With the changing circumstances as a result of COVID-19, many companies are no longer able to meet in-person with their staff. Where able, companies and their workers are shifting to an online model where they can work from home to ensure that everything keeps moving, or with limited staff in-house.
If your business remains open, you will still have training needs despite the current world events. New hires must be trained, existing staff may need to update their knowledge, new programs or methods to help make working remotely more efficient might be implemented, and new protocols have to be explained to all workers. In a time when we are unable to travel or gather in large groups, utilizing training videos can be critical to ensure this information reaches everyone with consistency and ease.
Regardless of circumstance, one of the best investments that any company can make is in video training. Research shows that organizations that invest in employee training earn a 24% higher income than those that do not. For those that implement a comprehensive employee training strategy, the gains can be as much as a 218% increase in revenue per employee.
Besides increasing profits, training helps improve employee retention. 40% of employees who do not receive adequate training leave the company within the first year. There are many ways to conduct employee training that offer varying results. With increasing competition for top talent, businesses need to adopt highly effective training strategies. In this regard, corporate training videos have become a popular choice, increasing the demand for corporate video productions.
Corporate training videos are videos designed to equip employees with the necessary skills to perform their roles while preparing them for bigger roles. A brand can also educate its customers about the products and services through corporate video productions.
Why Create Videos in 2020?
Unlike other forms of content, the purpose of educational material is to help users retain the content. Compared to other learning materials and formats, videos help boost retention. This is because videos engage users both visually and through audio. More importantly, they help reduce the cost of training while offering a considerable return on investment.
Clients often think that corporate videos are for entertainment and social media. The truth is that video is a dynamic medium to share content that can be used for a wide range of purposes. Here are some of the ways companies can make use of videos with the help of a corporate video production agency:
- To increase engagement with customers
- For employee training
- To educate consumers on the product and services on offer
- To improve search engine rankings on Google
- To increase traffic to the company website
How to Make an Effective Training Video
Through the years of working in video production, I’ve noticed that three crucial elements increase the effectiveness of a training video: how informative it is, the engagement level, and the video’s quality. When you’re thinking about creating an effective corporate video, there are some steps to follow to ensure it is successful:
1. Pick Your Topic
The first thing I ask my clients when starting their video is what they intend to teach. Unlike entertainment videos, the audience for a corporate training video is only interested in specific information. Also, watching such a video often means dedicating time from their busy schedule.
If the video is irrelevant or not insightful enough, they will lose interest quickly and switch to other things. Therefore, the first step in corporate video productions is choosing topics and getting the necessary information.
2. Choose a Format for Your Content
There are different types of formats that can be used for corporate video productions. Each is different and suitable for specific uses and timelines. Such formats include:
- Screencast – Recordings made on computers. Suitable for training people on how to use computer systems and software.
- Presenter Video – For this type, someone acts as a host, taking learners through the training. It is deal for product demos.
- Micro Video – This is a short five to fifteen-second video used to pass a simple message.
- Animation – These are videos that use text and computer-generated or drawn images. They are highly engaging and suitable for a wide range of uses.
- Role Play – In role play videos, characters act out specific scenarios to demonstrate to viewers how to respond in such situations.
- Interactive Videos – This is a relatively new video format. With interactive videos, users choose a scenario and are asked to respond to the situations that arise. They are highly engaging and suitable for training personnel.
3. Script and Storyboard
Businesses that attempt to create a corporate training video on their own often make several mistakes. The biggest of all is failing to prepare. Even with the perfect idea of what you want a video to be, the execution will be lacking without preparation.
Begin by creating a script for the video. From there, create a storyboard to highlight the sequence that the video will follow through simple sketches. This will ensure the video production process will proceed seamlessly.
4. Recording and Editing
Once your initial footage is recorded, it’s time to edit it to help make sure it’s engaging. You can add annotations throughout to help draw the viewer’s attention to certain parts of the video, add text overlays, and create animated text or pictures.
5. Review and Iterate
Before releasing a video for use, it is essential to ensure that it’s suitable for the intended purpose. Share it with all the stakeholders for a review, then discuss it. This helps identify and correct any errors or oversights made during the video production process.
6. Produce, Host, and Distribute
Once the video has been assessed, mistakes corrected, and improvements made, the only thing left in the process is making it available for the target audience. Depending on your audience, choose the appropriate hosting platform. This could be social media pages, a website, or a YouTube channel.
3 Best Practices for Creating Effective Corporate Training Videos
To ensure that my client’s corporate training videos are effective, I always observe the following practices during the video production process:
1. Be Goal Centric
To convey your message effectively, it is essential to answer the following questions before beginning:
- What do you hope to achieve with the video?
- Why do you want to achieve that goal?
It will be easier to choose the necessary content to make a great, informative video with a clear goal.
2. Be Engaging
Corporate training videos should be packed with tons of information. However, they’re of no use if the videos are boring. A key component in boosting retention levels is by making highly engaging videos. Corporate video production is all about finding ways to communicate messages in an interesting yet professional manner.
3. Measure the Impact
The purpose of corporate videos is to help the audience understand something new that they should apply later. Therefore, it is crucial to measure the impact of the videos. This can be achieved by seeking feedback through one on one sessions, focus groups, and surveys.
Other factors to consider include behaviour changes after training, the feedback employees receive from colleagues and other trainees, and the impact on productivity.
5 Tips for Making Engaging Corporate Training Videos
The level of engagement greatly influences how much trainees retain information. Some of the ways to boost engagement include:
- Keeping the content concise while emphasizing key points
- Using creative ways to make otherwise dull topics exciting
- Incorporating bonus content in the corporate training video
- Never compromising on the quality of video productions
- Using a mix of close-up shots and cut-away shots
Other Types of Corporate Videos & Their Uses
There are many types of corporate videos that can be used to achieve different objectives. They include:
- Company Profile – A short video used as a company’s introduction that highlights the products and services.
- Branding Videos – Used to create or reinforce your brand identity.
- CSR Videos – Created to highlight the role a company is playing to support the community.
- How-To Videos – Used to teach staff and customers how to use specific software, tools, and products.
- Corporate Documentary – Aimed at giving a glimpse of how the company operates.
- Industrial – Aimed at users within a particular sector that goes beyond surface-level learning on the subject.
- Online Commercials – Videos that are designed to promote the brand or product and services on digital platforms.
- Internal Communication – Created to pass information within the company or to customers.
- Testimonial – Aimed at earning the trust of consumers by highlighting the story and experience of another customer.
- Recruiting – Aimed at enticing potential recruits to join the company.
- Promotional – Used to promote products and services.
- Corporate Events – Used to attract new clients by showcasing your corporate events.
- Social Media Videos – Short emotive and sharable videos created for branding purposes on social media.
Trust Bee Video to Help You Create Great Corporate Training Videos
Corporate training videos are a powerful tool for educating staff and customers. However, for them to be effective and offer a desirable return on investment, quality is non-negotiable. At Bee Video Productions, we strive to provide the best video services to help our clients scale their businesses. Contact us today for video production you can rely on.
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