Best Practices for Internal Comms with Lumen5

Table of contents

Introduction

What is an internal comms video?

What is the objective of an internal comms video?

Examples of internal comms videos

How to create an internal comms video on Lumen5

Quick tips

Conclusion

Introduction

Internal communication is more important now than ever. As digital communications have improved over the past few years, teams across the world have shifted to a remote-work environment. This means that creating communication that reaches a dispersed team, shares a message, and has an impact can be challenging. This is why we believe that video is the most important and effective tool that business owners can utilize to enhance their internal comms process.



This guide explores what an internal comms video is and how to create one for your internal processes and systems or platforms.

What is an internal comms video?

An internal comms video is a short and visually engaging way to deliver important updates, information, news and stories for internal purposes.



Any internal content can be repurposed into video format. For example, a weekly email newsletter, an intranet bulletin board, an internal blog with employee stories, or an internal roundup podcast.



Further examples of internal comms videos that we’ve seen include important company updates and announcements, fun or informal team updates or stories, or key company event notices or post-event highlights.

What is the objective of an internal comms video?

To deliver important internal information in a more engaging, fun, digestible format.

To make it easier for employees to find out key information. For example, some people are more visual learners or may have dyslexia, so they might find a video easier and more helpful to learn from.

To increase employee interest in and engagement with important company updates and news. This is because videos tend to perform better than static content on all platforms. For example, one Lumen5 customer found a 90% increase in CTR when they incorporated video into their internal emails.

Examples of internal comms videos

Internal comms videos are a great way to distribute a variety of messages and can be used by marketers in any industry, as you can see from some of our examples below.

Global consultancy firm WSP uses Lumen5 to create summary videos of their internal communications newsletter called The Wire.


State UK-based legal and financial services firm Irwin Mitchell uses Lumen5 to share important company information, such as a report on their internal pay gap findings in 2019.

How to create an internal comms video on Lumen5

Think about the purpose of the video. Is it intended to be in place of static or written content, or in addition to? Be clear on this before you input your content.

Preview the storyboard to make sure each scene is concise. If there are any long sentences, break it up with a subscene or consider re-wording them to be more succinct.

Highlight anything important such as key dates (e.g. events/celebrations) or quotes (e.g. from the CEO) so anyone skim-watching can quickly grasp the key takeaways.

If you want to use the video to organize something or to generate a response, then make sure to include a clear call-to-action in the video. For example, you can add some text to your outro or create a standalone CTA scene.

If the video is going to be hosted somewhere permanent, such as an intranet, then make sure any of the content which may be subject to change, is clearly identified as such. For example, if you’re promoting a competition, make sure you clearly include the deadline so if someone finds the video two weeks later they’re aware it has expired.

Send a shareable preview link of the video to one or two colleagues to get their feedback and crucially to test what they thought the core message or key takeaways are.

Quick tips

Tip 1: Use your own media
Use as many owned or internal assets as possible, for example, direct quotes from senior leadership or employee-generated content. A main benefit of video is that it can have a more powerful and personal impact than static content, so be sure to capitalize on this. We’ve even seen employee’s personal TikTok videos featured in team update videos made by Lumen5.



Tip 2: Stick to your brand
Consider making a separate brand preset for your internal comms videos. Do you have specific colors/branding for your intranet or newsletter? If so, adopt those so there’s consistency across your internal comms. If not, consider how you can keep your videos in line with your brand guidelines while giving them a standout identity.



Tip 3: Keep it short
Even if your video is intended to replace previously written content, don’t try to shoehorn the same amount of content into a video — any of the benefits of higher engagement and interest will be lost. Lumen5 videos can be helpful because the textboxes force you to be succinct in your communications.

Conclusion

We hope you found this guide useful! We’re always open to feedback and if you want to get in touch to chat about this guide, or anything else Lumen5, contact your dedicated Customer Success Manager or email [email protected].

Updated on: 27/05/2022