These 3 Types of Messages Should Be Replaced with Video

Do you know how much of what you write your audience actually reads?

It happens often. We end up writing too much even though we know no one will really read it. We feel compelled to articulate something and end up droning on and on about it.

Sometimes, when you have a lot to say, you don’t know how to effectively communicate it.

What can you do when you need to get a message out but don’t want to write too much text? The answer is video.

Video can cover a lot of ground in less than half the time it will take for your audience to read what you have to say. Not only that – when done right, it is also more effective at holding your audience’s attention.

Video also allows you to break down complex topics and helps you offer more to your audience with the use of visuals, audio, and text. Most importantly, it helps you make a connection with your audience emotionally, something that’s hard to achieve with text-only content.

So what kinds of messages should you replace with video? Let’s talk about three types.

Emails

First off, emails that are longer than 300 words will do better on video. It’s so easy to end up dragging on when writing an email, and video will make it much faster for you to send a message out.

Did you know that people spend up to 13 hours a week writing emails? That includes editing, formatting, and correcting what is written. Video will help you reduce the time spent on emails and allocate it to more important tasks.

An email that can take you 45 minutes to finish can just take three minutes of recording. Your audience will spend even less time watching your video, but they will pick up a lot of what you have to say.

Recording a video using your webcam and delivering your message without worrying about using colloquial language or going off-tangent is a more efficient way of doing things. Your audience will also understand you better this way.

Walkthroughs and onboarding

Next up, a lot of internal communications tools can be unnecessarily lengthy. Have you ever had to deal with files that are novel-like in length, that’s filled with text and screenshots?

These files are not only inefficient – they also manage to leave out a lot of information. Video will help you fill those gaps and address more topics effectively.

When doing walkthroughs or onboarding, video will make things easier for everyone involved. You can set up your new team members quicker because watching videos is easier to digest for them.

Like other kinds of video, you can record using your laptop’s webcam if you need to. You can also do screen captures that will teach them how to use your systems and tools properly. It will show them how to do things the right way immediately, so it will make them feel more comfortable at work as soon as possible.

Corporate communications

Lastly, any message that can be strengthed by a personal connection should be replaced by video. It makes everything feel more genuine and human, so if your human resources or public relations departments could use more video, go ahead and do it.

Human resources teams usually have a hard time following through on onboarding and welcoming new team members, so providing supplementary information or welcome messages through custom videos will make things easier for everyone.

Sharing company news through video will also help public relations team get that more genuine. Video can help them reach their connections in a more personal way.

Video can definitely improve business communications and processes immensely. It’s time to harness the power of video to make your daily activities easier. Take advantage of the medium and you’ll see just how much more efficient you and everyone around you be.

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