Did you know?

That’s an 850% increase in information retention! We know what you’re thinking—“why aren’t we doing everything on video?!”

It’s no secret that benefits are complicated, and many employers struggle to find efficient and meaningful ways to educate and communicate with employees on their plans and perks. Given the effectiveness and “snackability” of video—it’s no wonder many HR teams are investing heavily in video for employee benefits communication—and you can, too!

But first, consider this… how well do your employees understand your company’s benefits offerings – really?

Well, according to recent studies, not that well.

Only 52% of employees indicate that they understand their health benefits and another 39% report that their employer provides no education or advice on benefits.

Whoops.

You might offer killer employee benefits and competitive compensation packages, but if employees don’t know (or care) about your perks, what’s the point?

It might be time to upgrade your benefits communication efforts and video is the perfect place to start.

*Via Insivia

Why Video?

300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute and 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day. Clearly, the demand for video is there.

Video content, compared to other content formats, such as written or audio, offers a more passive and visual means of presenting information. Furthermore, video is more effective when it comes to information absorption and retention.

The impressive stat referenced above was featured on WordStream, a marketing organization that compiled several other compelling reasons to switch to video. Most telling, 59% of executives agree that if both text and video are available for the same topic, they’d choose video.

Do you want your employees to actively engage with and retain the information you are trying to convey? If so —give the people what they want! It’s time to integrate video into your benefits communication and education initiatives. 

How Can Video Be Used?

There are several simple and effective ways to integrate video into your benefits communication strategy! From open enrollment announcements to a full video library that can be referenced throughout the year, learn about all of the unique video applications and how to improve your employee communications.
 

1.) Announce

Open enrollment is often one of the most critical times of the entire year for your HR department. Why risk employees missing critical info via a novel-length email when you can better inform them of important open enrollment information through an engaging video?

Kick-start your open enrollment on a high note with an open enrollment video postcard. These eye-catching animated videos convey critical open enrollment messaging in a clear and concise manner and can be repurposed across multiple channels – email, in private internal chat forums, and via a dedicated benefits website.

2.) Educate

Many updated benefits enrollment platforms offer built-in video functionality to allow you to place videos directly into the benefits shopping experience. This on-demand education will make sure employees have the information they need at the precise moment when it matters the most. Additionally, you can host these informational videos in an on-demand video library for reference throughout the year.

How To Get Started With Video

Getting started with video, particularly if you are unfamiliar with the medium, can be intimidating. However, rest assured that there are plenty of options for budgets of any size and any tech experience level.

If you want to tackle videos in-house, invest in some affordable (but quality) equipment for filming and editing. If you are looking to outsource your efforts, check with your benefits or HR software provider to inquire about products or services that they might offer. For example, PlanSource offers a full video library that can be used as is or that can be branded and customized. These videos are can also be added directly into the benefits shopping experience and can be hosted online via a benefits website for on-demand consumption. If your technology provider does not offer any baked-in solutions, research other video providers, preferably someone experienced with benefits communications.

Video Best Practices

Whether you are managing your video communication in-house or you are partnering with a trusted third-party provider, here are a few best practices to keep in mind when designing your HR and benefits videos.

Keep Videos Short, Sweet and To The Point

This isn’t the time to showcase your expert linguistic skills. Video content should be concise and focus on one topic at a time. This will make them easy to absorb and easy to place in specific spots throughout the benefits shopping process.

Partner With A High-Quality, Professional Video Producer

Specifically, a partner that knows benefits and how to convey benefits in layman’s terms. Avoid overcomplicating explanations. Take the ‘explain it like I’m five’ approach and break concepts down into simple, easy to understand terms and concepts. 

Make Consumption Convenient

So, you’ve invested in educational videos to help explain your employee benefits… now what? Make sure people know about it! Share videos via email or text message alerts, host videos in a dedicated video library, add video into you benefits shopping experience, shout it from the rooftop – whatever you have to do to make sure your workforce knows about your innovative new initiative! Don’t adopt the ‘set it and forget’ mentality after your videos are produced. Instead, reference your videos whenever possible and nudge employees to take control of their benefits education.

Work With Video Marketing Mavericks

If you’re ready to take your benefits communication to the next level – let’s talk. PlanSource offers several video solutions for any budget and group size. Contact us below to schedule your no-strings-attached consultation!