Gone are the days of long PowerPoint presentations and overloaded slides, or long e-mails to teams. Make way for video!
If you're looking for an impactful, educational and entertaining way to boost your company's internal communications, you should know that according to one study, 48% of employees are more engaged by videos than by other forms of communication.
The importance of effective internal communication
Internal communication is essential to creating and maintaining a positive corporate culture and developing your business. Internal communication videos can help companies of all sizes to capture the attention of their employees, keep them engaged, provide them with the tools they need to do their jobs, and collaborate effectively in a secure and accessible way. It's also a great way to communicate with your employees about any changes happening within your company, as well as upcoming events or products. Keeping your teams informed not only connects them to each other, but also helps everyone understand how their work fits into the overall organization.
While some videos will be aimed at the whole organization, others can be created for a specific team or department. Your company can use these videos for a variety of purposes: sharing important information, informing a specific team of workflow changes, training employees on new software, wishing a birthday, sharing the joy of signing a big contract.
How can video help you stand out from other internal communication formats?
According to Anne Philippe, Head of Marketing and Communications at Steeple, a phygital internal communications solution that creates links between employees and strengthens team commitment: "Video has the advantage of being animated, so you can see people and feel the energy they're exuding, which isn't always easy to convey through text or photos. Video complements other communication formats when it comes to sharing information. It helps personalize a message, making communication more human."
Where can you publish your internal communication videos?
There is no shortage of communication tools: newsletters, in-house newspapers, intranet, welcome booklets, internal company social networks (WhatsApp groups, Snapchat, Instagram, etc.), instant messaging, project management tools, etc.
You can also include a video in your e-mail signature to welcome the New Year, for example, or to celebrate a company anniversary.
Many companies have now adopted internal messaging systems such as Slack, Fleep or TypeTalk, Jostle, Microsoft Teams or Skype. These are all tools that will enable you to broadcast your videos to your entire organization in just a few clicks.
How can you use internal communication videos for your company?
Chairman's greetings, farewell party, thank-you video, signing of a new partnership, launch of a new project, update on targets and sales... Video is the ideal format for official announcements. Easy to share on the company's intranet, social networks or instant messaging systems, they help energize teams and corporate culture. With the spread of telecommuting and hybrid working, they are becoming increasingly popular corporate levers. Although internal communication videos are usually produced within a formal framework, more and more companies are taking advantage of the format to produce original and sometimes humorous videos.
Examples of how to use video in your internal communications
The corporate video
Every year, Maurice Levy surprises his teams with his new year's greetings videos, but not only that. Indeed, every year, the videos have a nasty habit of leaking.
In the same vein, the CEO can also speak on video at other times of the year. This format, which is more meaningful than the written word, allows executives to embody and stay in touch with their teams throughout the year.
Teasers and aftermovies for in-house events
Many events punctuate the lives of organizations: seminars, annual conventions, New Year's Eve parties, team-building events, hackathons... Sometimes it's hard to get teams involved. In such cases, there's nothing like a video teaser to make people want to take part in an internal event. The audiovisual format is much more motivating than a poster or e-mail. And after the event, an aftermovie will immortalize these moments of cohesion and sharing. If the aftermovie leaves a lasting impression, it's also a great way of encouraging those who missed the event to attend the next one.
Giving teams a voice
Videos are ideal for boosting motivation and commitment! Giving your employees a voice is a great way to showcase them and their work. Videos such as Fast and Curious are now widespread and trendy. This interview format can be used in a variety of ways: introducing a team member or a new recruit, interviewing a company manager, organizing exchanges between members of staff... William Hurst, General Manager of EDC Paris, lent himself to the game.
An infographic to share company results
There are less glamorous, yet essential subjects on which a company needs to communicate. Sales figures, objectives... can quickly become boring. So why not opt for video. The creation of an animation or a motion design film lasting a few minutes will enable you to share your internal and external results in a more digestible way.
Discover the company and its subsidiaries
Inspired by the famous documentary series "J'irai dormir chez vous" (I'll sleep at your place), in which Antoine de Maximy is followed to meet the inhabitants of a country, AXA decided to create a video magazine in which one of its communications managers can be seen discovering the Group's different entities around the world. Initially aimed at internal teams, the webseries was widely shared on LinkedIn and social networks.
Video newsletter to keep teams informed
If your internal newsletters have a low open rate, why not try a video version? Give free rein to your creativity. Give employees a voice to explain the projects they're working on, make key announcements (vacation dates, team building, group aperitifs, farewell parties, etc.). You can also insert participative sections: press reviews of series not to be missed, the book of the week, the exhibition not to be missed.... Use video to give substance to your in-house events. And why not launch a competition?
Communicating the employer brand
At Danone, even though they had to use the in-house travel agency, many employees continued to organize their own trips. To raise awareness and remind employees of best practices, Danone decided to produce a humorous mini-fiction reminding them of safety rules and the need to use the business travel service.
In a different style, the Steeple company has decided to make the midday nap compulsory for everyone. To introduce this new ritual to its teams, the company has produced a video. Available on the company's YouTube channel, this video is also a real asset for promoting the employer brand.
Raising team awareness of CSR
Today, companies are expected to be socially responsible. Both internally and externally, they need to communicate their concrete actions. To embody their CSR initiatives, companies can not only interview employees, but also film the actions implemented on their premises. Employees can also take it upon themselves to film eco-responsible initiatives, using their cell phones for example. What's more, according to a study carried out by Page Group in February 2023, 2 out of 3 French people are concerned about a company's CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy before applying for a job. Presenting your CSR policy on your website will help you promote your employer brand to future candidates.
Unite your teams with a web series on company life
A web series or short corporate film is the ideal format for creating a sense of belonging within your teams. Simple enough to produce, you can film a behind-the-scenes look at your company, adding a dose of storytelling. For example, you could publish a monthly "Vis ma vie" episode following the day-to-day life of one of the company's employees. Using the same unifying principle, you can also create a "making of" to communicate on a project, or follow a project that mobilizes several teams within the company.
