Why you should consider using video to communicate internally.

 

 

Video is a wonderfully impactful way to communicate externally to your clients and potential customers. But take a look at your ‘internal customer’ and consider how your organisation is talking to them. A good internal communication strategy is important whatever the scale of your organisation in ensuring that you talk to your people in a consistent voice.

 

In a new survey by Melcrum.com, the importance of video as a tool for internal communication is clear:

 

• Nearly 93% of the 1,200 internal Communcations Managers questioned by Melcrum say that visual communications channels such as video are becoming more important to them.
• More than 70% reported that they use video regularly or on an ad hoc basis to support their internal communications

 

Video has become so easy to digest wherever your workforce may be. Gone are the days of formally sitting to watch a presentation – video can reach all of your people wherever they are whenever they have the time to watch.

 

The first thing to consider is this – why use video rather than other traditional forms of communications? Video shouldn’t replace what you may already do – written communication, information on an intranet, formal trainings sessions or in-person events. Video is one of many methods that should be used as a balanced approach to internal comms.

 

The main benefit of video is that it is the most immediate communication medium out there. A good piece of video can get to the point quickly and the mixture of picture and sound is easily digestible. Think of the time constraints of your workforce. A 2-3 minute video explaining top-line information will be consumed more directly in and amongst a working day, where viewers will have a choice of when to fit their viewing in. They may be less inclined to sit and read an email with a link to a document whilst they are on their coffee break.

 

If you have a workforce that is spread over many sites or you have a mixture of office-based and remote workers, then video reaches the parts that in-person communication doesn’t.

 

Video is also a sure-fire way of delivering a consistent message to everyone in one go. A well produced and carefully planned video means that you are controlling exactly what you are saying and you have crafted the content so that each viewer gets the same message. There are no discrepancies in what people hear.

 

For me, the most important thing to consider when using video to communicate internally is the tone of voice. Consider how your organisation would like to talk to each other and reflect this in your video content. Sometimes direct messages from your senior leaders can feel more authentic and genuine if they are appearing more informally. Rather than the ‘top down’ leader’s speech, more off-the cuff content where we hear senior members speaking with more freedom in an off-camera chat can be more personable.

 

You may want to consider how you can involve people throughout the organisation in the video content. When internal comms features authentic voices from within an organisation, such as regular interviews ‘out and about’ then video starts to feel more like a magazine rather than a formal letter.

 

Another thing to consider is the regularity in which you communicate. More regular video content will build the audience engagement generally. Viewers may get to know the people and the voices appearing in the videos, whether this is greater visibility by the leadership team or getting to see people in other parts of the business.

 

The final tip for using video in internal comms is to always consider what you think is appropriate. Don’t communicate unless you have something you need to say – sometimes less is more. And just because this may seem like a slightly more informal way of communicating, remember to sense-check everything before it goes live. This isn’t live – so you have the ability to take a step back and ask yourself ‘is this what I want to say?’ before you broadcast it.

If you have an accountant, they should be your first stop for business advice. If you don’t have an accountant or they can’t help, BuBul has a wide range of experts available. For more advice on using video for internal communications contact our expert* Paul on LinkedIn.

*We’ve picked experts we know and trust who are good at what they do. All of them will give you at least an extra 30 minutes free advice if you contact them and would then charge their normal prices. They don’t pay to be on BuBul and don’t give us any money from anything they earn as an expert.