Manifesto videos: Setting the Truss government’s agenda

Politics has returned after the hiatus brought about by the death of the Queen; and it has done so with a new government and a new political direction.

The lifting of the ban on fracking, an energy bill freeze and a raft of tax cuts are some of the policies to be unveiled, with more due over the next couple of days.

But with at least two years before a general election takes place, the change of government provides a fresh opportunity for organisations to vie to influence the legislative agenda.

With the Conservative conference less than a week away, there will be many trade bodies and third sector organisations in Birmingham attempting to do just that.

Nesta – New government manifesto

But the traditional sit-down with a minister – if you are lucky enough to get one – isn’t the only way of getting your asks on the agenda.

Indeed, building a groundswell of support and a popular understanding of why change is needed can be the more effective strategy, with constituents and MP colleagues speaking on your behalf.

Which is why creating a video to summarise your key priorities for the next government can be a smart move.

Short animated videos are perfect for getting your policy messages out across social media. People are far more likely to engage with video content on social than they are a policy briefing.

National Youth Agency – High 5 manifesto

Video even outperforms still images. On Twitter, for example, a video will garner times the number of retweets as an image on average.

The use of striking imagery is more likely to leave a lasting impression on your audience, the majority of whom are visual learners.

And video is a versatile piece of content that can be used in many different settings. On your website it will again outperform that PDF policy briefing, with an online video of 2 minutes achieving a 70% engagement rate compared to only 20% of people who’ll read the text on a web page.*

That bears repeating. Only 2 people in 10 will absorb your messaging if it’s in the shape of text on a web page, compared to 7 in 10 if it’s video.

Federation of Small Businesses – Small Business, Big Ambition

So if you’re looking to take advantage of this opportunity to help set the government’s agenda for the next couple of years (admittedly an all-too-regular opportunity of late with four prime ministers in 6 years), then video is going to be one of the most useful tools in your armoury for gathering the necessary profile and support for your asks.

*Research by Wistia showed 70% of people would watch a 2 minute video to the end. Research by Neilsen showed that only 20% of people read text on a web page.