Cultivating a community from collaboration: The secret to a strong vertical video strategy and system

Abstract

The University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) central social media team has developed an overarching strategy and system over the course of three years, from 2020 to 2023, to help improve their vertical video production while building a community of practice with other internal campus content creators. This case study will discuss the benefits for campus content collaborators. It identifies three types of social video collaborations employed by UTM communications staff to meet the unique requirements and capabilities of different teams. Pulling from the UTM social media team's findings, this paper shares a formula for success used to create vertical videos that improve key performance indicators while building capacity among practitioners. By highlighting strategic practical tips to utilise when creating higher education video content, the authors aim to illuminate the steps involved for those wishing to set up a similar system and strategy. This case study concludes with a reflection on the lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid when collaborating with other campus content creators.