Making statistics shareable

One of three shortlisted candidates for the Young Communicators Award 2015, Martin Nicholls shares how he made divorce statistics more accessible.

       Why did you decide to change the way ONS communicates divorce statistics?

There is always an interest in the annual divorce statistics release. People find the topic fascinating and everyone has an opinion on how many marriages end in divorce -- is it half, a third or less than that? -- but very few would know where to find the definitive answer (which is 42% by the way).

Usually the data is conveyed in story format through the media, who frequently act as a conduit to our releases. I wanted ONS to tell the story itself and act as a mythbuster and fact provider. I wanted to engage with our users directly to enhance ONS brand awareness and capitalise on the latent interest in statistics. We release some fascinating stuff and the more people who see it the better.

·         How did you decide to present the data and why?
 
Content layering that provided differing levels of detailed data for different customer segments was the only option. Our users range from the very knowledgeable, who are adept at using and manipulating our data, to those who are casual browsers and just want to know a number and what this means for them. So, for the experts we provided our usual offering of detail and analysis and then it was simply a case of finding something complementary for other users.

It was important to add context. Those with detailed demographic knowledge can work out numbers and rates and apply these accordingly but a lot of people don't know where to start with these terms. It was a case of conveying data in a way people can relate to; so 1 in 10 etc. Approaching data with the sort of 'did you know?' mind set and sharing the interesting or surprising points.

·         How did you communicate internally to get your colleagues on board with your new vision for delivering the stats?
 
I can be very persuasive but I'm also fortunate to work with people who are as ambitious as I am! I sat down opposite them and said something like 'do you want to do something that no one here has done before?'. I appealed to their nature of genuinely wanting to create data that reaches the maximum possible audience. We were just growing our audience share and entering a different content market, not reinventing the wheel.

·         There is always the risk of negative sentiment: what were your strategies to avoid this?
 
I used industry insight and intelligence to show effective methods of doing things differently and then let logic prevail. It wasn't changing anything we already had success with, simply adding to it and presenting the data in an additional and new way.

I ensured the statistical experts were part of the entire process too as I couldn't be seen as rogue with my ideas. They also ensured accuracy and that the data was presented correctly which was always of utmost importance.

There's always a degree of negative sentiment with new things as people perceive it as change or something scary that they no longer understand; it can destabilise them a little. For me, it's about learning to filter the noise. If it's a genuine complaint or risk being highlighted you need to take it seriously and mitigate accordingly. If it's just a grumble then, well, sometimes people just need time to adjust and accept it.

As a real fallback, I always add the caveat that if it bombs it's a lesson learnt and tell people they can blame me... I have broad shoulders and am always the first to hold my hands up when something goes wrong! Done correctly, this really helps with credibility and trust.

·         How did you measure the impact of your new communication strategy and what were the results?
 
Web metrics were key as we were able to benchmark how the new content performed against the traditional ways of communicating and other ONS products. I didn't just want absolute numbers of views though, I wanted to see heightened dwell times where users were clearly spending time absorbing the  information in front of them.

I also looked for verbatim syndication of our content across media platforms, rather than paraphrasing or just using the numbers. That was a real positive for me, seeing others with their own brand identity and audience share our content and deem it worthy of sitting on their platform.

Social media was also key. I wanted to hear the chatter and gauge people's reactions. They were the acid test of how the content performed. Metrics are all very well but it's great to hear what people are saying about something to their peers. You know they're going to be honest and what more could I ask for?

·         What audiences were you were able to engage with the new content delivery?

It reached some very surprising new audiences both domestically and internationally -- even our expert users were complimentary and supportive. It was really amazing to see comments from teachers advising their students to look at it for course work material (a real testament to social media's ability to be relevant to education!), friends talking about it to each other, those who had never been interested in statistics saying 'this is how you make stats interesting!' and 'you're officially the best statisticians ever'. We even had quite a few divorce lawyers sharing it!

·         Any final tips on creating shareable content?

I believe content should make somebody feel something, even if that something is utter disbelief or shock. That's the strongest call to action there is when it comes to sharing.

Everyone likes to feel smart and knowledgeable too so when you're in the business of data like we are it's great to be able to share facts that people find pertinent enough to then tell others. You know, things like there are 13 divorces an hour in England and Wales and that one in seven are because of adultery.

 

To check out the ONS's 13 Facts about Divorce, click here!

The Young Communicators Award 2015 is organised by the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) and honours individuals whose work shapes the future of the communication profession. Find our more about the Awards here.

Image credits: The Office for National Statistics

Martin Nicholls

Martin Nicholls is the communication strategy and capability lead at the Office for National Statstics (ONS), co-located in London and Newport. As a communications specialist with vast experience in digital media and publishing, he is able to provide both strategic support and advice to the executive leadership team. He was also a shortlisted candidate for the Young Communicators award 2015.