Leveraging video as a strategic internal communication

It’s unquestionably true that video is not a new channel for internal communications.  And yet, as we’ve spoken to numerous internal comms leaders and their teams over the last months, it’s clearly become a channel that’s experiencing something of a resurgence right now.

case-study and interview-based research and the quantitative survey conducted of under 1,000 communicators from across industry and geography suggest that video is an increasingly hot topic at this point in time; 66.4% of the communicators surveyed reported that they regularly or on an ‘ad hoc’ basis use video to support internal comms.

Video as an internal medium has evolved significantly from that point, thanks to the growing ease with which organizations can deliver video content online. This rise in popularity is perhaps also influenced by the external resurgence of video and new opportunities to communicate on a global level easily.

Data shared by that YouTube shows that over 24 hours of video is downloaded every minute, and even global leaders now leverage that platform to connect with the world in recognition of the huge message distribution channel that video platforms represent.  

As video becomes an increasingly popular tool for external communications, then, it’s perhaps not surprising that it seems to be an increasingly popular tool for internal communications. Indeed, when asked in our survey about their experiences with internal video, 53.6% of respondents agreed that employees now expect to see video internally because of wide use externally, whilst 92.4% agreed that visual communications are becoming a more important part of internal communications.

As our own companies become increasingly global and explore new ways of working; as our workforce diversifies both in terms of how employees receive and absorb key messages, and the channels via which they choose to do so; and as we grapple with economic constraints, meaningless face-to-face time with teams in different locations. while also making employee engagement more important than ever before – video can often seem like an increasingly viable channel for internal communicators to explore. A recent survey on social media beyond just video (completed by around 2,000 global practitioners) showed that just over half already use online video in some shape or form. And in our more recent survey, specific to this study, 69.8% said that they could envisage their organization devoting more time and budget to video in the future.

Here are five factors that communicators need to carefully consider in leveraging video as a valuable channel for comms within their organizations:

1. Purpose: How can we evaluate when the video will add value to our overall communication strategy? What’s the business case for video and how can we build it? How can we counsel internal customers on when to use video and when not? And ultimately, how should we think about developing a plan for video?

2. People: How should we define our audience and decide when the video is an appropriate channel to deploy? How can we think about a segmentation-based approach to maximize the impact of video investments? How can we support distribution and access if the goal is to reach a global audience?

3. Production: What are the key criteria for an effective video, and what can be done to ensure consistency of quality and high impact? How should those steps differ for corporate versus UGC videos, and can the two mediums be blended to reinforce our messages? What technical issues should be considered? How can communicators best work with external suppliers and/or internal IT teams?

4. Practice: What creative examples and options exist? What tactics for embedding video into other channels are appropriate for different organizations? What governance issues should be considered? What examples of videos can we get access to, to inform our own planning in, and development of, the channel.

5. Proof: How can we validate the investment of time and resources required for video production – both in-house, with an agency partner, or with employee-generated content? How do companies track usage and outcomes? Does the ROI justify the expense?

You need to explore how online video can be deployed as an effective global channel for internal communications; how to select the right tactics; how to create content with maximum impact; how to measure accessibility, usage, and outcomes of video; and encourages communicators to think about the channel as just one support mechanism within an overriding communication strategy. It was fascinating to cast our net beyond communication practitioners, and also speak to IT business partners, external video agencies, and other stakeholders to understand what they need from internal comms to make video work for the business, and also what they think we need to focus on to make video work – full stop! In that same spirit, I’m closing out this article by sharing some of the key tips we discovered on our research journey.

Companies around the world and across industries are adopting increasingly sophisticated means of understanding customer and market needs and preferences. While we may not always have the investment or the resources to be quite as scientific when it comes to internal communications and our internal audiences, it’s undoubtedly crucial to have at least some understanding of the people's side of things.

Getting a sense of who we’re aiming at and why is obviously central to any messaging we might be creating – whatever channel we choose. But given the potential costs of video and the possible barriers we could face in distributing a relatively hi-tech communication methodology, it’s extremely important when it comes to video.