As organizations grow and mature, often one of the greatest challenges they face is simple communication. This problem has only become more complex as remote offices increasingly dot the globe and sales take place online 24/7/365.

Too often, communications teams rely heavily on text documents, recaps, summaries, and emails to share messages and keep each other up to date. Not only does all that take a great deal of time and effort to create, as many managers can attest, but they’re also seldom read.

So how do you get people to pay attention to what you have to say? And how do you make it memorable?

More and more, communications professionals are turning to video to grab people’s attention and connect their messages with more people in meaningful ways, while minimizing their response time and also gaining more actionable insights about their efforts.

Whether it’s an internal update, a sensitive executive announcement, or public-facing PR, there are many ways leading organizations now use video to deliver more successful communications to their key audiences.

Here are 12 ways businesses are using video for communications:

Internal Events and Meetings

1. All-hands meetings

They’re called all-hands meetings for a reason — everyone in the company is expected to attend. But with over-booked schedules, planned and unplanned time-off, and competing business-critical priorities, it’s a rare occasion that every last employee can be there in-person. And for larger organizations with multiple office locations, presenting the same information to everyone, everywhere, at once in a single unified experience is an almost impossible challenge. However, live streaming and recording an all-hands meeting can be an effective way to enable everyone who can’t be there in the room to still attend important executive announcements.

2. Internal conferences and events

Global sales team events, employee training conferences, interdepartmental off-sites, and more can all add greater value for your organization when you make the information and ideas shared during these events available to everyone. With searchable on-demand recordings of your internal events, those who attended can revisit something that was covered during an event just as easily as an employee who wasn’t there can find information they didn’t even know was presented.

Executive Communications

3. Company news

The best leaders make it a priority to communicate effectively, earning trust and minimizing fear throughout the organization when big events like reorganizations, leadership turnover, mergers, acquisitions, or new business strategies arise. Live streaming and recording announcements from executives can enable your leadership team to have sincere, virtual face-to-face conversations with every employee in your company.

4. Change management

When orchestrating a big change throughout your organization, nothing is more important than clear, consistent, and detailed communication. Spreading change management messages through video ensures no details will be lost, and that every point will be presented exactly as you intended. And with on-demand videos, busy employees can watch when they are able to give their undivided attention or replay parts they want to see again.

Internal Communications

5. Policy announcements

Often given no more than a quick skim by employees or pushed to the side for later, policy announcements like benefits updates, compliance communications, new expense processes will get the attention they deserve when you explain the changes out loud in a video. Think of video as the new corporate memo that can ensure important information is heard and absorbed, instead of getting lost in people’s inboxes. Benefits and expense policy updates, in particular, get used most at the moment of need, so having a searchable on-demand video resource can enable employees to quickly find the detailed information they need without bugging their managers or HR.

Watch a video overview of a company benefits plan below:

 

 

6. Employee experience communications

When it comes to promoting your corporate culture, unifying global teams, and keeping employees motivated to do their best work each day, videos that show your people, their expressions, and their tone are far more powerful for delivering messages that get employees excited about where they work. Communications teams today are using video to record regular video podcasts, celebrate employee achievements, spotlight core values in action, welcome new employees, and more.

7. Local office announcements

Did everyone read the flyer you printed out and stuck on the fridge for the upcoming blood drive? Probably not. A quick video can drum up excitement even for small things like employee resource groups, office contests, volunteer opportunities, emergency and safety information, and other location-specific announcements.

Public Communications

8. Investor relations

Are your executives still hiding behind lifeless PowerPoint slides on a conference call when delivering live earnings updates to investors? As important as these calls are, both to highlight successes as well as to build confidence with investors when expectations may not have been met, many companies have been slow to update the way they present quarterly business results. Live video webcasts that show your executives in full HD not only make these calls more engaging and impactful, but also can help personalize relationships with investors.

9. Crisis communications

When a crisis puts the reputation of your brand on the line, delivering a dry text-based response may be just as risky as ignoring the issue entirely. In a turbulent situation, nothing is more important than showing the human side of your company and responding with sincere, transparent communications that sow the seeds of trust. Instead of shipping out a flat, written response to stakeholders and the media, have your leadership deliver the message in a quick video so people can feel emotionally connected to your brand and its chosen course of action.

10. Corporate social responsibility

People today are more selective about doing business with companies they believe have a greater purpose than merely profits. So how do you show the world that the people in your company are making a positive impact on the world around them? Share your stories through video. When people can see the good you’re doing, you’ll encourage stronger connections with your brand and inspire others to join you in supporting the causes you care most about.

11. Public announcements

Traditional press releases aren’t getting the mileage that they once did. With so much noise to break through, communications teams are getting more creative with how they tell their company’s most important stories. A video press release can grab the attention of busy journalists, give life to new product features, generate buzz and excitement for an upcoming event, and more. What’s more, people are much more likely to share your video press releases socially, compared to a standard text-based press release.

12. Media and analyst briefings at scale

Cultivating media and analyst relationships over time can result in more positive press coverage and a leading edge for your brand that can really set you apart from your competitors. If you’ve ever thought about going beyond one-on-one meetings and communications with journalists and industry analysts, you’re not alone. Some companies have begun to host exclusive live streams for these important audiences in which they steer the conversation about the future of their market, establishing thought leadership among those who matter the most when it comes to positioning your brand as a leader in your industry.

Get More From Your Video Communications Strategies

Today, corporate communications professionals are increasingly leveraging live and on-demand video to break through the noise and more effectively engage and inform employees. But to maximize your investment, you’ll need the right video tools.

In our latest white paper we dive deeper into how technology is changing video-based corporate communications strategies and what tools give you the most flexibility and agility when it comes to cost-effective video production.

Download the white paper >>