How to use video to engage your audience
The demand for video content has never been greater. And during the ongoing pandemic, we’re consuming more of it than ever. Therefore, corporations are investing more into video content than ever before to improve their marketing and internal communications.
In this blog post we’re going to look at some of the ways you could be using video to save time, improve your internal communications and engage your audience.
Use video to make your internal comms more personal
It’s often argued that videos are more effective than standard text for communicating a message. Although I tend to agree, I think it depends on the type of message being delivered and how it’s presented. Using video for internal communications can be a great way to deliver a more impactful message to your entire organisation or even just your immediate team. At CRUK our Executive Director of Fundraising and Marketing sends round a video message every Friday, highlighting some of the week’s highlights and successes. I find this friendly and informal way of communicating is a lot more effective and personal than an email update.
If you’re new to sharing video updates, an internal video message is a great place to start as you’ll likely already have an established relationship with the recipients. And you’ll probably find them far more forgiving and supportive than an external audience! You may even find people prefer hearing from you this way. You’ll find plenty of advice online about how to hone the perfect internal comms video.
The key is to keep in mind who your audience is. If the video is intended for your immediate team, you could perhaps deliver a more relaxed and less-scripted message. But if the video is being shared with the entire organisation then you’ll probably want to adopt a more formal tone and tighten up the script.
One thing that often holds people back from appearing in videos is the fear of being on camera. I’m sure by now you’ve come to tolerate seeing your face reflected back at you on your daily video meetings. But you might find that you start feeling uncomfortable very quickly when recording a piece to camera. So if the idea of recording yourself fills you with dread, I would suggest reading and watching some of the numerous resources online about how be on camera and how to look great in your next webcam video before giving it a go. Like most things, the more you do it the better you will get. Plus who’s really going to know how many times it took you to capture that perfect take?
Build your brand with homemade, low budget video
In 2021 it’s expected that consumers will continue to use video as an integral part of their journey with brands. So if your organisation isn’t already putting out video content, now is the time to start.
Given the challenges of filming anything with high production values in the current circumstances, many organisations have adapted the type of video content they’re sharing to include more animated elements, stock footage or repurposed old content. Whilst this is an excellent way of building and maintaining your brand’s relationship with your external audience, don’t be afraid to share a video with your audience that’s a little more homemade.
The pandemic has meant that we’ve all become accustomed to seeing content filmed on low quality cameras in less-than-ideal conditions on national TV. So instead of harming your brand, sharing a homemade video in this current climate will probably help your brand to appear authentic and strengthen the notion that ‘we’re all in it together’. For example, I recently enjoyed these self-recorded clips that were included in a recent thank you video to our amazing volunteers.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that you’re still representing your brand so ensure to stick to your organisation’s brand guidelines and take heed of the advice in my previous point about being comfortable and looking your best on camera.
Start getting creative with video
If you’re looking to get a bit more creative with your video content there are numerous free editing software programs available. Microsoft’s Movie Maker and Apple’s iMovie are perfect to get started with. Or if you have some budget and are looking to invest in something industry standard, try Adobe Premier Pro or Apple’s Final Cut Pro. You’ll find both of these providers offer free trials so you can try before you buy. Bear in mind you’ll find the learning curve for video editing software steepens as they get more advanced — I’ve been using Premier Pro for 5 years and I’m still finding new things it can do!
If you don’t have the time to dedicate to learning a video editing platform and want to quickly turnaround a creative and engaging video, I have found Adobe Spark to be a fantastic free tool. You can incorporate music, images and text in a variety of themes into your video within its extremely user-friendly interface. Again, be mindful of what is appropriate for your brand. But with free tools like this available online there’s nothing stopping you from producing engaging video content to connect with your audience.
Reclaim your time with video
Creating video content for work can also be an effective way to free up your time. Here’s a couple of my favourite ways to do that:
Don’t underestimate the power of a screen recording
If you need to show an individual or team how to complete a task on a piece of software or online tool, such as navigating the back-end of a CMS, consider making a screen recording of how to complete the task that you can share with them. It’s easier than ever to do — the screen recording tool in PowerPoint is a favourite of mine — and it means you can avoid trying to find an available time for a demo in peoples diaries and allow them to watch it at a time that suits them. An internal video platform such as Fuse or Microsoft Stream is an ideal place to store recordings. Otherwise a simple shared folder will do.
Start recording your presentations for reuse
If part of your role involves delivering the same presentation or webinar on a regular basis, you might find that sending a recording of the presentation to people in advance of a short meeting to be more efficient. Again, this allows them to watch the presentation at a time that suits them. And it means you can use the meeting time as a quick follow up session to answer any questions they have. Most remote meeting applications, such as Microsoft Teams, will allow you to record a meeting.
So next time you deliver it try recording it. Just make sure you get permission from the participants before you do so! And if you need to trim the start or end point of your recording, or even crop out the faces of the attendees, then these edits can be made using PowerPoint’s video trimming tool if you don’t have dedicated video editing software.
Hopefully this blog post has inspired you to try incorporating video into your workflow as part of your next comms message, brand building exercise or just to see if it can help you save you time.
Remember, video isn’t something to be scared of. It’s a powerful tool that can help you to do your job better!
What inventive ways of using video have you seen being used at your organisation? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Further reading
Oberlo.co.uk — 10 video marketing statistics you need to know in 2020
The Drum — How is video advertising faring in the age of coronavirus?
