The Power of HR Videos for Communications
We often hear about the mystical powers of video for marketing. But looking at video through such a narrow lens is like having a smartphone and only using it to make calls. Video isn’t just for marketing; it’s a powerful communications tool with infinite uses.
Human Resources — nobody does as much communicating as you! With topics like employee benefits and company policy, nobody needs a little magic as much as you, either. Don’t let marketing take all the spotlight; it’s time for your department to fight for video funding. But before you pitch your case, let’s take a look at what videos to produce, how video supports HR initiatives, and how to get the most out of your video investment.
Teaser: You’re about to learn about a brand new strategy that can have a HUGE impact on employee engagement!
External Videos for HR
Human Resource teams aren't just responsible for communicating with current employees; they also have a hand in representing the company in the job market and recruiting new hires that fit the company culture. Here are several different types of video that you can produce to ramp up your recruiting efforts and attract top talent:
Company culture videos: sum up the company culture, define what makes it unique, and show its positive nature.
Employee testimonial videos: allow candidates to get validation about the promises your company makes — straight from the horse’s mouth.
Brand videos: tell the story of why your company exists and how it hopes to impact others to inspire candidates and create application demand.
Event videos: showcase company-wide gatherings, attendance at conferences, and other initiatives to get candidates excited about the opportunities ahead.
Internal Videos for HR
Just because you have a captive audience, doesn’t mean your internal communications will reach the intended audience or make an impact. Only 15% of employees are engaged with their employers! Here are several types of video that you can produce to improve employee engagement and provide exceptional support and guidance:
Training and Information videos: deliver a consistent and engaging onboarding experience that incorporates downloadable forms, additional resources, and even quiz questions to test your newbie’s focus and retention.
Pro Tip: Incorporate pop culture references to keep the content fresh and engaging!Explainer videos: Simplify complex information related to the company benefits program or company-wide policies by supporting the message with visuals.
Pro Tip: Remove the industry jargon and use language similar to if you were explaining complex topics to a friend.Security and safety videos: make learning about cybersecurity protocol less intimidating while instilling a sense of seriousness and urgency.
Pro Tip: Safety is not something you want to mess around with. Quiz employees on what they learned and provide internal certifications if they reach a certain percentage.
Top 3 HR Video Priorities
Where most HR teams fail, is in their assumption that all they need is a video — any old video will do — and poof, their employees are suddenly enthralled. That’s not how it works. If you want your video to perform magic, prioritize these three things:
What you say.
If you expect busy employees to take time out of their day to tune in, make the message clear right out of the gate. Otherwise, you risk losing their attention, dropping off, and missing important parts of the message. Within the first several seconds, your video should convey all or most of the following:
Who the message is for.
The most important part of the message.
Why employees need the information.
What action the employee should take after watching.
How you say it.
By nature, people respond better to a conversational, humanized message. So, ditch the stuffy corporate speak. Most importantly, if you want to keep their attention until the end — you need a solid storyline that can turn everyday shop-talk into a compelling tale. My advice:
Use a copywriter.
Talk like a human.
Keep videos short (when possible).
How you distribute.
One of the most significant challenges HR teams face is employee engagement. Attention spans are dwindling. People are distracted. In addition to creating “bite-size” videos that allow employees to “snack” on information at their leisure, you need to do the following:
Share your video more than once
Promote your video on multiple channels (email, social media, text message, company intranet, etc.)
Add opportunities for engagement (e.g., an attachments tab or pop-up quiz questions).
What is a “bite-size” video?
Bite-size videos are anything under a minute. The shorter, the better. But “short” is a fine line and shouldn’t compromise your most important priority — getting the message out. You might be thinking, How the heck am I supposed to explain our entire benefits program in less than 60 seconds? A video series, of course!
At brand28, we’re in full-blown production mode, writing and animating a series of bite-size videos that you can use to explain and educate your employees on their benefits. The series is called — BeneBits™! Punny, right? Set for release in August, 2019, you can pick through our suite of snackable benefits videos to communicate topics like how to compare medical plans, or what is included in vision or dental insurance. Select which shorts make the most sense for your messaging, and even customize your videos to blend beautifully with your branding and specific plan details.
Why are these bite-sized videos so awesome?
They are professionally written and produced to make understanding benefits simple, easy, and fun! Our team is a collaboration of marketing professionals, artists, and benefits experts who know how to cut through the insurance jargon and tell an engaging story.
They are interactive! Employees can click an attachments tab to download their enrollment paperwork, access plan summaries, and review other relevant documents. Or, they can click a link and go directly to your company’s online enrollment portal.
They’re trackable. Instead of tossing your message to the wind and hoping it lands, we can track engagement and tell you exactly how many views they get, which videos get the most views, where audiences drop off, and more.
They don’t require a serious time commitment. Employees (especially new-hires) can consume information about their benefits a couple of videos at a time instead of committing 20 minutes to a long, information-packed explanation.
They make information easier to retain. By breaking down each section into simple BeneBits™ that allow employees to snack on information at their own pace, we give employees a chance to commit information to memory and fully understand what they’re watching.
Because these videos are pre-produced with customizability, they are far more affordable than producing a benefits video from scratch. Plus, we can have yours ready in a fraction of the time it takes to build from a blank slate!
