More than ever, companies have many different resources to stay in touch with their in-house and remote employees on a daily basis – emails and newsletters, robust communication platforms, integrated team collaboration tools, and more.

However, many employees feel disengaged from their work or the company they work for. So, making important internal announcements and the task of motivating employees a real challenge that affects productivity and focus.

Video content can help. Even though it’s mostly used for marketing strategies, video also offers a great channel to convey internal messages – protocols, instructions, major project shifts – in effective, entertaining, and approachable ways.

So, I’ll walk through what experienced production companies (learn more) frequently achieve by using video content as a communication tool with employees. Focusing on answering all your doubts about different approaches, types of videos, production tips, and more.

Why to use video internally

To begin with, it has become one of the most popular ways to communicate in the current digital arena. From Meet calls and eLearning courses to live meetings and tutorials, people are getting more and more used to incorporating video into their daily work. 

It makes sense, though - There’s something about its interactive and dynamic nature that effectively catches our attention. Making us feel immediately engaged and committed to what we’re watching. If done right, at least.

Plus, video is a very diverse, adaptable format that can integrate other mediums and creative resources - text, images, animation, graphic design, music, sound effects, etc. - to help you illustrate your core message more clearly. So, instead of writing super long (and boring) email threads or blog posts, you can use video to explain your idea in just a few seconds.

Moreover, we humans are social and emotional beings that long for some sort of connection – doubly so for lonely remote workers. And videos can trigger emotions like no other medium – be it happiness, nostalgia, sadness, surprise, or trust.

Thanks to its structure, they let you speak directly to your audience and convey a personalized message. Enabling a deeper and more meaningful connection that will make it easier to absorb the information, no matter how complex, technical, or dull it might be.

Live action or animation?

Before I go through the different types of videos you can use in your internal communications, let’s quickly discuss using live-action videos or animation.

With animated videos - such as explainers, motion graphics, infographic videos, etc. - you can let your imagination run free and convey your message in the most innovative, compelling, and creative ways. 

Think about it - Given you’re not bound by the laws of the pesky reality, you can make your characters do whatever you want. You want to create a world where animals can talk and go shopping or people can travel back in time? By all means, do so.

Also, animated videos usually combine infographics, text, metaphors, data visualization, and motion effects that can help you simplify the most complex or abstract ideas. Making them understandable, accessible, and easy to retain.

So, if you need to explain something tricky, sensitive or very technical, all while keeping your audience engaged and intrigued, video animation is definitely the way to go.

On the other hand, live-action videos are perfect for making things more human, intimate, and approachable. For example, if you want to make an informal announcement, make a quick update, or send a personalized message, a short live-action video is the best choice.

What’s so great about these videos is they’re very easy to produce. In fact, you can use your mobile phone or your computer’s camera, record it, make a simple post-production edit, and then share it. As simple as that.

Best types of videos for internal communications

Depending on your goal, specific needs, and what you want to communicate, some videos will be better than others. That said, here’s a list of the best types of videos every company should use to optimize their internal communications.

Explainer Videos

Explainer videos are one of the most effective digital resources you can use in your business’ marketing strategy. However, they’re also great for implementing in your internal communications. 

In a nutshell, these are short, animated pieces that excel at illustrating tricky concepts or business ideas in simple, engaging, and meaningful ways. To achieve that, they use the power of solid storytelling and gorgeous animation to get their message across. Mainly focusing on telling a relatable story that deeply resonates with the audience. 

This is why explainer videos are perfect for using with new hires or training processes, especially if you’re in the health or tech industry. With a short, captivating video you can help them understand how your product or service works, key differentiators, and how it can make prospects’ lives easier. 

Do that, and you’ll provide an understandable, clear, and easy-to-absorb message that’ll put incoming employees on the same page about what they are going to sell. All without leaving out important information.

Your elevator pitch, as the name implies, should only take as long as the length of an elevator ride (20 to 30 seconds) to present. It should have all the exciting details to get your potential investors to think that your business idea is, indeed, a worthy one to invest in.

You should get an idea of how to structure your pitch from your marketing research. Once you get their attention, you can then schedule a meeting to discuss the business idea in detail.

Company story videos

Company stories - also known as company culture videos - are primarily designed to take the “business side” out of your company, and make it more human and relatable. 

To achieve that and create a strong, sincere connection with the viewer, these videos use narratives that revolves around your brand's story and core values as defined by the people that make your products or services - that is, your employees.

So, given they usually put your staff front and center, company story videos are perfect for making everyone feel included. Something that will ultimately help you improve employee satisfaction, make them feel more motivated, and build a better, more positive company culture.

These videos are great for recruitment purposes as well. For example, suppose you want to encourage aspiring candidates. In that case, you can create a cool and fun piece that features your employees talking about the many benefits of working for your company or shows what an average day looks like in your office.

Instructional videos

In its more basic form, these videos walk through all the steps needed to complete a specific task, from start to finish. And given they are very straightforward and clear, instructionals can be used to explain all sorts of actions or complex procedures. 

For such purposes, these videos – screencast recordings, how-to videos, step-by-step tutorials – basically combine educational content with a highly entertaining approach, giving simple and easy-to-follow instructions. 

As you can imagine, they are ideal to use on onboarding processes, especially to reduce training time, enhance the learning experience, and make it more dynamic. For instance, instead of creating traditional booklets, you can develop a series of short and fun tutorials to teach new hires the basic know-how or role-specific tasks.

Instructional videos

In its more basic form, these videos walk through all the steps needed to complete a specific task, from start to finish. And given they are very straightforward and clear, instructionals can be used to explain all sorts of actions or complex procedures. 

For such purposes, these videos - screencast recordings, how-to videos, step-by-step tutorials - basically combine educational content with a highly entertaining approach, giving simple and easy-to-follow instructions. 

As you can imagine, they are ideal to use in onboarding processes, especially to reduce training time, enhance the learning experience, and make it more dynamic. For instance, instead of creating traditional booklets, you can develop a series of short and fun tutorials to teach new hires the basic “know-how” or role-specific tasks.

Handy video production tips

Regardless of the type of videos you’re going to develop, here’s a list with some basic production tips you can follow to make your piece more engaging. Check them out.

• Length matters: One of the reasons why video content is so effective is that it lets you condense a lot of information quickly. So, you should take advantage of that and create succinct videos that don't go over the two-minute mark. Include only what's relevant, adds value, and is important to get your message across. Also, considering how our attention spans keep getting shorter, make sure to get quickly to the point and introduce your core message within the first 30 seconds. 
  
  
• Use storytelling: Every successful video tells a story. And mind you, it doesn't need to be an award-winning novel – it simply means you should deploy all the hallmarks of impactful visual storytelling. To achieve that, when writing your script, it's wise to follow a basic but very effective structure: a brief introduction, a description, and a conclusion. Another good tip here is to be as didactic and educational as possible, explaining your ideas with good stories and clear examples. That'll make the material more friendly, accessible, and help with information retention.
• Brand your videos: Just like you do with every piece of content you produce for external communications, your internal videos should be branded as well. So, whenever you have the chance, stick to your color palette, use your typography, apply your logo, and so on. This is going to unify your pieces across all of your communications and make them look like they are part of the same consistent universe. Strengthening your employees’ connection with the piece and ultimately your company.
  
  

Promoting and distributing internal videos

Thinking about how and when you are going to distribute your internal videos is as important as producing them. Remember that the idea of this type of content is to engage your employees, educate them on some level, and boost their satisfaction. So, sending them without rhyme or reason won't do any good. 

If your company regularly sends internal newsletters, video content can be a great addition. Even remote, disconnected employees working miles away from your office are going to check their emails. So, why not seize the unique opportunity and make your sends more exciting with interesting videos?

Another excellent strategy is to create an online hub where you can upload and centralize all of your internal videos. Organizing them in different playlists or categories, for example, company culture videos, FAQs regarding platforms or tools your employees use daily to work, explainers, etc.

That way, your pieces will be available anytime, anywhere, and from any device. Giving your employees the option to decide when and how they want to watch them. Also, if they have any sudden questions or doubts, they can always go back to the hub and quickly find the answer they need.

Parting thoughts

Your employees are your most important asset, and keeping them informed, motivated, and happy should be your number one goal. But in the days of home-office and remote workers, this can be particularly challenging.

Luckily, of the many different tools available, video stands out as one of the most effective resources to undertake this task. Helping to deliver important information in short spans of time, minimizing barriers and bringing people closer to their teammates, and ultimately making them feel part of a unified culture.

So, when you start defining your upcoming internal communication strategy, take into account what you've learned in this article. I promise that if you follow at least some of these tips, you’ll be on your way to winning over your employees.

Guest Author

Victor Blasco is an audiovisual designer, video marketing expert, and founder/CEO of the explainer video production company Yum Yum Videos. Besides running the business, he’s a lifelong student of Chinese philosophy and a passionate geek for all things sci-fi.