In business, video is typically used to drive brand recognition and promote the products and services of a business to as wide an audience as possible.
But have you ever stopped to wonder how this form of content could benefit your employees? To put it another way – have you ever considered producing videos purely for them?
The thought might be rather preposterous. With budgets tighter than ever and marketing spend constantly in the spotlight at board meetings, the idea that you could somehow legitimately invest in a form of promotional content that is usually reserved solely for lead generation is nothing more than frivolous. Isn’t it?
Not necessarily.
Let’s talk about engagement – that intangible, ethereal thing all marketing campaigns strive for. Eyes on content; fingers poised over call-to-action buttons; responses to questions asked and challenges accepted; engagement is the holy grail of business.
But what about engaged employees? This brings us to a rather depressing fact; according to reports, just 13% of employees across the globe are engaged at work.
That shockingly low figure highlights the need to re-engage employees, and we think
Here’s why:
1. Video is human
If you only regularly communicate with your workforce via company updates on the intranet or blog posts shared with both employees and the outside world, you’re forgetting a fundamental element of communication: the human touch.
Video is entirely human and relatable for all of us. If your internal corporate video features real people from within the business telling their story, those watching will instantly relate to them and remember the message.
Words will always carry meaning, but a heartfelt appraisal by someone on a video complete with body language and intonation removes any ambiguity and injects serious personality into what would otherwise be dull, run-of-the-mill company comms.
2. Videos make staff feel valued
How often has your Managing Director or chairperson decided to communicate a crucial piece of company news by email? It’s the modern day equivalent of sticking a memo in the staff room – i.e. completely cold and devoid of emotion.
Staff need to feel valued, and if the only nod they get from those at the top comes in the form of a few paragraphs of text, why should they bother to go out of their way to line the pockets of the company’s shareholders?
Video gives senior staff the chance to deliver heart-felt, impassioned speeches without calling logistically challenging company meetings. The more frequent they are, the more valued the workforce will feel, and that will only make them more productive.
3. Video can be analysed
Marketers will be quick to inform you of the benefit video offers when it comes to analytics. If you use the right platform to distribute your internal videos, you’ll be able to measure engagement by viewing stats that include the number of times watched, the average duration of each session and whether or not specific sections were skipped.
Employee engagement is a constantly moving target, which is why idiot-checking your attempts to get them on board is vital. With video, you can do just that – easily.
4. Your employees love video
Time for another big stat: network giant, Cisco reports that videos account for over 50% of mobile traffic.
People love video. That means your employees lovevideo. And, if this is the type of content they yearn for, why not give it to them?
Perhaps the most important aspect of the Cisco statistic is the fact that it relates to mobile devices; if you create video who’s sole purpose is to re-engage staff by presenting company policy and news in an engaging way, they can digest it at their leisure and as often as they want. They can’t do that with dictatorial office meetings.
5. Video can be shared
Your employees are your sales people, even if they don’t reside in that particular department. And, while not every internal company video will be for public consumption, the pieces that you actively encourage to be shared will receive just that treatment.
Imagine an internal memo from the MD delivered by email that recounts significantly positive feedback from a client. Now imagine that the message was delivered via video and with an instruction to share, if the viewer felt compelled to do so.
They will. And in the sharing economy in which we now find ourselves, that video will be shared again and again, reaching a far greater audience than any internal email ever could. As far as brand recognition and positive PR goes, this is about as good as it gets.
Wrap up
Have you used video to engage your employees or are you still convinced it’s only for marketing purposes? Get in touch and tell us your story!