Create video content for internal newsletter.
See effective ideas and the advantages.
In recent years, content that conveys a variety of information through video, rather than text and images, has gained momentum. In the midst of this social trend, have you ever wondered if it would be possible to replace your paper-based internal newsletters with videos? Or are you interested in the advantages and disadvantages?
This article will tell you such information to create internal newsletters with videos. Also, we will introduce successful ideas to them. If you are interested, read through this article to the end.
Background
Along with the spread of video contents, it is said that more companies have adopted them to internal newsletters. The factor includes the increasing use of the internet and the spread of teleworking etc..
It should be noted that there is a need for companies since telecommuting has made it more difficult to communicate among employees. In that point, videos are an effective tool to convey internal information in a more specific way. The following are specific backgrounds behind the use of video in internal newsletters.
Web-based internal newsletter
It is one of the reasons for the increase of video contents that internal newsletters are becoming web-based.
ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has been widely used in many companies, and more people have gotten used to communicating through the internet. This wave has extended to internal newsletters as well, with a shift from paper-based to the Web-based as the medium of communication. While traditional internal newsletters have mainly been printed, the shift to the Web-based ones has made it possible to use videos.
The spread of YouTube has also spurred the use of videos in internal newsletters, as its familiarity has encouraged various communities to embark on creating videos. Corporate initiatives are no exception, and the number of internal newsletters with videos is on the rise, coupled with the ease of uploading and convenient features.
Increase in teleworking
The increasing number of companies adopting teleworking is one of the reasons why more companies are utilizing videos for their internal newsletters. Promotion of the working style is gaining momentum as a result of the spread of COVID-19. According to the announcement by MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) the percentage of people who telework rose from 9.8% in 2019 to 19.71% in 2020.
Despite various advantages of teleworking, one of the disadvantages is that it brings less communication among employees. In addition to the difficulty to maintain their motivation, it can also be a challenge for management to convey its corporate direction to employees. As a countermeasure, videos have been attracting attention to share messages directly to employees.
Growing trend away from print among young people
Away from print can be a trigger to increase the number of companies utilizing videos in their internal newsletters. ACA (Agency for Cultural Affairs) conducted a nationwide survey of men and women aged 16 and older in 2019. It showed the results that about half of the respondents "do not read" a book in a month.
One of the reasons for this result is the widespread use of the Internet. Since gathering information on the Internet provides access to so much information, fewer and fewer people dare to read books.
With this trend growing especially among young people, some companies are producing videos out of concern that paper booklets and text-based company newsletters will not be read.
Advantages
Internal newsletters with videos will boost new and accurate information to the audience. While conventional text-based information can be shown through the subtitles, video contents will reach the audience without misunderstanding.
Other advantages include the reduction of man-hours required to produce internal newsletters. Here are three examples below.
Sharing accurate information
Internal newsletters with videos have a feature to share information to the audience accurately. Unlike face-to-face communication, text-based information does not express voice intonation or gestures. Therefore, it could be an ineffective communication tool to precisely convey what the writer means.
The same is true for internal newsletters. If it is text-only, the writer's intention may not be conveyed properly, and there may cause that each employee understands it differently.
Videos, on the other hand, include facial expressions, intonation, and atmosphere. These techniques allow you to accurately convey what you want to say to the audience. By utilizing videos, not only information but the thoughts and feelings behind the information can be conveyed at the same time.
Less man-hours and work burden
Another advantage of using video is that it reduces the man-hours and work burden for producing internal newsletters. At first, it might take a lot of time to produce a single video due to a lack of knowledge and know-how. However, once you gain knowledge and get accustomed to handling the equipment, the operation will be smoother. Compared to paper-based media, the time and effort required for photography, writing, printing, and distribution will be reduced.
Also, video contents tend to be highly versatile and can be used for corporate training and presentation materials in addition to internal newsletters.
Visualized engagement
By utilizing videos in internal newsletter, it is also possible to visualize employees’ engagement. Engagement refers to the willingness of employees to contribute to the company. Videos will make it easier to manage it by numerical evaluation from the audience.
When it comes to the motivation of employees, you can grasp it more easily when knowing the engagement such as the number of views and the average viewing time.
Back to ContentsDisadvantages
In spite of various advantages to utilize videos in internal newsletters especially in terms of internal communication, there are also disadvantages. Following are two of them.
Burden for beginners
The disadvantage of videos utilized for internal newsletters is that it takes a lot of time to get used to the process. If you do not have experience in video production such as planning, shooting and editing, time and effort for each process will be required.
Once you get used to the process, it will not take that long. As a result, the man-hours and work burden will decrease in the end.
Talking about another burden, it is important to understand that a certain amount of implementation cost including the one of equipment will be required.
Required know-how
Another disadvantage is that it requires expertise in video production. What you need to think first is whether you have employees with the know-how; if not, it will take more time because you will have to learn from scratch.
In addition, a variety of tools must be used to create a video. When selecting equipment, you need to consider whether it is excellent in operability and whether it has functions you want. A certain amount of know-how is required to determine these points as well.
Back to ContentsSuccessful ideas
In addition to text and images, further elements such as videos and audio are included, which enables you to share more attractive internal newsletters.
Here are three ideas for internal newsletters with videos. Why don't you try the advanced newsletter that you have never seen before?
Message from a representative
One of the ideas for the newsletter with video is a message from the president, chairman, or other company representative. This is a practical way to directly convey management policies, current performance, and expectations to employees. From the perspective of boosting employee morale, such a message has an important role in determining the future of the company.
Although teleworking has been widely adopted in recent years, it tends to be more difficult to convey the company's situation and policies when communicating apart from each other. Even in such cases, a video message will reach the thought to the audience properly.
It can be the same for other companies with a large number of employees or offices across the world. In order to deliver the message clearly and reliably, subtitles will be effective.
Announcement of awards
Award announcements are also recommended as a content for internal newsletters with a video. For instance, the most active employee by month, quarter or year might be honored, or some department and team could be mentioned.
It is more effective to edit videos so as to encourage employees to win the award. Including interviews with award winners will make them motivated.
Sharing internal news
Company news will facilitate information sharing and increase internal cohesion. New equipment, announcements of personnel changes, and changes in company rules can be explained using diagrams and illustrations, making the information easier to understand than reading text itself.
It can be a catalyst for communication among employees. Keep your antenna up and research what kind of news is likely to grab the hearts of them.
Back to ContentsVideo content as an e-learning
The proliferation of video contents has required a revolution in the way of internal newsletters. Consider utilizing videos in order to make newsletters more attractive and reach accurate information to employees. It may take time and effort at first, but the more your skills improve, the higher quality of internal newsletters you will be able to produce.
Since communication technology has become popular, we recommend the introduction of an e-learning system to share information.
learningBOX offers a wide range of learning contents. You can upload videos as internal newsletters in addition to corporate or in-house training. We are happy to help you in any way. If you have any questions about our service and creating contents, feel free to contact us. Free brochure.
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