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OPTIMIZING THE CONTENT LIFE CYCLE IN THE AGE OF STREAMING

bsp-admin-1 on February 21, 2023

Several things hold organizations back from creating content, according to Lisa Gately, Principal Analyst at Forrester.

  • Siloed content
  • Lack of alignment on audience needs
  • Outdated manual processes or tools that don’t scale
  • Inability to see audience interactions across the full life cycle
  • Content management chaos

“These things are holding everybody back in this shift to a digital world,” said Gately during Brightcove’s PLAY Season 1. In her guest episode, she identifies the four major parts of the content life cycle and how to optimize them to overcome these hurdles.

CONTENT PLANNING

Content planning is a foundational part of the content life cycle and should be a defined, repeatable approach across the organization. Gately observed, “In reality, this is not happening for most teams.”

In Forrester’s 2022 State of B2B Content Survey, Gately noted that almost half the respondents said they don’t have a defined approach. “That leads to a lot of siloed, reactive, ad hoc planning. It means things happen on a first-come, first-served basis, or maybe a very reactive basis, that they decide what content to put out in front of an audience.”

Marketers should approach content knowing not just what to say to the market, but knowing how audiences search for their products. “What do they call things? What did they use when they talk about issues and topics?” said Gately. This process helps marketers become very precise in their content recommendations: adjusting the content mix, knowing about past content performance, and being intentional about where future investments in content are going.

Practically, this means looking across the organization through the lens of a shared content inventory. “Is there existing content you can use? Could you get there faster? Could you reuse, customize some of the content that you have? Or think about repurposing it for some of those audiences?” asked Gately.

CONTENT PRODUCTION

“This is really the area when most people think about content,” said Gately. However, content production is more than just making content; it’s about smoothing out workflows and processes. “You’re building content with others, and you need it to go more smoothly.”

Furthermore, content is created everywhere, “whether it’s your content team, different parts of the organization, or the relationships you have with agencies and vendors, partners—even your customers,” explained Gately. Therefore, establishing repeatable processes is key.

CONTENT PROMOTION

Creating content is exciting, but making sure it’s seen by the right people ensures the hard work is worthwhile. “Don’t leave content promotion to chance,” warned Gately. “We spend so much time thinking about the content we want to build, the creativity and expertise of creating the content, but we really need to focus on how it’s activated or promoted.”

To master this, Gately recommends that all marketers be prescriptive. “Think about this in terms of understanding your audience. It is knowing where they go for information, and what kinds of information they are looking for.”

The same applies for content for internal audiences as well. “When you make this content available to your internal audience, how are they going about getting this content? You want to make sure you tap into internal communications methods.”

Distribution is part of promotion too. Marketers should ask how certain content can be distributed easily for internal customer-facing stakeholders so that they can use it as quickly as possible.

“You want to make sure your analytics are right there. You want to notice who is using the content. And go back, take some extra effort. Notice how they set it up, how they customize it or serve it to the end audience,” explained Gately.

For both internal and external content, marketers need to make sure that they’re using tagging in metadata to best effect. “This is what helps you in noticing all those things from analytics.”

CONTENT OPERATIONS

Content operations constitute the final stage of the content life cycle. “This is really an area that stands up to a big word like ‘transformation,’” said Gately. And as businesses begin acting more like media companies, this is a skill that sets them up for success. “I’m not understating it,” Gately continued. “Most marketers tell us this is the one area across the content life cycle where they want to get better.”

Gately says this is good news: “When you think about the power of content operations, that involves understanding what content you have, your use of metadata, taxonomy, the content technologies and processes in your organization, how you measure things. All of that is what sets you up for success.”

Emphasizing metadata, Gately added, “Master the metadata and taxonomy. That really is the key to the kingdom. This will help teams get a handle on content, its value, and whether they’re hitting business objectives with it.”

From there, Gately recommended streamlining workflows to make better use of what content a company does have. “Start talking about and rewarding teams for doing that,” she advised. And of course, invest in content operations, specifically by designating some leaders or dedicating resources to this. “They are going to help you build the competencies to go farther and faster.”

BRINGING AN AUTHENTIC STORY TO LIFE ON VIDEO

bsp-admin-1 on February 13, 2023

Siân Heder’s second feature film shattered Oscar expectations in 2022. A story about a teenage girl’s search for independence as a child of deaf adults, “CODA” won Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

In an exclusive interview with Brightcove, Siân walked us through her process for telling stories and why you should never compromise when bringing an authentic story to life.

To Heder, great stories transport a viewer: “What makes a great story is something that takes you outside of yourself into someone else’s experience. And different stories speak to you at different points in your life as well.” As a filmmaker, what you produce is a marker of where you are at that particular moment in your life. And that might be different 10 years later, or five years later.

Film, cinema, and storytelling are incredible tools for empathy. When Heder evaluates stories, she looks for something that speaks to a bigger conversation about our own humanity. “Not just something that sucks me in and lets me feel what the character’s feeling, but also something that allows me to look at my own experience of the world and reflect on that in a different way.”

Alongside this evaluation is a search for catharsis. “There’s a cathartic element for me in storytelling. I think it’s a way of exploring different parts of myself and my own lived experience, and doing that through engaging with someone else’s experience of the world,” explained Heder.

Some stories don’t get told immediately. Sometimes creators have to wait, whether it’s due to financing, internal politics, or another limiting factor. “There were a lot of ways that I wanted to make ‘CODA’ that were very important to me,” said Heder. “Having deaf actors play those roles, using ASL onscreen in a big way, having a lot of silence in the film, having subtitles so that I could really let ASL exist on screen in these scenes. Sometimes, the way that you make a thing and the intention with which you make something is as important as what you are making.”

When faced with a challenging story, creators can approach it this way: “All of filmmaking is problem-solving,” said Heder. “People do things in movies all the time. You blow up a building. You figure out how you’re going to pull something off. For ‘CODA,’ we thought, how is our set going to work? How are we going to communicate? How am I going to call ‘action’ and ‘cut’ in a way that supports my actors? And these problems aren’t any different than what it would take to do a stunt on set.”

In the streaming era, the old rules of distribution need not apply. “It’s been beautiful for this movie in particular, because the pandemic forced Sundance to go virtual,” explained Heder. “At the time it felt heartbreaking. We weren’t going to be in person, and I wasn’t going to get to sit in a theater and have this premiere. Well, so many people saw ‘CODA’ at Sundance through streaming. The fisherman whose boat we used and his big Italian family in Gloucester, Massachusetts, my parents and their friends, people in the disability community who might not be able to go to Sundance and get around in the snow. So streaming just opened up the movie to so many more people who got to participate in it and see it.”

Learn more in our PLAY episode, “From Great Stories to Best Picture: A Conversation With Siân Heder.”

PROMOTING YOUR BRAND THROUGH VIDEO STORYTELLING

bsp-admin-1 on February 6, 2023

Storytelling has been a marketing buzzword ever since it first showed up as a LinkedIn skill in 2012. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of professional storytellers all competing for page one to tell you the exact same thing: your brand needs storytelling. Especially video storytelling.

Yes, we know. As the most trusted streaming technology company, we’ve worked with enough media companies to know that marketers have their work cut out for them. The content landscape isn’t getting any less saturated, and we can only tell marketers to bone up on their media company instincts so many times.

In other words, we don’t need another storyteller to tell us what we already know. We need a storyteller to tell us how to do brand storytelling on video (and how not to).

That’s why we spoke with former Google and HubSpot marketer, and “Unthinkable” author and showrunner, Jay Acunzo. During our first season of PLAY, he offered a number of practical tips on how to connect with audiences. Here, we dig a little deeper into how to apply those tips in a measurable way.

Learn more in Jay’s PLAY episode, “Re-Thinking Brand Storytelling to Grow Audience & Drive Measurable Results in the Streaming Era.”

WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MISTAKES YOU’VE SEEN IN VIDEO STORYTELLING?

First, I don’t think we do a good job keeping people hooked and interested in our stories.

Most of us have embraced the need to hook people right away in the opening moments. But then we think we’ve purchased their attention using a clever hook up front and this alone will “get them to the end.” This isn’t true. The real challenge becomes introducing moments of tension or questions on their minds throughout the experience. “I reached for my favorite coffee mug, with the five words that inspire me each morning.” Nothing happened in that “story,” but you want me to keep going, because you’re asking, “What are the five words?”

Simply changing how we communicate to raise anticipation each step of the way can grip people and get them to the end.

Second, I don’t think we allow our own personality quirks to shine through enough as brands.

The media already understands that the talent matters as much as the content. So they staff known names, or at least practiced hosts and communicators, to appear on camera. Over time, you get to know them as people; you connect to their emotions and quirks.

We already see this among smaller SaaS brands today. Their people appear on camera, on LinkedIn or Twitter, and on their podcasts as public personalities, even before they’ve reached any micro-fame.

We like to say “people don’t trust logos; they trust people.” But we haven’t extrapolated that out far enough. What if, instead of just creating content, we created creators?

HOW DO STORYTELLING MISTAKES AFFECT VIDEO PERFORMANCE?

Artifice kills the experience in video. Whether you’re trying to be something you’re not or failing to be who you really are, the audience can tell something is off.

Audio and video both do the same thing to the voices behind the content: they lay bare your true self. They’re “naked” mediums. There’s nowhere to hide. Your voice, face, inflection, and so forth will all immediately make clear whether or not someone trusts and likes you on camera.

It’s a craft to be mastered, and a unique one that’s unlike being charming or likable in person. When the camera rolls, you have to use “yourself” as a feature of the video—a performance element to self-produce and bring forth.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN BAD STORYTELLING IS RESPONSIBLE FOR POOR VIDEO PERFORMANCE?

Time spent.

Marketers love topline numbers like video views, but if people don’t actually watch the video or spend time with the brand, then none of our results follow. Reach is nice, but resonance is necessary. If you can’t earn trust, you can’t inspire action, and we need audience action to see results.

In this way, great marketing isn’t about who arrives; it’s about who stays. So your dropoff rates are one way to tell.

Additionally, video requires a time commitment for others to consume. If people finish the video but don’t take further action, that’s a sign the story wasn’t effective and failed to inspire them.

Good storytellers can grip us, but effective storytellers move us. If your audience spends time with you but doesn’t act, then the content needs work. Even if the dropoff rate looks strong.

HOW DO YOU AVOID POOR VIDEO PERFORMANCE WITH NEW AUDIENCES—WHEN YOU KNOW LITTLE ABOUT WHAT MOVES THEM?

Chances are, when something underperforms, it’s not necessarily because we don’t know our audiences. It’s because we’re trying to remove ourselves and create something our brand wants from us. This is a literal impossibility.

Creative work necessarily flows through its creators. You can’t separate your own subjective experience of the world from the work. You’re not a bot (which, by the way, also requires inputs to create outputs).

So go back to the piece. Would you genuinely love this if you weren’t paid by your organization? Really? Can you create something for a “stadium of you” instead of a marketing persona?

The most resonant, most beloved, most successful creators understand it always starts with a simple truth: we have to make the things we wish existed in the world.

WHAT ARE THE SIMPLEST THINGS BRANDS CAN DO DIFFERENTLY THAT WILL HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT?

First, we need to embrace that “simple” doesn’t mean “easy.” If you’re looking for the easy path, you’re on the path walked by everyone before you and everyone right now. You can’t have a big impact doing it that way.

We as brands don’t have a clue what we believe about our topics. We simply create content about those topics, just like our competitors. So we become commodities. The source of a commodity doesn’t matter much; you can get it anywhere. Wheat is wheat. Iron is iron. How-tos to grow your social following are how-tos to grow your social following.

It’s all the same.

What we need to do is answer this question: “What is something we believe about our sector or audience which our competitors would freely admit they do not?”

For example, I think a podcast is for holding attention, not net-new reach. I have competitors who also make shows for brands and believe a podcast is wonderful for awareness. I firmly disagree. They can look at my work and admit, “Jay believes something we don’t.” That allows me to win better clients and create useful friction that repels bad leads.

To be clear, beliefs can’t be things that sound comparative, like “This should be simpler than it normally is.” Of course competitors would agree with that. “X that doesn’t suck” is terrible positioning for your brand. If your beliefs end with the suffix “-er,” they aren’t really beliefs.

YOUR DIGITAL MINDSET: THRIVING IN THE AGE OF DATA, ALGORITHMS, AND AI

bsp-admin-1 on February 1, 2023

The digital revolution continues to transform life all around us. The workplace, our industries, and the way we connect and interact with our colleagues have all been reshaped in ways we never imagined.

Tsedal Neeley, a faculty member at the Harvard Business School, appeared on Brightcove’s PLAY Season 1 with her unique insights on all of this change and how embracing a digital mindset is the key for success.

Neeley is the author of “Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere” and co-author of “The Digital Mindset, What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI.”

WHAT IS A DIGITAL MINDSET?

“A digital mindset is our attitudes and behaviors that have to be connected along with data, technology, algorithms, in order to think of new possibilities for the future,” explains Neeley. She adds that when we talk about “digital,” we should really be thinking about the “intersection of data, technology, and algorithms.”

The innovation in these areas is creating exponential change, and that in turn fuels our digital mindset, letting us see more possibilities than ever before. The news gets even better: We don’t need to be experts to fully leverage these innovations to serve our customers and grow our business.

THE 30% RULE

“The 30% rule is actually one of the most liberating things that we’ve discovered,” Neeley tells us. “Because we don’t need to be experts. We don’t need to be data scientists or computer scientists in order to have the baseline threshold to operate in a digital environment. All we need is 30% fluency.”

So, to further develop your digital mindset, it’s important to have a base level of understanding in three key areas.

COLLABORATION

Unlike the world before COVID-19, we can’t count on coworkers being just down the hall or ready to meet us in an office if we grab the next flight. This lack of one-on-one, in-person contact can feel like a problem.

But Neeley sees it differently. “The good news is that this is an area that’s well known and well developed. And if you select the right digital tools to engage people in the right ways, you can actually be very successful.”

Along with human interaction, collaboration with machines such as AI chatbots is becoming increasingly popular. Again, Neeley emphasizes that understanding the basics will help you thrive.

“When we treat machines like humans, when we try to add all sorts of nuances and salutations, it slows things down. It’s really important to understand what it means to be precise and narrow in our instructions and engagement with machines.”

COMPUTATION

How much do you need to think about data? Do you need to learn how to code?

“If you don’t have any kind of background with coding and technical skills, even a short course in Python can help,” says Neeley. “It will give you the exposure for the kind of literacy that’s important to ask the right questions and to make the right decisions.”

What’s more, with the growing number of digital natives in our society, we can easily collaborate with this fluent generation to move forward with a better understanding of algorithms, data, and AI.

A mindset that is more open to data, instead of shying away from the complexities of it, paves the way for better, more creative solutions to many challenges that we face.

This applies across the entire spectrum of the digital world, from eliminating inherent biases in technology to highlighting basic steps that can prevent data theft and security issues.

CHANGE

Tsedal Neeley gets right to the point: “Change has to become a core competency for all of us.” Her entire focus on developing a digital mindset demonstrates that our minds must always be in motion—thinking, challenging, creating, and above all, experimenting.

“The idea of experimentation is also the idea of trying things, learning, growing, and having this embedded in all of our departments,” she says. “It must be present in all of our units, in all of our domains.”

In fact, recent research suggests that organizations creating a healthy culture of digital experimentation grow at least eight times faster than global GDP. Once again, a digital mindset makes this possible, creating possibilities and removing roadblocks so that the best and brightest ideas can rise to the top.

THE FUTURE OF THE DIGITAL MINDSET

Tsedal Neeley sums it up well: “People often ask, will machines replace us? My conclusion is that machines will not replace us. Humans with a digital mindset will replace humans without a digital mindset.”

As the digital revolution continues to evolve, Brightcove will be here with best-in-class streaming technology to further your digital strategies as you expand your mindset and thrive.

INTERNAL COMMS CHANNELS: THE CASE FOR ENTERPRISE AUDIO

bsp-admin-1 on January 30, 2023

Over the past few years, we’ve all witnessed how the employee experience has become a leading topic of discussion in organizations across the globe.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, companies offered creative accommodations to keep employees engaged while attempting to extend the employee experience into a remote world. Just as those efforts seemed to take hold, “The Great Resignation” began. Employers felt even more pressure to understand what employees wanted and how to best deliver it.

Oftentimes, there remains a disconnect between what employers think their employees want and what they actually want. In fact, in a previous survey we conducted, only 1 in 4 of non-executives described the experience they have with their organization as “excellent.”

There are a lot of factors that go into how employees view the overall experience, but there are two key areas that stand out:

  • The role and effectiveness of internal communications
  • Understanding the needs and desires of employees and offering flexible options based on them

The most effective employee experience initiatives understand that these two are inevitably intertwined.

Internal communication is designed to help facilitate the flow and transfer of information across the organization—between offices, departments, and individuals. When it comes to the employee experience, internal comms should seek to create and communicate shared goals and values and reinforce the culture. It helps employees better understand the broader organization and their role in it.

Depending on the company and circumstances, internal communications can be spread verbally, on the intranet, or through email, video, or other methods. In addition to these standard forms of internal communications, many companies are now offering various forms of communication in an audio format. In some cases, these are communications specifically created for audio; in others, they could be videos converted into audio format.

WHY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER AUDIO FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS?

While the benefits of video for internal communications are clear, adding audio as an alternative format provides another layer of flexibility that many employees would welcome. Audio could be a flexible option for many types of communications:

  • Company news
  • Internal reports
  • Product updates
  • Onboarding materials
  • Training materials

The possibilities are endless.

But do employees want audio as an option? If consumer habits are any indication, the answer is a ubiquitous yes. As Nielsen reports, radio still has the highest reach of any device among American adults (93%). Add the unduplicated audiences of streaming music, podcasting, and satellite radio, and audio’s reach rises to 99%. The convenience it provides as an option for users to consume content as they go about their day is simply unmatched.

Beyond consumer habits, there are also practical reasons to turn to audio as an effective form of internal communication.

  • Reduces screen time. With the average adult spending up to 17 hours a day staring at screens, audio provides a much needed break and helps relieve digital eye strain. This is especially relevant for long reports or presentations and is particularly helpful to employees with remote or hybrid work arrangements.
  • Allows for multitasking. The truth is that not all content demands full attention. One of the biggest benefits that audio provides is the opportunity to multitask. For repetitive tasks like stuffing envelopes, or physical tasks like setting up in-person events, audio allows us to maximize the value of our time. For field sales reps, executives who regularly travel, or those with a particularly long daily commute, audio is also a convenient mobile format. Furthermore, it gives employees the power to build their own workday that fits their particular style and preference. For example, an employee could listen to updates on demand instead of attending a meeting at a specific time.
  • Provides accessibility. Employees have different learning styles, and some absorb information much better in an audio format. Furthermore, audio gives visually impaired employees better access to key company information. It can also provide employees with neurodivergencies like dyslexia or ADHD a comfortable alternative to consuming long-form written content.

GETTING STARTED WITH ENTERPRISE AUDIO

Getting started with audio doesn’t have to be a massive new endeavor, nor do you need to build a new state-of-the-art podcasting studio. In fact, Brightcove customers already have access to all the tools they need to build an easy-to-use and easy-to-manage audio library for internal comms.

EASILY CREATE AUDIO FROM EXISTING CONTENT

As more and more companies embrace video for internal communications, repurposing existing video content is the easiest way to begin building an audio library. However, stripping audio tracks is cumbersome, plus it can create version control issues as content gets updated.

Instead of letting an audio strategy create more work, you can let Brightcove’s Audio Only player do the work for you. Just change the player type to “audio” and it automatically encodes the video to audio without any additional software needed. Now any video in your Brightcove media library can become a convenient audio asset by simply changing the player.

Also, the original file remains unchanged, so you can have the same asset output as video in one player and as audio in another. This means when an asset becomes outdated, changing the source file will update the asset across all players. No new copies, no new versions. You can manage your audio library while you manage your video library, all from the same platform.

ORGANIZE AUDIO FOR EASY CONSUMPTION

Once you have a library of audio assets, your employees will need a way to easily find the ones they want. Posting links in Slack channels or embedding players on your company intranet is one solution, but adding audio doesn’t have to create a new workflow.

Brightcove customers using the Audio Only player can not only repurpose video content, they can repurpose video tags to create playlists. For example, Brightcove’s Smart Playlists can auto-generate a Product Demo playlist based on all videos tagged “product demo.” These playlists are dynamic, so new videos with the corresponding tags will automatically be added. It’s an audio library that maintains itself.

Beyond tags, you can also create a Smart Playlist based on other parameters, like dates. In fact, Smart Playlists can automatically organize the order of the audio tracks with the newest content always showing up first.

With your audio library organized into playlists, you can house them in a unique experience designed specifically for employees through Brightcove Gallery’s preset templates. They can either be standalone portals or in-page experiences built into your employee site.

USE ANALYTICS TO UNDERSTAND AUDIO PERFORMANCE

Like any new initiative, you’ll want to be able to gauge adoption and usage of your audio efforts. And just as we’ve outlined the benefits of using analytics to improve the employee experience, the same applies for your new audio assets.

By using Brightcove’s Audio Only player, you’ll have access to the same analytics for audio that our customers are already using to increase their video performance. So not only will you be able to tell if employees are listening, you’ll get a better understanding of what topics they’re listening to most and least often.

These analytics will also be a powerful tool to help validate your audio initiatives. Simply compare the performance of the same content in video or audio to determine which format your employees prefer for different types of content.

CREATING A BETTER EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE WITH BRIGHTCOVE

Using audio can be an effective way to close the disconnect between employees’ expectations and their experience by offering flexibility to your internal communications. With Brightcove’s Audio Only player, Smart Playlists, and Gallery, you’ll easily be able to create and maintain enterprise audio solutions. Whether you’re converting text, replacing meetings, or offering an alternative to video, you’ll have a valuable tool to efficiently add to your organization’s internal comms initiatives.

SOLVING FOR PERSONALIZATION AND PRIVACY WITH VIDEO STREAMING

bsp-admin-1 on January 23, 2023

By now most marketers understand the role personalization plays in building deep relationships with their audiences. Customers have come to expect a personalized experience from first interaction through post-sale loyalty efforts. They not only expect you to know them, but also to take that knowledge and deliver to them the content, products, and experiences they want.

Whether B2B or B2C, your customers and prospects want to feel as if your products, services, and messages are speaking directly to them, one-to-one. They want to do business with companies that understand their problems, challenges, desires, and needs.

But as marketers, we’re now caught in the consumer data privacy Catch-22. Seventy-one percent (71%) of consumers demand personalization, yet 86% have a growing concern about their data privacy.

This has required companies to adopt tools, policies, and practices that enable them to create an effective balance to solve this dilemma. These companies are able to provide the personalization their audiences demand, while also recognizing their responsibility to respect consumer privacy and keep their data safe.

And that seems to be the balance consumers want. According to Segment, 7 out of 10 consumers are comfortable with personalization, as long as brands are using their own first-party data and using it responsibly.

A CHANGING REGULATORY AND TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE

In addition to consumer concerns, a number of regulations and technologies are making it harder to get the data needed to provide a personalized experience. Some of the more well known examples include:

Despite all these privacy tools and regulations, companies are still expected to provide the personalized experiences that make them competitive in the digital age. Fortunately, marketers are overcoming these challenges by better understanding video analytics and applying content consumption behaviors to segmentation. Once integrated with other martech tools, they’re able to deliver the one-to-one personalization expected while respecting their viewers’ privacy.

WHAT DATA DO YOU NEED FOR PERSONALIZATION?

Third-party data may be in decline, but marketers can still access three primary categories of first-party data.

  • Customer data. This is data on how your customers engage with your brand and products. It’s collected by your CRM (customer relationship management software). Examples include:
    • Purchase history
    • Time on file
    • Lifetime value to date
  • Marketing data. This is data on how your customers interact with your marketing communications. It’s collected by your MAP (marketing automation platform). Examples include:
    • Marketing journey stage
    • Channel engagement (social likes, email click-throughs, etc.)
    • Number of touchpoints to purchase
  • Content data. This is data on how your customers consume your content. It’s collected by your CMS (content management system) and—if you have one—your OVP (online video platform). Examples include:
    • PDF downloads
    • Webpage scroll depth
    • Video views

Personalization is possible with any of these data categories. But the rule with personalization is the more data you use, the more personalized you can get.

Customer and marketing data can answer the “who” and the “how,” but only content data can answer the “what.” And nothing answers that question better than video. Compared to all other content formats, only video offers three levels of consumption behavior:

  • Interest. Every viewer that lands on the page or post hosting your video demonstrates interest, which you can measure with impressions. Most content formats, including ebooks and blogs, can also provide this behavioral insight.
  • Intent. Every viewer that presses play on your video demonstrates intent, which you can measure by the play rate (total views divided by total impressions). Only content formats like ebooks, requiring an additional action like downloading, can also provide this kind of insight.
  • Engagement. Every viewer that watches any length of your video demonstrates engagement, which you can measure by the engagement or retention rate (average percentage of the video watched). No other content format provides this insight as accurately as video. Advanced features like viewability can even track whether the viewer has scrolled past your video or clicked away to another browser window or tab.

By measuring impressions, play rate, and engagement (not just video views), you have all the content data you need to begin building a one-to-one personalization strategy.

HOW DO YOU USE DATA TO PERSONALIZE CONTENT?

Data-driven personalization is built on audience segmentation. According to Investopedia, segmentation refers to aggregating prospective buyers into groups or segments with common needs and who respond similarly to a marketing action.

Without segmenting based on any data, you’re not personalizing at all. You have one list of customers, and they get all of your marketing communications. By segmenting based on different data, your personalization can increase to one-to-many, one-to-few, even one-to-one. You can have multiple segments of customers, each with their own communication plan.

However, not all segmentations are created equal, and different methods provide access to different categories of data. By breaking down segmentation into three main methods, we can see what kind of personalization is possible and the tools needed to accomplish it.Segmentation Methods

MANUAL SEGMENTATION

The most basic segmentation is manually created lists based on customer data in your CRM, such as purchase history, time on file, or lifetime value to date. There are no other tools needed; all you need is access to your CRM.

Customer data allows you to do things like segment customers by what products they bought so you can promote similar products. Compared to promoting all of your products to all of your customers (one-to-all), this is significantly more personalized (one-to-many).

The challenge is that manual segments are time-consuming to pull, especially if you have a lot of them. They also need to be updated every time your customer data changes, such as gaining or losing customers.

AUTOMATED SEGMENTATION

Another method of segmentation comes by integrating your CRM with your MAP, allowing you to automate the list-building process. Not only does it save time, it adds marketing data points from your MAP like marketing journey stage, channel engagement, and number of touchpoints to purchase.

With marketing data, you can do things like segment customers by what channels they engage with the most. And because your customer and marketing data are connected, you can create customer content with the products they like on the channels they like. Compared to just using customer data (one-to-many), this is even more personalized (one-to-few).

The challenge with automated segments, as well as manual ones, is you’re not creating content based on content data. Buying a certain product doesn’t mean you want to watch a video about it, nor does engaging with a certain channel mean you want to click through to an article. These data points are important, but they don’t tell the whole—or even the most important part—of the story.

ADVANCED SEGMENTATION

Like automated, advanced segmentation requires an integrated CRM and MAP but adds the additional integration of your OVP. It’s the path to true personalization because it connects your customer and marketing data with your content data.

Adding content data means you can segment customers by what content each one consumes and how they prefer to receive that content. Using all three categories of data, you can achieve every marketer’s dream: one-to-one personalization.

The challenge with advanced segmentation is, with all this data, how do you apply it to your marketing strategy? Discovering the content preferences for each customer is valuable information, but you can’t scale individual communications.

IS ONE-TO-ONE PERSONALIZATION ACTIONABLE?

To make one-to-one personalization actionable at scale, you need another ingredient beyond data: insights.

Most marketing solutions offer plenty of data, but only Brightcove has Audience Insights, the leading customer data platform (CDP) specifically designed for video. Audience Insights offers several meaningful metrics that can help you achieve one-to-one personalization through realistic segmentation.

  • Engagement Status. Just like MAPs allow you to track click rates and frequency, Engagement Status lets you track viewing rates and frequency. It’s a spot check on consumption behavior and can indicate viewers primed to buy and viewers at risk of disengaging.
  • Attention Index. Whereas video engagement averages completion rates, Attention Index subtracts bottom engagement from top engagement—ignoring the middle. The result is a better indication of how much someone will love a video, rather than letting passive viewers influence the results.
  • Entertainment Index. This is the Attention Index but for individual viewers, allowing you to see what does or doesn’t engage them. Combined with Engagement Status, the Entertainment Index can track viewers as they get closer to buying or disengaging.

With these metrics, you can create segments based on the content your audience loves.

For example, with Audience Insights, you can find a shared audience that has a similar Attention Index for the same videos. Better, you can see other types of videos the shared audience watched and compare their Attention Indices.

So not only can Audience Insights create segments based on what your customers already love, it can predict what else they’ll love.

The whole point of personalization is to provide the content your customers want without relying on third-party data appends that violate their privacy. While most segmentations are a step in the right direction, analyzing the results is a tedious and iterative process. Audience Insights automates the analysis, allowing you to focus on creating the best content, not figuring out what that content is.

USING VIDEO TO PERSONALIZE CUSTOMER ACQUISITION

Personalization doesn’t have to wait till your customers are on file. Third-party platforms, like Google and social media, allow you to build lookalike campaigns by uploading lists of your customers’ contact information. Those platforms then match your list with other users that share similar attributes, allowing you to serve them ads for your products.

While lookalike campaigns can improve customer acquisition, they can’t be truly personalized without the predictive power of Audience Insights. Like CRMs and MAPs, Audience Insights can also export lists based on customer, marketing, and content data. With powerful insights like Engagement Score and Attention Index, you can create an accurate list of potential new customers while respecting their privacy.

COMMITTING TO PERSONALIZATION AND PRIVACY

Setting up your marketing stack for personalization can seem complex, but it’s mostly taking many of the activities you’re already doing and integrating them. Sure, you can capture tons of data and integrate your CRM with your MAP. But achieving the true personalization consumers desire happens when you’ve integrated your video platform and leveraged a customer data platform.

Marketers can expect the tools and regulations around data privacy to continue to increase. Yet they’ll still be tasked with providing their audiences with personalized content, communications, and experiences they demand. Combining the right technology with the right strategy, you’ll be able to offer the personalization they want and the respect for their data privacy they deserve.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE VIDEO COMMUNICATION

bsp-admin-1 on January 19, 2023

As working from home becomes commonplace for many of us, good video communication will only become more important. And visual cues are the key to creating helpful, entertaining videos.

Most people don’t realize that we’re constantly sending each other social signals or cues. We’re doing this with our body language, facial expressions, gestures, posture, and voice. We’re sending these cues every day, and they change how others perceive us and how we perceive ourselves.

Understanding cues is imperative for video communication, but getting started with them doesn’t have to be intimidating. In fact, there are several things to keep in mind as you become more aware of your video presence and perception.

CUES AFFECT VIDEO ENGAGEMENT

There are five cues that can help increase video engagement.

  • Make sure you’re 18 inches to 3 feet away from the camera. Ideally, you should be showing some of your torso and upper body, not just your face.
  • Show your hands in the first second or two with a wave “hello.”
  • Occasionally make eye contact with the camera—and don’t just watch your face on screen.
  • Use dynamic hand gestures as you speak.
  • When others are speaking, use a head tilt or slow triple nod to show you are listening.

There are also three negative cues to avoid.

  • Getting too close to the camera.
  • Angling away from the camera. Make sure your body is right in line with it.
  • Pursing your lips. When you press your lips together, it looks like you’re withholding from the conversation.

CUES APPLY TO ALL VIDEOS

All videos benefit from cues, but how and when you use them is key. If you want someone to take action, cues are especially important. The goal is to be purposeful.

For crisis communication videos, you should showcase trust and warmth upfront, but also competence when discussing possible solutions. Similarly, a marketing video might have more warmth and trust if it is a first impression video.

CUES REQUIRE CHARISMA

It’s incredibly difficult for our brains to pay attention in person. On video, it’s even harder. But the more charismatic you are, the easier it is for people to listen, feel connected, and remember what you have to say.

Charisma takes the friction out of video and makes everything smoother. It removes awkwardness, making conversation easier and helping with sales and engagement. Viewers like to buy from, talk to, and be with people who are charismatic, especially when someone can give this to us on video.

EVERYONE CAN LEARN CUES

Extroverts often have an easier time trying cues that are out of their comfort zone, while introverts might need some convincing. That’s fine. Practice new cues at your own pace. Introverts should start using new cues in low-pressure environments. Never start using new cues for the first time in a big pitch or meeting.

VIDEO IS SHAPING SOCIAL CUES

As communications goes more digital, our social cues are likely to change with it. We might work with people for years without ever having met them in person. This means we have to be able to create strong bonds over video alone.

We are also consuming much more information over video, making everything from medical decisions to purchase decisions to romantic decisions through video communication. In this way, we have to know how to show up as our best selves in video every time.

Intimacy cues, like physical closeness, touch, and warmth nonverbals, will also likely be only for the people we’re close with. Shaking hands used to be the norm, but now we might reserve touch for people we truly trust and would be OK catching germs from.

[Learn more in our PLAY episode, “Cues: Small Signals, Incredible Impact.”](https://playtv.brightcove.com/watch/player/28257/stream?assetType=movies&playlist_id=186 “Stream “Cues” on PlayTV”)

INDUSTRY EXPERTS SPEAK ON 2023’S ONE-TO-ONE MEDIA LANDSCAPE

bsp-admin-1 on January 9, 2023

During the first season of our streaming series, PLAY, we had the opportunity to hear from some of the top minds in the media industry. From new monetization models to the future of sports bundles, these experts offered several insights that can help you prepare for the next generation of streaming.

MORE MEDIA COMPANIES ARE OFFERING AD-SUPPORTED MODELS

In December 2022, Disney+ launched an ad-supported streaming tier as a way to drive new subscriptions at a cheaper price point. The move follows Netflix’s own ad-supported tiers, which offer advertisers access to a coveted audience.

According to Rich Greenfield, General Partner at LightShed Ventures, more consumers may be open to advertising within streaming environments due to tighter household spending. This behavioral shift could give advertisers broader access to OTT audiences that were previously unreachable.

“Increasingly, the best, most compelling content is only on streaming,” says Greenfield. “I’m more than willing to pay to not have advertising in my content. But two-thirds of people with Hulu seem OK with ads in their content. The lower price seems like a reasonable value trade-off for some people.”

As for how streaming ads will differ from linear, Greenfield predicts fewer ad spots as these media strategies need to be integrated across different channels. From streaming and websites to social channels like TikTok, the future will emphasize consumer choice and flexibility.

Learn more in our PLAY episode, “What’s New and What’s Coming in Streaming.”

THE FAST LANDSCAPE IS BEGINNING TO MATURE

Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) is reaching an inflection point as consumers become more aware of their options.

“Content providers have recognized the opportunity,” says Colin Dixon, Founder and Chief Analyst of nScreenMedia. “In early 2022, only 10% of TV time overall was spent on free, ad-supported channels. By the end of the year, that number had increased to 22%.”

Viewers are spending more than a fifth of their time watching FAST channels today, but platforms make it difficult to discover them.

“They’re typically not included in searches in the platforms, which is ridiculous,” Dixon says. “There is literally no limit to the number of channels you have. The only problem is finding them.”

When audiences can find the right content on the right channel, they’re willing to return to the channels they like, just like traditional TV. For Will Richmond, Editor and Publisher of VideoNuze, this is the exciting thing about FAST. Not only does it allow content owners to monetize in a way that is familiar to viewers, it offers the same lean-back experience as traditional TV.

FAST also presents an opportunity for specialized “thematic” channels (such as cooking or true crime) according to Ed Barton, Research Director at Caretta Research. By experimenting with content packages tailor-made for specific audiences, media companies can offer new experiences that engage viewers and invite interest from advertisers.

As paid service growth plateaus, there is a lot of interest in FAST for smaller, niche audiences. The key will be driving viewers to new FAST channels directly from the various digital spaces they frequent so they’re not difficult to find.

Learn more in our PLAY episode, “Media Trends and Insights with Industry Analysts.”

PERFORMANCE MARKETING IS LOWERING CUSTOMER ACQUISITION COSTS

According to Tedd Cittadine, VP of Content Partnerships at Roku, we’ve entered a new generation of streaming.

With 63 million accounts, Roku sees hundreds of millions of people interacting with its platform every day across streaming services. Cittadine points to the launch of Disney+ as a watershed moment: “Launching a streaming service turned out to be a tough business unless your name is Disney, with that sort of catalog.”

Disney+ defined the era of direct-to-consumer streaming, and media companies realized the importance of reaching viewers with advertising for the channel itself. The key is for media companies to invest in performance marketing that can drive more subscriptions to their streaming services.

Roku works with media partners to determine how much they want to spend, using Roku’s performance-based marketing tools. “They can look at their subscriber acquisition costs relative to their total lifetime value,” Cittadine explains. “And we can demonstrate that you can acquire a user for this, and their lifetime value is that, and that is a very profitable way for them to invest.”

At a time when consumers have more ways and more programs to stream, media companies have started strategically thinking about what makes viewers subscribe and stay subscribed.

Learn more in our PLAY episode, “One-on-One with Roku’s Tedd Cittadine.”

THE CREATOR ECONOMY IS GOING OMNICHANNEL

In the creator economy, the content is often secondary to the creator. Fans discover the creator on specific channels, but from there, they’ll follow the creator rather than the channel.

As Rich Greenfield of LightShed Ventures points out, viewers watch YouTube videos based on who made them, not just the topic. YouTube creators are incentivized to make more videos that get more views and more subscribers, because YouTube offers a profit model that really works. Consequently, creators have a much more direct relationship with the audience, and younger viewers are attracted to that one-on-one experience.

“They’re there for the creators,” Greenfield explains.

The creator model offers a new twist on traditional media, especially as creators expand beyond one primary platform to nurture and grow fan bases. Fans will follow creators, as Mr. Beast demonstrated when over 10,000 people lined up for the grand opening of his restaurant, MrBeast Burger.

Creator models also offer opportunities for media companies to leverage existing creator fan bases. For example, TikTok’s most famous creator, Charli D’Amelio, went from making dance videos to starring in films and a reality TV series on Hulu.

“There are so many different ways to monetize a passionate audience,” Greenfield explains. As they move off the initial platform, creators and companies need to nurture that passion across channels to drive new revenue opportunities.

Learn more in our PLAY episode, “What’s New and What’s Coming in Streaming.”

SPORTS IS GOING DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER

The philosophy that drives the creator economy can be applied to sports, too. “Sports fans just want to connect more deeply with their teams,” says Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. They want a streaming experience that allows more interaction during games and new ways to engage with the teams and players they follow.

However, there are more parties involved in driving those connections, and sports is the category that has benefited from pay-TV in a big way. For example, media rights for the NFL are valued at more than $11 billion, with Amazon paying $1 billion a year alongside ViacomCBS, Fox, Comcast ($2 billion), and Disney ($2.7 billion). Access to sports streaming, exclusive or otherwise, has a high price point.

As Will Richmond of VideoNuze puts it, sports streaming is a “brave new world.” Every innovation will need to take into account players, club owners, rights owners, team owners, coaches, networks, content providers, sponsors, and more. This likely won’t lead to many sports-first streaming services, but it could generate new interest in fan behavior. Understanding when they stream sports, the journey they take before, during, and after the game, and off-season media consumption could present untapped opportunities.

Could there be a FAST channel for FIFA in the future that shows old games? Or a streaming provider that works to build out NFL highlights or Super Bowl rewatch experiences? It all comes down to what fans will be willing to watch and, in many cases, purchase. Ed Barton of Caretta Research says that everything starts with streaming data.

“We now need to start building up a store of all of the data that our fans generate,” says Barton. “We need to be able to link many of the other parts of our business around this fan engagement data lake. The direct-to-consumer strategy sweeps across many areas of a sports rightsholder’s consumer-facing business.”

By understanding how fans stream sports, media companies and sports businesses can build content based on how fans want to connect with their favorite teams. Whether that means exclusive access to replays, archives, or even interactive player interviews.

Learn more in our PLAY episode, “Media Trends and Insights with Industry Analysts.”

IN-PERSON EVENTS ARE ADOPTING DIGITAL MEDIA STRATEGIES

When in-person events closed during COVID-19 lockdowns, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) evolved into a digital media business.

“Digital media was already on the radar,” explains Graham Wright, BSO’s Director of Content and Digital. “But the speed and the breadth of that transition were amplified in ways that I don’t think anyone could have imagined.”

Their number one priority was finding the right strategy to connect loyal audiences with the experiences they already loved. However, a gifting program that gave new users access to the streaming experience was surprisingly effective.

“Despite prioritizing our best folks,” Wright says, “we still saw a lot of new patrons getting introduced through video. Over 50% of the viewership for the Holiday Pops came from people who received it as a gift. Media can be such a powerful tool to empower our best supporters to be evangelists for our brand.”

Making video content available online proved to be highly effective in driving engagement. And by reaching audiences beyond events, BSO could extend the lifetime value of loyal audiences who dropped off after live events were over.

Learn more in our PLAY episode, “Transitioning to Digital for an In-Person Events Business.”

A ONE-TO-ONE MEDIA LANDSCAPE

We are moving into an era where distribution and data are just as important as the personalized content today’s viewers demand. Through direct-to-consumer interactions that build new audiences and retain loyal viewers, media companies are innovating new strategies that drive viewers back to the content they love.

Streaming has become an omnichannel experience and media a one-to-one landscape. And that means media content is more valuable than ever.

HOW TO INCORPORATE VIDEO INTO YOUR CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

bsp-admin-1 on January 9, 2023

Many companies today recognize the importance of crisis planning. Nearly 7 in 10 business leaders experienced a crisis over a period of five years, and 45% have a documented crisis communications plan.

The key principle in crisis plans has always been speed: catch the story before it breaks so you can control the narrative. However, smartphones and social media have changed all of that. Not only will the public often hear about the crisis before you, they’re already discussing it and deciding what you should do before you respond.

Today’s crises need more than responsive communication; they need authentic communication. They need video.

Unlike written statements and press releases, video affords less room for misinterpretation. Simply adding human elements like voice tone and body language can turn an impersonal statement into a warm message. If the world of anonymous internet trolls has taught us anything, it’s that it’s easier to argue when your opponent doesn’t have a face.

Developing a video strategy for crisis communication puts a face to your business. It helps your key message break through the chatter and resonate with your audience. It also doesn’t have to be complicated. If you already have a crisis communications plan, just incorporate video into every stage of your strategy: Plan, Monitor, Act, Debrief.

1. PLAN

The most important part of planning your video strategy for crisis communications is to first think of primary challenges that companies face:

  • Service disruptions
  • Customer service issues
  • Personnel changes
  • Product issues
  • Legal challenges
  • Code of conduct breaches

Along with a documented action plan for each type of crisis, you’ll first need to identify the best spokespeople for each type of situation. With written statements, spokespeople are usually selected based on their title, but for video, delivery is more important. Sometimes the most logical roles in your organization won’t include the most effective communicators.

For example, during the Cloudflare service outage that affected millions of websites, network leads were the ones who became the face of the communications with the public as they explained what happened and how they were resolving it. In everyday language, they explained the issue and made the company’s next steps transparent.

Second, training spokespeople is paramount. When leaders speak on camera, they should deliver the script in an empathetic and genuine way that is reflected both in tone and body language. A camera-ready leader can make all the difference.

Finally, make sure your videos will reach the right audiences and not the wrong ones. Once you’ve mapped out your distribution strategy, select a streaming platform that can deliver to the proper channels reliably and securely. Especially when communicating internally, you don’t want confidential messages leaking to the public. Platforms like Brightcove offer a suite of security features including DRM (Digital Rights Management), allowing you to easily encrypt and secure your content.

2. MONITOR

Monitoring can make or break a crisis because it helps you understand how to adapt your plan.

In 2019, a browser issue caused Avid’s client systems to crash, halting production on Hollywood movies and popular TV series. After monitoring coverage from journalists while the internal team investigated the cause of the crash, Avid created a video strategy featuring their CEO and CRO.

Journalists had mistakenly framed the story around Avid, rather than the browser that had actually caused the crash. By monitoring the crisis and producing easy-to-share video content, Avid was able to pivot its plan from damage control to education.

A video strategy must be nimble to navigate the turbulent tides of crisis comms. Especially as the story breaks, responding live can give you the first word and mitigate challenges to your narrative. But don’t limit yourself to livestreaming on social media. Go with a streaming platform that can publish livestreams on all of your digital properties and reach your audience wherever they are.

3. ACT

In 1993, after 50+ reports of dangerous materials in Diet Pepsi cans, Pepsi launched an education campaign. Rather than simply release a statement about their manufacturing process, Pepsi produced four different videos with actual footage of their safety procedures in action.

When you’re ready to act on your crisis communications plan, the video strategy can be so much more than your CEO reading your press release. Taking your audience behind-the-scenes not only builds customer trust, it taps into video’s real power of showing, not telling. Furthermore, it reinforces your employer brand to your workforce, inspiring company pride and employee retention.

Highly produced, multi-camera videos won’t be possible or even appropriate for every crisis. But anything related to your products or services is an opportunity to show your brand promises and commitments in action. In an era when scandals have become a spectator sport on social media, evidence of action has never been more valuable.

Thankfully, measuring the success of your video’s delivery has also never been easier. In the ’90s, brands were still relying on ad impressions to measure campaign success. Today, we can target specific audiences on specific channels and make sure “video views” really mean the video was viewed—all the way through.

Reaching lots of distinct audiences can be tricky, especially during a crisis when you need to track how well each one engages with your video content. Publishing from a centralized solution is key to proper tracking; however, you’ll need to make sure the platform you use can publish everywhere you need it to. For example, Brightcove has over 100 integrations including popular CMSs, MAPs, and it publishes directly to several of the top social networks.

4. DEBRIEF

Debriefing after the crisis is over doesn’t just mean writing a post-mortem. Incorporating video into a crisis communications plan is a commitment to rebuilding confidence.

Take a company like JetBlue, which suffered a public crisis when 1,000+ flights had to be canceled during a snowstorm. In this case, CEO David Neeleman wrote a public letter of apology and introduced a customer’s bill of rights that included compensation for all affected passengers, again restating the details on YouTube as well as talk shows.

In JetBlue’s case, video helped reinforce the company’s plan to its customers by reengaging audiences and rebuilding the brand. A robust video strategy can take this a step further, especially if multiple aspects of the brand’s reputation were damaged.

For example, some business steps may be necessary to resolving the crisis, but they won’t resonate with the public or customers. Producing different videos during the crisis that address the different steps can provide invaluable data. By measuring each video’s performance and engagement, you can build brand campaigns based on consumer sentiment.

A centralized streaming platform can do more than help you reach internal and external audiences with the key messages they need. It can provide you with the data you need to rebuild confidence in your brand.

LIGHTS, CRISIS, ACTION

In an age of constant video streaming and social content, written statements have a hard time going viral—or even getting read. Press releases can’t travel in the same way as multimedia. Context gets lost as word spreads. As a more accessible format, video content should be an integral part of your crisis communications that can become a source of truth during a time of crisis.

Video gives you the chance to connect with consumers on a personal level at a time when authentic communication is just as critical as responsiveness. No amount of careful wording can compete with a video where a company leader acknowledges and offers solutions to the issue.

By incorporating video into your crisis communications strategy, you can connect better with consumers and employees alike and come out stronger than ever.