We’re on a bit of an employee engagement mission over here at Holy Cow. Our previous discussed the reasons why meetings and emails are going the way of the dinosaur, with a focus on video as the go-to engagement tool of the future. Go take a gander if you missed it – there are a few scary stats and interesting insights in there that may inspire you to rethink your internal communication strategy.
Today we’ll be focussing on the best ways to use video. As animation and video-production veterans, we’ve been around the block. Suffice it to say we’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Not all video-related content solutions are created equal, and since there is a fair amount of work involved in creating effective A/V content, you want to be sure that your investment will yield some serious results in the long run.
Here are four things you should do to make sure that your video content hits the employee-engagement sweet spot:
Keep it under 4 minutes
We live in an era of information fatigue. The modern-day employee is bombarded with correspondence and media from the moment they wake up, so if you want to make an impact you have to keep it as short and concise as possible. Stick to your core idea and whittle it down to the essentials.
Tell a story
People tend to retain information better if it is presented at the hand of a storyline or metaphor. Try to write the script for your video in a way that will entice the viewer to fully engage until the conclusion – like a page-turner, but for the eyes and ears. If you can’t do so yourself, rustle up a copywriter with a knack for storytelling.
Choose the right format
Live action is great for short videos (think 30 seconds). If you go longer than that, consider animation. Motion graphics grab your viewer’s attention by combining different information-delivery techniques, including infographics, data visualisation, metaphors, as well as dynamic and colourful motion effects. It keeps things interesting.
Collaborate with a pro
It may seem fairly simple to hit record on a camera and splice together a video, but if you want to create engaging content you might want to consider collaborating with professionals who do so for a living. A tried and tested video production crew is worth more than the sum of its parts – you won’t only be getting beautiful footage, attention-grabbing animation, and sleek editing, you will also be drawing from a vast pool of collective conceptual experience.
So, there you have it – a few top tips from animation and production professionals who are involved in the creation of seriously awesome video-related content every single day. Keep an eye on the blog in coming weeks and months for the inside scoop on making your internal communications work for you. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to us via LinkedIn, get in touch via our website www.holycow.co.za or email us on lana@holycow.co.za
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