Saying millennials react more effectively to video is an understatement. According to The Animoto Blog, “60 percent of millennials prefer to watch a company video over reading a company newsletter.” The blog also stated, “80 percent of millennials consider video content when researching a purchase decision.” As video becomes more prevalent in social media, advertising and marketing, millennials tend to gravitate more towards watching their information rather than reading it. According to recent study by Microsoft, cited in an article by David Meltzer at Entrepreneur, the human attention span is less than a goldfish, which is only nine seconds! What does that mean exactly? When sending out company information, internal communicators need to create short, compelling video content to increase millennial engagement in the workplace.
Millennials and Gen X have become the main consumers of information through social media content and video communication. We will log onto Facebook or Instagram to find information before even thinking of opening our online browser. We prefer to purchase items via social media channels rather than stepping into a physical store. With that said, millennial engagement is based on information convenience and how quickly we can consume it. Company newsletters and print-outs must be transformed into virtual entities to keep the attention of younger employees in this fast-paced world.
How can employers create valuable video content that will not only engage millennial employees but will help them retain the information given?
1) Keep it Short
No one likes a long, dragged out video about company policies. Keep your video to 15 minutes max! If you have a lot of information, break it up into different videos to give them time in between to write notes and go over it.
2) Give Examples
While video is great for keeping millennial engagement up, a breakdown of the talking points is always going to help employees retain the information in more depth. Give proper examples either with text or video reenactment.
3) Have a Mix of Images and Text
Adding some additional mediums to your company video will bring the message full circle. Overlay some text for some extra explanation along with some still photos to add some concreate imagery. When you have a well thought out video and it is up to date (not a video from the 1980’s), millennials will be able to relate better!
4) Make it Accessible
The content of the video is very important for millennial engagement but if they aren’t able to access it whenever they need a reminder, it’s basically useless. Keep your company videos posted on your website, company blog and/or your social media pages or private groups. This will allow your employees to return to the videos if they aren’t sure about a policy or talking point.
5) Make it Interactive
No millennial likes to be talked at; we appreciate the hands-on feel. In your video, have a quiz or questions section to allow your millennial employees to engage on their own level. Maybe have them complete an activity or something that will recommend them to take out a company document, a notepad or open their online browser to search something. This will give them a tangible visual that will solidify the message.
Conclusion
In this ever-changing world, employers must stay updated with new technology, methods and trends, especially when deciding to hire millennial and Gen-X employees. Everything is online-based and fast-moving so learning how to adapt is vital. The best way to continue a successful millennial engagement plan within your workplace you must create communication methods that are to the point, give examples, have a mix of different mediums, are accessible to all and are hands on! With these points in mind, ditching the stiff, boring company email is going to get your employees excited regardless of their generation, thus creating a stronger, more dynamic company culture! Who wouldn’t want that?
