The virtues of an unpolished video

 

Charities are getting better each day at creating stunning videos in their marketing and promotion. But while slick editing, perfect sound, and incredible use of imagery may look great, there is a growing awareness among marketeers that a simpler ‘rough and ready’ approach may prove more appealing.

 

This realisation comes off the back of a growing trend in marketing to ensure storytelling is authentic. This has also seen the growth of user-generated content, where a simple, honest video, perhaps shot at home by a charity beneficiary, carries greater weight than a more professional looking endorsement from a celebrity or social media influencer.

 

This trend to be authentic also comes as charities increasingly deploy different media, from comics, to podcasts to videos to tell their stories.

 

Here we explore the growing use of ‘unpolished videos’ and offer some tips on how charities can engage viewers using this approach.

 

 

The argument for imperfection

 

Recent studies suggest viewers are far more likely to engage with imperfect video content.

 

For example, a study by social media giant Meta of video advertising on its Instagram platform found that those “shot on mobile and that exhibited a more lo-fi” feel outperformed more polished studio ads. This was in terms of both views and viewer’s ability to recall the content.

 

Another survey, by market researcher YPulse had a similar response, from young people surveyed. This found that the vast majority (84%) say they prefer imperfect content and 79% are put off perfect imagery in advertising.

 

The strong suggestion for charities is that they can safely ignore spending a small fortune on expensive content and instead be confident in publishing unpolished, but far more appealing, advertising and marketing.

 

 

Tips on unpolishing content

 

 

Focus on real people

 

Research by community branding platform EnTribe suggests that the public are put off messaging from well-known social media influencers. Instead, they are finding content from real people far more engaging.

 

This found that 85% of people found influencers inauthentic and/or unrelatable and a similar proportion (84%) said they would be more likely to trust a brand that featured user generated content from real people.

 

Charities are urged to use their supporters, staff, and volunteers to tell their story. Viewers will find them far more relatable; the studies suggest.

 

 

Be platform specific

 

Charities are urged to ensure they are creating content that is specific to each social media platform, which is often quick, unpolished content that is more identifiable to regular users of the likes of Twitter and TikTok.

 

Miming videos are a staple form of content on TikTok, for example. These are mostly filmed by real people in their homes via their mobile phones. These unpolished videos remain one of the most popular forms of unpolished content on the platform.

 

 

Go behind the scenes

 

Behind the scenes style documentary footage is often filmed using mobile phones and handheld cameras to give fans of movies or a band a more authentic, real-world insight into their idols.

 

Charities should consider adopting a similar technique. Perhaps asking a staff member or service user to film a day in the life in a support centre or charity headquarters to give viewers an added insight into the real-life workings of a charity and the help it provides to communities.

 

Content can go even further and users can produce behind the scenes footage of how they made the content, perhaps including funny ‘bloopers’ from people they interview along the way.

 

 

Use technology to give a lo-fi feel

 

Video shot using a mobile phone is ideal for giving footage a lo-fi, authentic feel. This can extend to any postproduction used, such as editing or using sound.

 

When editing, keep cuts in footage to a minimum and eschew flashier stinger transitions between scenes. Just keep the cuts simple.

 

 

Case Study: RNLI

 

Among the best charities at using unpolished videos to effectively tell its stories is the RNLI.

 

It is excelling in using all the above tips, from using real people and lo-fi editing to producing platform specific content and offering viewers a behind the scenes glimpse of its work.

 

Within days of launching on TikTok in July it had attracted more than 100,000 followers and 320,000 likes due to its engaging lo-fi, unpolished content. As of the beginning of October it had attracted a total of 1.1m likes and had an additional 33,000 followers.

 

The RNLI has been successful at deploying its lifeboat crews to use their phones to produce engaging short films.

 

This includes this short video using a RNLI crew member, simple editing and added music to show its different equipment over the centuries. Short, simple, effective and above all ‘unpolished’.