10 Internal Communication Videos That Your Team will Actually Watch
For today's remote and hybrid businesses, effective team communication is paramount. It fuels collaboration, innovation, shared purpose, and is the basis for remote company culture. But reaching your team is much harder through the screen, across timezones, and with new messages.
Post-pandemic, the average worker sends and receives over 300 emails per day, according to a report by the Radicati Group. An additional report by Time is Ltd. found that we also receive nearly 300 Slacks everyday.
When you need to break through inboxes and make sure your message is heard, text isn’t enough. In this blog, we’ll explain why internal communication is important, why you should add video to your internal communications strategy, and how you can make sure your videos are noticed, watched, and remembered.
- Why you should use video
- 10 internal communication ideas and templates
- Tips for creating memorable internal communications videos
Why you should use video in your internal communications strategy
No one knows the importance of effective communication like HR and people teams. But now that many businesses have gone partly or fully remote, our old communication methods have become overused and frankly, forgettable.
Breaking through the digital barrier to reach your employees can seem intimidating or nearly impossible. But imagine if you could tell a message that appeals to different learning styles and stands apart from text-heavy Slacks.
From trainings to celebrations, you can use video to engage your employees and set your teams up for success.
Here are some stats at a high level that show why internal communication is important and how video can help you achieve it.
Viewers retain about 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to just 10% when reading it in text. Better communication technology and skills can increase productivity by 20 to 25%. Poor communication negatively impacts trust for 45% of workers.
10 internal communication video ideas and templates
Internal communications is just one of the many roles of HR and People teams. But don’t worry, creating an engaging, effective, and professional video doesn’t take much longer than an email! Below are ten different kinds of internal communications videos you can make to achieve all your HR goals. To make it even easier, we’ve linked some video templates that you can customize for free and share any time.
1. Trainings
Regular employee trainings are an essential way to invest in your team and lessen employee turnover. In fact, training current employees will actually decrease costs in the long run by cutting down turnovers and boosting productivity.
Whether you have state-mandated trainings to administer or you want to help your team sharpen their skills, use a video! With a variety of mediums including video clips, photos, graphs, music, and animations, employees are more likely to watch and retain the information.
This also applies to safety trainings and other abstract concepts that can be harder to convey with words alone. Rather than bringing everyone to the job site, hiring professionals to reenact workplace situations, or giving a long-winded explanation, show your employees safe practices with a video.
2. Presentations
Turning your slide decks into presentations can help bring your information to life! Remote teams can use screen and webcam recordings like the ones below to present just like they would in person. If you are presenting in person, add a video to shake things up and re-engage your audience!
3. Employee onboarding
How employers manage a new employee’s work experience within the first days and even months is crucial to turnover. According to enboarder, 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for at least three years after a great onboarding experience.
Make a great first impression and set your new hires up for success with onboarding videos! You can introduce your new hires to the team (and vice versa) with a video that contains photos, videos, and fun facts. Or, compile all of their to-dos into one concise video complete with your branding.
You can also use video to share what makes your company culture so special! Use the template below to share the key pillars of your organization, your origin story, and why your new hires are such a great fit. You can also easily turn this internal communications video into a sales video with a few tweaks!
4. Tutorials
Tutorials are another type of helpful video to include in your onboarding materials or in shared drives. They enable anyone to overcome common problems whenever they arise, rather than relying on the HR or IT team to fix them. Add tutorials to your onboarding materials, share them ad-hoc, or add them to your intranet for on-demand access.
Rather than relying on the IT team to get back to you, show and tell your audience how to fix common technical issues with a video. Screen recordings allow you to walk your audience through solutions step by step so they can easily follow along.
5. Employee spotlights
Regular employee recognition can pave the way for better retention. Shine the spotlight on individuals throughout your workplace with a video just for them. Celebrate promotions, closed deals, anniversaries, and other achievements with a photo of your team member and a personalized message.
Don’t forget to celebrate the little things and show your team you care! Use video to celebrate birthdays, baby showers, graduations, retirements, and more.
6. Updates
Keeping your teams and departments up to date and on the same page is harder than ever. Make sure your important updates don’t get lost in the shuffle! Create an engaging video that highlights key takeaways and updates. With music, animations, photos, and webcam recordings, you’re sure to capture and retain your team’s attention.
7. Announcements
Any announcement can be turned into a video! Use this template to share videos from managers, execs, and even the CEO. Invite them to create their own webcam recordings to connect with your organization on a more personal level.
You can also use video to boost completion rates of surveys, trainings, and quizzes. Start by announcing the task with a video. Then, as the due date approaches, send out reminder videos and notifications. These videos can easily be shared via Slack, email, newsletters, HR systems, and more.
8. Company appreciation
Reach and celebrate your entire team or company with an appreciation video. It’s a great way to show your gratitude and boost morale, especially for remote teams. Upload your own photos from past company events to make your video extra special and ensure that your team will watch until the end.
9. Internal launches
Celebrate wins with your team and announce new features and developments through video! You can collaborate with people in other departments to share relevant information, highlight key team members, and share relevant info. It’s just one way to show that you are invested in the entire company’s success and in each individual’s growth.
10. Event recaps and lookbacks
Lastly, use video to build employee morale and relive in-person and online events! You can create recaps for webinars, in-person celebrations, team building events, conferences, and more. Just upload fun (and funny) photos and video clips and share the joy with your entire team.
Tips for creating engaging internal communications videos
Ready to start making your own internal communications videos? Here are some quick tips to keep in mind as you start your video journey.
Get to know your audience
Like any story, your video should be tailored to your team’s demographics and preferences. You know your company culture better than anyone else, so use that frame of mind as you start creating. By tailoring the message to your team’s interests, humor, and personality, you will ensure that your video is timeless and impactful.
Define clear objectives
Before you start creating, think about what the goal of your video is. Then, craft a message that aligns with these objectives. Common objectives of HR and People Teams include:
- Better employee engagement
- Reduced turnover
- Recruiting success
- Onboarding success
- Improved morale
Craft a compelling story
If you need help deciding how to tell your story, consider using a storytelling framework to help guide you. This blog has plenty of tips and tricks to help you craft your own impactful stories.
Keep it clear and concise
Attention spans are short, especially when we’re constantly being notified about other tasks that need to be completed. Try to keep your video concise by only including the information that’s absolutely necessary.
Visual appeal matters
Visuals that engage and excite your audience will make them more likely to watch! Consider applying your brand guidelines to your video or dipping into your secondary colors to add more vibrancy and excitement to your video. You can also use animated video stickers to draw attention towards important information.
Embrace authenticity
Nobody wants to sit through a stale presentation filled with corporate jargon. When creating your video, use genuine voices and real team members to illustrate your ideas. This authenticity will help you build trust and engagement across your organization.
Utilize engaging formats
Have fun with your video! Use a variety of text, animations, voice-overs, screen and webcam recordings, and more to engage multiple senses and appeal to different learning styles. Experiment with different formats like interviews and demonstrations to keep them on their toes.
End with a clear call to action
To hit on your original goal or objective, make sure to end your video with a clear and simple call to action. Examples may include encouraging feedback, asking questions, reading other resources, signing up for an event, or responding to a survey. Whatever it is, make sure the next step is spelled out clearly.
The easy way to make internal communication videos
Your workload is full as it is. With Animoto, you can get better results out of the work you’re already doing!
Use Animoto’s workplace video templates and user-friendly tools to create on-brand and on-message internal communication videos with your entire team. Here are the four simple steps between you and a completed video:
Just sign up for a Professional Plus plan to invite your coworkers to create with you. Choose from one of our workplace templates. Create your Saved Brands and Templates to apply your brand guidelines with a single click and scale up your production with repeatable videos. Apply your brand, add your story, and share!
Internal communication video FAQs
Why is internal communication important?
Internal communication is crucial because it fosters a cohesive and informed workforce, ensuring alignment with company goals, strategies, and updates. A consistent internal communication strategy enhances collaboration, reduces misunderstandings, and boosts employee engagement. Effective internal communication ultimately strengthens organizational culture, improves productivity, and supports the overall success of the company.
What are internal communications videos?
Internal communications videos convey important messages, updates, and information to their employees. These engaging and informative videos can cover a range of topics, such as company announcements, policy changes, training materials, and cultural initiatives. Then, they can be shared with your remote and in-person teams to stay connected and informed.
Is internal communications part of HR?
Yes, internal communications often falls under the umbrella of Human Resources (HR). While HR primarily focuses on managing personnel, recruitment, benefits, and employee relations, internal communications is crucial. HR professionals can easily create professional internal communication videos with a user-friendly video tool like Animoto.