Today over two thirds of tablet owners use their device while watching TV and interestingly, the discussion of social and the app created a side debate as the whether the TV itself had become the second screen rather than that of the primary focus.
James was quick to discuss how the second screen for television from an engagement angle was completely dependent on the type of the television show (think X Factor compared to a heavyweight drama where the viewer wants to fully immerse themselves). However, having created the ‘Fifth Judge’ App for this years X Factor James explained how the app had been a huge success which had grown the X Factor brand significantly. Allowing users to engage with questions on the judges’ remarks to live judging themselves through the app for each individual performance had been incredibly successful – the interactive team are already planning to crank it up a notch for 2014. Taking social engagement to the next level with be a fascinating area to watch as it allows more companies to involve and talk with their audience.
Many thanks to the BBC Academy and speakers for a fantastic insight and learning experience.
The BBC Academy website can be found here where you can keep up to speed with their journalism, production and technology courses and events around the UK.