Treat your employees like you treat your customers...and educate them with video
Internal communications professionals know that the best way to deliver information to their workforce is through video. But they don’t always know how to make video content engaging. After all, it’s mandatory, right? But mandatory doesn’t mean that training videos have to be so boring, they tempt attendees to jump out the window! Capture and keep attention, engage, and delight your employees with these tips for training with video. Your entire workforce will thank you for saving them from the predictable, catatonic corporate lecture.
1. Mix it Up
True, most people are visual learners. But too much of anything will eventually get old. Switch between online video and offline, in-person conversation. It’s a great way to keep employees on their toes, fortify the message, and exercise all the gears that we use in our brains to process and commit information to memory.
Pro Tip: You can also mix things up by including interactive features within the video, like the ability to comment. This encourages employees to engage with the video and sparks conversation around the video content.
2. Tell a Consistent Message
You probably have a ton to share, but before you speak volumes on camera, think about your entire training program. The company values/culture, messaging, and training must be consistent throughout all departments and locations. Otherwise, you’re not grooming a cohesive workforce that will deliver a consistent customer experience.
3. Distribute a Fact Sheet (Pre-Production)
A fact sheet is a 1- to 2-page document or questionnaire that pushes internal teams to answer the who, what, when, where, and why for every training video. This document should pass through every relevant department for input. For example, if the training video is for a new product, the fact sheet should pass through the product development team, brand development team, marketing, etc.
As the fact sheet develops, focus on removing any ‘marketing speak’ from the content. If you teach using marketing speak, your agents will sell or support clients using marketing speak, and this comes across disingenuous.
Once the document has passed through all relevant departments, circulate it one more time and specifically call out individuals from each team with a strong connection to the voice of the customer. Teaching from this perspective will ensure that the customer’s voice is engrained in each employee and the services they provide.
4. Develop a Script
We wrote an entire blog post about the importance of script writing. You can read it here. The gist is this; a script will ensure that the information you include is well organized, and that on-screen talent doesn’t go off on any tangents. Scripting also gives you a second opportunity to assess the language used for training and confirm that it’s branded, non-marketing speak, and consistent with in-person training.
5. Know Your Audience
Like 90’s garb, this tip will haunt you forever! Knowing your audience isn’t just about understanding what your employees want and need from training videos. It’s also about knowing the end-customer, and how you need to train your staff to properly cater to the customer’s wants and needs. Check out this blog for advice on how to better understand your audience.
Pro Tip: An important part of knowing your audience is understanding where they are in the buyers journey. Employees need to know how to usher customers to the next step, and they can’t effectively do this if the training they receive doesn't take the customer lifecycle into consideration. For more information on different content types that appeal to customers in the different stages of the buyer’s journey, check out this blog.
6. Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously
Include funny outtakes, an entire blooper reel or “behind the scenes shots” at the end of your training video. These are usually entertaining and show off the authenticity of your brand. When audiences are entertained, they pay closer attention, engage, and are more likely to actually learn and retain the information you’re showcasing. Just make sure any humor you include is on brand and again, know your audience.
7. Cut the Crap
It’s inevitable. Training videos are going to be long. But there’s plenty that internal communications (IC) professionals can do to make the experience less draining. For starters, cut out any content that isn’t vital. The fact sheet we explained in point three will help slim down and focus your messaging but don’t stop there! Keep looking for information to cut. If it can be shared elsewhere, pitch it from the video and include annotated links at the end of the video to direct employees to additional information. You can also use a video platform that offers chaptering. Chapters provide employees with plenty of freedom to take breaks or jump around to the information they are most interested in viewing.
8. Don’t Skimp on Production Value
Some organizations think that because internal video content isn't customer-facing, it doesn’t have to be as high quality as marketing content. Wrong! As a general rule of thumb, you should treat your employees the same as you treat your best customers. You won’t capture or keep your employees’ attention if you produce poor-quality training videos.
9. Test Your Employees
Let your employees know that they will be tested on the material ahead of time. This will motivate them to pay closer attention. Use a customizable post-play screen that appears at the conclusion of the video and link to a quiz on the material. You can also use this feature to survey employees and learn more about what is and isn’t working.
10. Track Engagement & Push for Better Results
Your job as an internal marketer is never done. Track engagement and keep improving your strategy. If you notice employee viewership dropping off at specific chapters or time frames, investigate why. Pick a video platform that offers plenty of analytical tools and don’t just look at the view numbers. Empathize with your viewers and challenge your IC strategy with questions about their engagement behavior. Why did they re-watch a particular section and skip others?
Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell’s Soup Co. says it best.
“To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace.”
These tips will help, but a strong IC video strategy is best served with a full-time video partner. Check out this case study to learn more about how video can be used to deliver your corporate communications in a way that delights and engages your workforce. And if we’ve convinced you to partner with a video marketing partner for your video needs, contact us!
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