Project team
Library team
Marketing Manager
Resources required
Staff time
Cost of audio track ($25)
A video camera, tripod and video editing software were all provided by the Communications team
Timeframe
Planning commenced February 2015
Video launched July 2015
“The story”
The motivation to produce a short promotional video was inspired in February 2015 by a need to capture the impact of our service, and recognising that a short film might be a good way to do this.
We produced a series of storyboards and liaised with our Communications team to discuss key messages, intended audience and purpose. The key messages that we wanted to convey were that we were a service for all staff groups, and could be accessed anywhere, anytime, in any place.
We approached key LKS customers that we knew had a story to tell about the impact of our service. They were customers with whom we had built a good relationship and who indicated they would be happy to be involved.
We arranged a filming schedule over several weeks in April and May 2015 which included interviews with these customers as well as some additional footage of the McArdle Library.
Interviewees were asked about the service they had accessed, and the difference it had made to them and the wider organisation. We made sure that we filmed in a variety of locations, including Pharmacy, Accident and Emergency, Intensive Care and the Undergraduate Centre. We were keen to illustrate the wide variety of our customers and access points.
The footage was edited by the Communications team and a first edit presented to us in May 2015. The first edit was presented to the Workforce and Communications Group as well as the wider HR&OD team for comments and feedback. Following some minor changes (captions illustrating name/role of interviewees and additional graphics) we launched the final edit on the Trust’s YouTube channel on 1st July 2015.
Alignment to local, regional and national drivers
This activity was closely aligned with Trust’s staff engagement agenda which is currently very high profile.
Impact of this project/service
The video successfully tells the stories of impact from customers of the LKS.
Our target was to achieve 100 views of the video in the first month after its release. 100 views of the video on YouTube was reached within days of the video being promoted. Currently the video has been viewed nearly 500 times on YouTube, allowing us to reach a new audience via this medium.
The video was promoted on Twitter via the Trust’s official Twitter feed which has over 2000 followers. It was re-tweeted by many people including other librarians and senior managers from within the organisation.
We got some feedback from people who viewed the video:
“That’s really good, I like how you got interviews with people we’ll have to do that!”
“It is fabulous! It has the right amount of services information and flows very naturally. The narrator captures your attention without sounding boring. I also thought the length is just about right.”
“This is really great! It’s a really good idea having customers talking about the benefits of the service.”
“Very impressive!”
“Involving the staff of the trust makes this one stand out from the crowd! Must have been difficult to organise but well worth the time.”
The project has also improved our relationship with the Communications team, who now have a more in-depth understanding of the services that we provide.
We now have a ‘ready made’ promotional video that we use at events and inductions to illustrate the services that we offer in the words of our customers, which is hopefully more meaningful.
We have additional footage that did not make the final edit that we are hoping to use to produce a series of shorter films that can be used to target specific staff groups.
The video has been shared across social media in the NW and beyond. We are currently liaising with Health Education England to embed the video in their webpages to illustrate the impact of NHS library services at a national level.
Lessons learned
What worked?
We had an extremely good working relationship with the Communications team who prioritised the project and worked to our deadlines.
We filmed in various locations (inside and outside the library) to illustrate the accessibility and flexibility of the service.
We identified people from different staff groups to film so that the video featured a diverse customer base.
Each person being filmed was interviewed in a very informal style and we didn’t use any scripts. This put them at ease and the end result is a very natural and meaningful series of statements from the customer.
The project was exciting and fun for the LKS team to work an and strengthened our relationships with the customers that were featured in the video.
What didn’t work?
We originally intended to have more graphics – however no resources or expertise were available in our Trust.
Filming took longer than expected due to the availability of the people we wanted to film so our timeframe slipped slightly.
Some locations in the hospital were not suitable filming locations due to technical or logistical issues (lighting, shared offices, patients in background).
Sustainability / next steps? As the stories of the customers told in the video start to date, we may need to produce a up to date version over the next couple of years.
We are currently using some footage that didn’t make the final edit to produce additional video ‘shorts’.
Contact details
Victoria Treadway
Library & Knowledge Service Lead
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Victoria.treadway@nhs.net
Date case study completed
October 2015
Tagged: Communications, Impact, Promotion