6 reasons why internal communication is more effective with videos

 

 

 

When we think of video as a tool for corporate communication, we often imagine it serving a marketing or commercial function aimed at an external audience. Whether it’s to build brand image, showcase a product, attract potential consumers, or any of the myriad functions videos can serve, we typically think of them as directed at an audience outside the company. However, in the exciting world of corporate communication, internal videos are becoming an indispensable resource for large organizations. Here we break down 6 reasons why internal communication is much more effective with videos.

 

1. Internal videos have a captive and interested audience

Internal communication videos have a special audience: the employees, contractors, or members of the organization themselves. Unlike videos aimed at the general public, here we are speaking directly to people who are directly involved in the company. This means you have a captive audience who are more interested in the content. This doesn’t justify making a long and boring video, of course. The success of internal communication videos lies in being more interesting, engaging, and persuasive by definition. You can dispense with typical marketing hooks, such as capturing the audience in the first 5 seconds of the video, and instead dive directly into the content.

 

2. Internal Videos: Permission to Use Company Jargon

In these videos, you don’t need to worry about avoiding internal jargon or acronyms. You can freely speak the language of the company without fear of your audience not understanding. In fact, it’s advisable to do so. Using company-specific language, anecdotes, inside jokes, or office references will give the video a personal touch and help create a sense of group belonging. Additionally, this will help you avoid stiffness and cover a variety of topics in a short period of time. As you can imagine, this is one of the main reasons why internal communication is much more effective with this type of video.

 

3. Creative Flexibility

Seize the opportunity to let your creativity shine. These videos don’t have to adhere to your brand guidelines as strictly as external videos. You can experiment with colors, logos, or brand icons that may be new to gauge your employees’ reaction. Clients are often much more willing to accept greater creative freedom in these types of videos. Clients who commission internal videos from The Visual Speech often ask us to adopt a more casual tone and are willing to be less strict about corporate image or tone guidelines.

 

4. Less Aesthetic Pressure

Although the quality of your videos remains important, they don’t need to look extremely expensive. The internal audience understands that millions are not being allocated to these projects, giving you room to be creative without worrying about seeming extravagant.

 

5. Internal Videos Allow for More Agile Revisions

Unlike external video projects, legal and compliance reviews are generally less intensive for internal communication videos. Legal concerns are not usually as prominent, speeding up the review process.

 

6. Specific Use and Clarity

Often, when you ask a client where they want to showcase a video for an external audience, they say, “Everywhere.” Sure, the more people who see it, the better. This means it will be shown on many different channels and formats, in diverse situations, and to different audiences. As a result, it becomes more difficult to tell a solid story across so many channels and formats. But this is not the case for internal communication videos.

Internal videos usually have a single purpose and are used in one or two specific places, nothing more. It’s much easier to craft a story when you know exactly how, why, and when people will watch this video. For example, people will receive it in the internal newsletter for March. Or they will receive it as an internal communication from the General Management on such and such a day at such and such a time. And it will automatically go to fullscreen when each employee clicks on it. Almost no one will watch it on mobile, they will watch it on the computer. This makes it easier for you to develop a coherent story and allows you to easily measure viewing and engagement metrics.

 

In summary

Internal communication is definitely more effective with videos. That’s why they’re gaining ground in the business world. They offer a unique way to communicate with your internal audience, allowing for greater creative flexibility and a closer relationship with your employees. You may be interested in seeing examples we’ve produced at The Visual Speech. Here you can see one. And here, another. In both cases, we have omitted or changed the name of the company, for logical reasons.

Ultimately, if you haven’t yet considered the power of internal communication videos, it’s time to start exploring this powerful communication tool. It could be the key to boosting productivity and connection in your organization!