Video is big and poised to grow even larger. YouTube reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any cable network today, and research from CISCO projects video will account for 79% of all web traffic by 2018. Recently Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg himself predicted in just a few years “the vast majority of the content that people consume online will be video.” That’s huge.

It’s easy to understand why video is hot: Whether at work or play, audiences just love to watch. Corporate communicators are increasingly leveraging video for internal communications, appreciating how much video increases engagement. For example, adding video to landing pages can increase conversion as much as 80%.

Is your employee engagement strategy using video effectively? Here are 5 ideas for incorporating this incredible medium into your creative communications campaigns.

1. Liven up town halls with introduction and exit videos. During conferences and other live events, videos with energetic music, engaging imagery and interesting animation can switch up the format and re-charge the energy of a room. As an introduction, video helps focus the attention and emotions of the audience on the same message. At the end of meetings, video reiterates key points in a memorable way, leaving employees excited for action as they return to work.
2. Humanize strategy. Employees can sometimes have a difficult time relating to corporate strategy, especially if they were not part of the team creating it. Videos can help personalize the strategy and illuminate it in a seemingly less formal way. Gagen partnered with a global pharmaceutical company to create compelling “Leader in the Moment” videos featuring unscripted leaders telling real stories about what makes their organization so unique and special. In addition to storytelling, these up close and personal video interviews used illustrative clips that reinforced the point the leader was making to drive increased understanding.
3. Kick off a campaign. Sending out an email inviting people to your kickoff meeting? Start strong with a video embedded right in the invitation. Video helps start with a positive first impression, signals a shift and with strong music and evocative messaging it can get employees pumped up for an energetic meeting. To bring excitement to a technology transformation, Exelon, the nation’s largest energy provider, used video and animations throughout their leader launch meeting to reinforce the IT strategy and communicate the transformation story.
4. Drive clarity. Even if everyone makes it to a meeting they often need instructions repeated or need to be walked through a procedure more than once. Save time repeating conversations by creating a series of how-to videos giving the answers to frequently asked questions like benefits programs, how to sign up and use a particular new technology, and more. For a global medical device manufacturer, we used videos to help explain the differences between their Total Rewards programs which drastically reduced the volume of calls and questions the HR team was fielding.
5. Showcase your culture. Attracting key talent continues to be a major challenge for many organizations. Using video featuring real employees talking about what it’s like to work for your organization goes a long way. Including footage of work environments, employees enjoying unique benefits and leaders talking about their commitment to employees can help tremendously in your recruiting process.

Video can make your audience sit up and listen – the goal of any effective communicator. Are you leveraging its full power for your internal communications strategy?

Need help with creative services to drive employee engagement? Contact Gagen – we can help.