Employee advocacy, or the promotion of an organization by its staff, is an indispensable tool for companies that wish to create positive buzz around their brand. According to a survey from the Hinge Research Institute, companies that invest in employee advocacy benefit from increased visibility and brand loyalty, decreased marketing costs, and even better search engine rankings. In short, the question isn’t if companies should enact a solid employee advocacy strategy, but how.
That’s where video comes in. Given that people retain 95% of information through video versus a measly 10% through text, video is the clear choice for communication teams that need to quickly and effectively provide crucial messaging to their employees.
So, how can companies enable their employees to be the best cheerleaders for their brands? By implementing a rock-solid, video-first communication strategy, of course! Here are a few ways Wibbitz customers are using corporate communication videos to promote employee advocacy across their companies.
1. Bring awareness to your causes like BNP Paribas Foundation
Corporate philanthropic initiatives aren’t just great for society — they’re incredibly effective at boosting employee engagement and, in turn, advocacy. According to a study by Northwestern University, employees highly value companies that “do good for the world”. In turn, these companies “benefit from significantly more engaged employees.” To get the most out of this phenomenon, it’s imperative that employees fully understand the purpose, goals, and impact of these programs.
With this in mind, what’s the best way to educate employees quickly and effectively? For companies like BNP Paribas, short-form video is the answer. The following video created by the team at the BNP Paribas Foundation summarizes their Climate & Biodiversity Initiative. In under 90 seconds, the video succinctly describes the purpose of the initiative, steps they have taken to meet their goals, and future plans for the program. Vibrant media assets straight from program events and projects are the icing on the cake, resulting in a video that not only packs in tons of information, but also nearly begs employees to hit the “share” button.
2. Share snackable company news like Bertelsmann
For larger companies, effectively communicating with employees is an especially challenging task. Even the smallest companies must make a concerted effort to reach their employees, so how can companies with several departments and offices ensure that everyone is on the same page?
As one of the largest mass media corporations in the world, Bertelsmann had to find a way to tackle this issue. Their solution? To create an internal app that houses snackable video summaries of key company and industry news like the example below, created in the Wibbitz platform. Called BENET, the video hub is used by nearly 120,000 global employees and has been positively received. Leverage it as an employee engagement platform to help reconnect with your own team.
“These videos are very convenient and attractive to consume. [They] make it easy for our employees to learn about the hottest news in the Bertelsmann world, in a very short amount of time.”
– Markus Harbaum, Head of Internal Communications at Bertelsmann
While creating an internal app for corporate videos may not be feasible for all companies, designating a Slack channel for similarly-styled videos would have a comparable impact. Regardless, the lesson remains: creating a single channel for corporate communications simplifies the stream of information and allows for employees to know exactly where to find vital content. In turn, they can more effectively do their jobs and be better informed advocates for the company.
3. Celebrate your champions like Schneider
What better way to promote employee advocacy than to showcase your biggest company champions? At least this seems to be how Schneider, a major name in the trucking industry, boosts corporate communication efforts and employee morale.
In the following Wibbitz video, Schneider shares the story of Lynn Lavallee, an “All-Star” driver and member of the Schneider family for over 12 years, as well as her endorsement of the Schneider name. The trucking company has created a series of these videos, all highlighting exceptional individuals in their fleet and their stories — how long they have been with the company, what led them to Schneider, and why they love their jobs.
Through the series, Schneider makes clear that they value their drivers as more than just employees, and that each driver has a story worth sharing. They are also able to demonstrate that longtime drivers are happy working with the company, which reflects well on Schneider’s company culture and is perfect content for their recruitment-focused socials. In all, these videos encourage employees to continue speaking highly of Schneider and are sure to be shared by many team members.
https://www.facebook.com/jobsatschneider/videos/1033863076805151/?v=1033863076805151
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