Watch this space: Using video to foster benefits engagement

When you’re introducing an employee benefits programme, you need to think carefully about how you’re going to communicate it to successfully engage your workforce. The very fact that you are attempting to transmit information to your employees that isn’t directly related to their work presents an automatic challenge. How do you get staff excited about something that simply doesn’t feature highly on their priority list? As a communication tool, the medium of video has a lot to offer.

Videos can capture audience attention in a very short space of time while conveying a large amount of information quickly and memorably.

Videos are a popular and powerful tool for promoting new concepts because they are entertaining, and good at conveying messages quickly. They can deliver content in an exciting and memorable way. They can capture your attention in a short space of time and make a large quantity of information stick in your mind. In short, videos are engaging by their very nature because of their visual and interactive format.

This kind of impact can be highly beneficial for all sorts of different workforces. If your staff are time-poor then a fun and easily digestible video may be the easiest way of educating them. If you’ve got a young generation workforce with a characteristically short attention span then you may well rely on media-rich visuals to attract their eye. A short video will engage users much better than expecting them to read and digest the same amount of text.

The growing prevalence of devices that videos can be viewed on means that promotion by video is becoming a more popular medium. If your employees have access to educational videos not only online at their desks, but on their smartphones and tablets as well then it’s a no-brainer to enable it as a communication method. As an employer, you may well be able to identify other opportunities for airing video in the workplace too. Screens in communal or reception areas present fantastic possibilities for broadcasting information on benefits, as do short slots in monthly or weekly team meetings.

Videos can simplify concepts that otherwise might seem complex, like Cashback or childcare vouchers.

It’s important to have an employee benefits provider that understands the advantages of using video as a communication tool, particularly when it comes to simplifying concepts that could otherwise seem complex if expressed in the wrong way, like Cashback or childcare vouchers. Short and informative videos hosted on your employee benefits portal itself is a really useful way of introducing, or guiding employees through, the programme. Don’t forget that learning by video is now a well-recognised
training format.

It’s not only at launch that video can be an effective communication tool either. Further down the line, there are different types of video that could really help to boost engagement with your programme.

For example, a testimonial video consisting of soundbites from your peers about how useful certain employee benefits are could really resonate with the rest of your workforce and encourage them to start using it too. Because your employees will recognise the faces on-screen as members of their company, they’re much more likely to be influenced by the opinions that their fellow employees voice. With a simple short video you can advance engagement with your programme by raising the profile of those that are already on-side.

Similarly, it’s important to convey aspects that your workforce can identify with in all video promotion. A good provider will recognise the importance of tailoring their standard video guides to include your company branding elements and logo.