Online Video: The Way to Go?

November 11, 2009 • PAGR Retreat Breakout • 1:30‒2:45 p.m.

Thom Atkinson, Office of the ProvostSherri Knieriem, IU Foundation

Angela Tharp, Office of Public Affairs and Government Relations

Presentation overview

• IU Bloomington study• Background, goals, methodology• Survey and focus group findings

• Key recommendations• Additional resources

Background

• May 2009: IU Bloomington launched new site after 7.5 years

• Production timeline did not allow for much front-end research

• Design based on IUPUI template• More dynamic and promotional content

• Video as a regular hotspot • Flash rotations of news stories

Research goals

• To better understand our campus target audiences’…

1. Preferences: Use of, and interest in, online video

2. Impressions: Reactions to the new campus home page at www.iub.edu

3. Behaviors: Actual use of the Internet and new technological devices and tools

Campus target audiences

# of Groups Audience

3 Prospective undergraduates

1 Influencers of prospects

3 Current students

2 Faculty and staff

3 Alumni and donors

Participant profile

• Over 100 participants carefully recruited for diverse backgrounds across audiences:

• Sex• Age• Race/ethnicity• Academic interest and ability• Education level• Geography

Methodology

• Same audiences, 2-pronged approach:1. Online survey addressing typical online

behaviors and use of devices/tools

2. Qualitative, online focus groups to test concepts and discuss in-depth preferences

• Findings cannot be generalized to the larger population, but can highlight trends and ensure a range of opinions

Survey/Focus group details

• Conducted online Aug.‒Sept. 2009 • Survey: Some overlap in questions from Pew

Internet to compare local/national snapshot • Focus Groups: Used Breeze for sharing screens

and phone conferencing for sharing audio• 1-Hour discussions moderated by

Sherri Knieriem and Angela Tharp • Participants recruited with data lists from

campus partners• Participants provided incentives of $25

Focus group discussion flow

• Introductions and ground rules• Campus Web site at www.iub.edu• Internet habits• Reactions to non-IU college video

samples (30 minutes)• Wrap-up/Challenge

Tested: Campus Web site

Knowledge of new site

• Most audiences had visited the site since its debut in May (but not often)

• Prospective and current students were the most likely audiences to visit often

• Most audiences felt the site wasn’t really designed for them, but assumed it appealed to another audience group

• When pressed, most audiences suggested the site should prioritize the needs/interests of: (1) prospects and (2) students

Page’s flash slideshow/hotspots• Positive perceptions

• “One of the better designs out there” (students)

• “A lot is going on. I wish there were even more pictures.” (students)

• “Up with the times” (prospects)

• Negative perceptions• Overall impact “lacks unity and continuity”• Flash/color /hotspots are “too much, too

busy” (adult audiences)• Adult audiences rarely understand that

hotspot/feature captions link to additional content, and younger audiences don’t care

• “Just highlight one video from the campus home like a tour” (students)

• “Scary” or “boring” photos that don’t represent the campus

Oh, the irony…

“I don’t like anything about the design… “Looks like all the photos are geared more to it looks like it would be more appealing to older people” (influencers/prospects/students).prospective students than us” (adult audiences).

Tested: Online habits

• What online activities are audiences* doing weekly (often)?

• Are they using social networks, and if so, how?

• Are they watching online video?• Do they want and expect video on

IU sites?

*Upcoming slides showcase combined audience usage. Look to the full online report for individual audience data.

Combined use of the Internet: Activities done at least once a week

Common Internet activities done by campus audiences is similar to national trends with higher rates of activity at the top and lower rates of activity at the bottom

Social networks

• Many use Facebook, but…• Use it primarily for staying in touch with family and

friends• Are confused about which college pages are

“official”• Wouldn’t remember to search for an IU fan page • Are more likely to be interested in IU unit or

interest-area fan pages (students)• Have mixed reactions to anything more than a

college fan page with news/event updates

Combined videos watched in the last 30 days

Campus audiences, like national audiences, typically watched more “comedy” and national “news” videos than anything else

Importance of online video on IU Web sites

Online video viewership is on the rise nationally, but campus audiences don’t think video on IU sites is “very important”

Combined interest by topic area

Gray Bars: The majority of campus audiences were not “very interested” in any IU video topic

Popular online videos

• YouTube, Facebook, and word-of-mouth drive video viewership, but few watch college videos:

• “It’s a very nebulous thing, how you end up seeing a video. If it’s worth seeing, then you’re more likely to hear about it by word-of-mouth.”

• “Don’t compete with an already saturated market. You [IU] won’t win.”

• “There are too many sites that are into ‘let’s make a video because we can.’ I’d rather read about it in 15 seconds.”

• “Videos are entertainment, and if I want entertainment, I’ll watch TV.”

• A handful of staff/alumni/donors indicated they have watched IU videos highlighted in IU e-newsletters. Even more prospects/students positively referenced IU videos featured on the Admissions recruitment DVD.

Online video vs. text• Regardless of age, most prefer text and claim video on

college sites is unnecessary, like icing on a cake:• “I’m looking for information first.”

• “I’d rather read…unless it’s highlights of music or athletics.”

• “I don’t watch videos about college.”

• “Video doesn’t give you big pictures [of campus].” (prospects)

• “I don’t know what I would bother to watch. It doesn’t seem necessary.”

• Most are never interested in watching video featuring a college administrator unless it’s for “something catastrophic”

IU video libraries• Most would expect to find an IU video on Facebook,

YouTube, or with related content—not on a central, searchable page

• “The home page is more general. Specific things like videos should be on other pages.”

• “Videos should be mostly about students. These IU videos look like they’re all adults. If I were 18, I wouldn’t want to visit this site again.”

• “Leave videos to the students in film classes to create.”• “Even prospective students just want to find the information and

get on with it—not spend a bunch of time looking at videos.”• “I’ve already visited IU. I don’t need to see video.”

Tested: “Popular” video samples

• Academics• MIT: Walter Lewin physics promo

• UCLA: What it's like backstage at the Oscars

• Student Life• Virginia Tech: I'm a Hokie rap

• Penn State: Music theatre majors

• Event-Inspired Promo• Penn State: Holiday greeting

• UNC: Carolina celebrates its champions

• Giving• Iowa: You are here

• Ohio State: Students first

• UNC: Carolina Covenant program

One Example: Reactions toPenn State’s holiday greeting• Topic: Event-inspired promo

• Tested with alumni/donors/faculty

• Any communication is likely to be perceived as a solicitation

• Appreciate communications that are personalized, that are from students, and that produce a “warm and fuzzy” feeling (“probably not video”)

• Generally negative and described as too long, confusing, jerky, and boring

• Quotes:• “The idea of a card is really nice, but a picture is enough.”• “This is a waste of money.”• “I can barely get through my email now.”

RECOMMENDATIONS…

…For the campus

• Define metrics/success• Prioritize students• Limit click-through news stories• Invest in strong, iconic photography that

reinforces IU’s brand

…For the campus

• De-emphasize the campus video library by removing it entirely or relegating it to a second-tier container

• Replace the video hotspot with a tour• Feature a few individual videos for

prospects in the rotating hotspot bank • Look to content specialists in units like

Athletics and Admissions to develop niche videos

…For you (our top 10)

Where should your unit spend time and money?

#1—Tech trends

• Tech trends vary by audience, but in general, spend more time on…

• Mobile technologies (most have cell phones)• Facebook (observing and/or developing a fan page

strategy)• Informative and scan-able text, intuitive usability,

and strong photography• Opportunities for prospects/students to comment

on content• Prominent forward-to-a-friend features (most share

links/photos)• Blogs/journals for students/adults (prospect

behaviors suggest minimal interest)

#2—More tech trends

• Again, tech trends vary by audience, but spend less time on…

• Podcasts• Twitter and LinkedIn• Chats• Online video (unless it’s instructional, music,

sports, or tours)• Click-through news and features

#3—Online video

• Video can be very effective for niche audiences and for highly visual, emotive, or instructive topics deeper within a campus site.

• If your IU site offers video…• Limit options (highlight one or two) and

house video with related content: “It takes too much time to look at a bank of videos.”

#4—More online video

• Choose a varied distribution strategy (YouTube.edu, Facebook fan page, IU e-newsletters, etc.) and a title that matches the content: “I don’t want to be surprised.”

#5• Feature students and rarely

administrators: “I’d want to hear from students, people I’ll actually meet or know.”

#6—More online video

• Minimize scripted language: “Keep it genuine.”

#7• Keep it short (about a minute): “I would

watch ‘Thriller’ for seven minutes. In a college video, get to the point.”

#8—More online video

• Have a point or call-to-action: “What is the point if it doesn’t make me want to go to the school?”

#9• Ensure professionalism: “When I’m

looking at a college Web site, I don’t want amateur.”

#10—Research

• Do your research and don’t guess:• What do your metrics tell you? • Do your audiences care about video?• Is video more important than improving

other areas of your site?• How will you define success?

Learn more• Download a comprehensive research presentation

at: http://tinyurl.com/iuvideoppt

(*PowerPoint file, 3MB, IU authentication required; includes detailed survey findings by audience and reactions to every video tested)

• Review Pew Internet’s online video report (2009)

• Contact us with questions:• Thom Atkinson, tgatkins@indiana.edu• Sherri Knieriem, sknierie@indiana.edu • Angela Tharp, anzahn@indiana.edu