The year 2020 is off to a rocky start due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The business world has taken a hit as companies all over the world shift to a work-from-home model.
If your business is a novice in this regard, you may be struggling to keep your operations in-sync.
Even if you’re a company that has some employees working from home, going completely remote poses a new set of challenges.
Completely remote operations can trigger an out of sight out of mind reaction.
A lot of employees are most productive in an office environment and love the sense of community. They can soon start suffering from a creativity slump. Not to mention, a lack of purpose and direction.
Some employees may rejoice over the opportunity to work from the comfort of their homes. Others can suffer from a lack of motivation and disengagement during such uncertain conditions.
However, employee disengagement is not exclusive to times of crisis. It is an ongoing problem that the internal communication teams have to deal with.
An overwhelming 49% of modern-day employees exhibit dissatisfaction and disengagement towards businesses.
That means a significant number of your employees may not be giving you a 100%. This may impact your business in the longer run.
Videos for internal communication
Case in point, the internal communications team needs to be the cheerleader and the coach for the proverbial football team.
It’s their job to ensure that all players stick to the playbook. This means alleviating employee apprehensions, rejuvenating spirits, and maximizing engagement.
For an internal communications strategy, video is the single most effective tool. It helps you keep your team motivated and gelled together to keep the scoreboard rolling.
Videos for internal communication are the next best thing to direct human interaction. According to HubSpot, 55% of people pay closer attention to videos than different types of written content.
Keeping video at the forefront of your internal communication strategy gives you a lot of innovative solutions to the problem.
Here are some of the ways you can leverage videos for employee engagement and boost the overall efficacy of your internal comms:
1. Bridge the hierarchal gaps
One of the sources of employee dissatisfaction is the feeling of disconnect with those up the ladder.
An effective team needs to hear its quarterback loud and clear and trust him to make the right calls.
So, regular video-based messages from the owner or CEO create better connections. They put a face to a name that is usually not seen by everyone around the office.
Furthermore, they replace the stern tone of lengthy emails and newsletters with openness and transparency.
Use videos to:
- reinforce the company goals and vision;
- report changes in direction and policies; and
- ensure the employees that their seniors have their best interest at heart.
Ragan Communications found that 44% of their employees feel more engaged with their seniors due to internal video communication.
In times of panic and uncertainty, employees rely on their leadership for reassurance, motivation, and a revised plan of action. This makes video messages by CEOs vital for crisis communication strategies.
See how this end-of-the-year video by Daimler humanizes its CEO for its employees:
Give your new employees a starter pack
We’ve all been the newbie at an organization at some point. The unchartered waters can be unnerving. So, we try to get up to speed by getting our information through company literature.
Creating a series of short videos for your onboarding starter pack can help new members consume more information in less time.
Share a welcome package with messages from seniors and colleagues. Add a company overview, orientation video, an FAQ video, and a video for general health and safety guidelines.
Moreover, your new inductees may also need to familiarize themselves with the company’s products and services.
So, provide them a series of product demos and how-to videos like you would your prospects and customers.
Internal communication video starter packs are especially helpful for your remote employees. Especially, as they don’t have the luxury of meeting with product experts face to face.
They’re also a great way to make them feel a part of the team and boost engagement.
Read more: How to Make Engaging Culture Videos
2. Upscale with video trainings
Employees often dread attending training sessions offer little than CPE credit.
Most companies conduct across-the-board trainings without considering employees at different stages of learning.
The result? According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of employees in 50 organizations felt dissatisfied with their company’s learning and development programs. Cue in disengagement!
HBR suggests adopting a ‘lean learning model’ using modern technology to personalize learning.
Adopting video trainings can help you deliver targeted educational content to your employees. That way they only have to learn what is required by their respective positions.
Short, relevant, and interactive videos are bound to increase retention and real-life application.
Furthermore, online video trainings offer great flexibility for the employees especially those working remotely.
They can complete them at their own pace without the obligation of having to be at a certain place at a certain time.
Centralized access to training videos is also very helpful for employees. They can come back and brush up on their knowledge whenever they need.
Video trainings are also more cost-effective as they need much fewer logistics than physical trainings.
Cognizant, a multinational IT company, reported a staggering 189% decrease in training costs by adopting video communication.
In short, video-based learning leads to constant and legitimate upskilling of your workforce. It gives you that much needed competitive edge in the market.
Here’s a training video we made for Johnson & Johnson:
3. Simplify hefty guides and reports
There’s only so much blandly presented data the human mind can take. After that, it either loses track or becomes saturated.
For instance, data from annual reports are usually skimmed and not retained for long.
Use creatively executed motion graphic videos to make data easy to consume. The general rule of thumb is to keep these videos under 2 minutes to avoid over-saturation.
Similarly, explainer videos work great for company overviews and new product launches. They help describe the intricacies of products and services to the audience.
Also, your product team will thank you as they won’t have to explain everything over and over again. Score one for the internal comms team!
Here’s an explainer video created for MIMS here at MotionCue:
4. Live-stream for the remote team
It’s safe to say that remote working around the world is possible due to live-streaming video.
Bring your remote colleagues online to join in on company happenings. Add them to meetings, briefings, stand-ups, and brainstorming sessions.
Stay connected through video to reduce the feeling of loneliness and the FoMo.
5. Use event coverage as a morale booster
Nothing says employee disengagement like monotony. Company events like lunches, parties, and awards are a great way to keep the spirits alive.
Record these fun moments to create an archive of memories. Re-share them internally via email and social media to make employees feel a part of the family and build lasting connections.
So, while everyone at the office is breaking the shackles of routine, don’t forget to live-stream the events for your remote peers! They are the ones at a greater risk of disengagement and need to be included.
See how the folks at Shootsta do it:
6. Repurpose internal comms videos
If ‘content is king’ then repurposing is its humble servant that keeps on giving.
Use material from your internal communications videos to create content for your marketing and communication strategy.
Messages from CEOs, company overview, orientation videos, event coverage, and guides can easily be edited and reused as thought leadership content.
Moreover, product demo and explainer videos can also be used in different stages of your buyer’s journey and customer lifecycle.
Repurposed video content provides a fluffy cushion for the content team for when they’re feeling a little disengaged and demotivated.
This way, the internal communication team is not only doing its job effectively but also helping the marketing team get back on its productive feet.
Wrapping up
These are just some of the ways videos can be used to enhance internal communication at your organization. Videos are used o simplify communication and increase engagement. So, short and crisp is the way to go!
Don’t have the resources to create a constant influx of engaging internal comms videos? Consider collaborating with a video production company.
They’ll help you create effective internal video communication leading to greater company-wide employee productivity.
