Internal Comms Go Hollywood: Using Video to Rally and Retain Employees
Let's be honest: when was the last time your employees got genuinely excited about an internal memo? If you're drawing a blank, you're not alone. Traditional internal communications are about as engaging as watching paint dry, and frankly, your people deserve better.
Here's the thing: while you've been sending out text-heavy newsletters and endless email chains, your employees have been consuming an average of 84 minutes of video content daily. They're craving visual storytelling, authentic connections, and content that actually holds their attention. So why not give them what they want?
It's time to take your internal communications from snooze-fest to blockbuster. Let's talk about how bringing a little Hollywood magic to your employee engagement strategy can transform your workplace culture and keep your best people from walking out the door.
The Employee Engagement Crisis (It's Real, and It's Expensive)
Before we dive into solutions, let's acknowledge the elephant in the room: employee engagement is in serious trouble. Only 40% of employees actually understand their organization's strategic goals. Even scarier? Nearly half of Millennials and Gen Z workers are ready to jump ship within two years if given the chance.
This isn't just a "people problem": it's a bottom-line problem. Disengaged employees cost organizations up to $550 billion annually in lost productivity, turnover, and missed opportunities. When your people don't feel connected to your mission, everyone suffers.
Canadian companies are feeling this pinch too. Take Shopify, for example: they've invested heavily in transparent, video-based internal communications to maintain their culture across rapid growth and remote work transitions. Their approach? Regular video updates from leadership, employee spotlight features, and behind-the-scenes content that makes every team member feel like part of the story.
Why Video Is Your Secret Weapon for Internal Communications
Here's what makes video so powerful for connecting with your team:
It Builds Real Trust and Transparency
When your CEO delivers quarterly updates via video instead of a dry PDF, something magical happens. Suddenly, leadership feels human. Employees can read body language, hear genuine emotion, and feel like they're getting the real story: not some sanitized corporate speak.
Toronto-based Manulife has mastered this approach. Their internal video series featuring executives discussing both wins and challenges has significantly improved trust scores across their Canadian operations. Why? Because seeing someone's face while they talk about difficult decisions creates connection that text simply can't match.
It Actually Holds Attention
Let's face it: your employees' attention spans aren't getting longer. Video captures and retains focus in ways that paragraphs of text never will. The combination of visual and auditory elements ensures your message doesn't just get received: it gets remembered.
It Bridges the Remote Work Gap
With hybrid and remote work here to stay, video helps create inclusivity across different work environments. Whether your team is in the Toronto head office or working from home in Thunder Bay, video makes everyone feel equally connected to company culture and updates.
Types of Videos That Actually Work
Not all internal videos are created equal. Here are the formats that consistently drive engagement and retention:
Leadership Updates That Feel Like Conversations
Skip the boardroom table and fancy suits. Your best leadership videos feel like casual coffee chats. Think weekly updates from your CEO while walking through the office, or department heads sharing wins and challenges from their actual workspace.
RBC's internal video series features executives in relaxed settings, discussing everything from quarterly results to industry trends. The casual format makes complex business information digestible and creates a sense of accessibility that formal presentations miss entirely.
Employee Spotlights That Celebrate Your People
Want to boost retention? Make your employees the stars. Feature team members talking about their projects, career journeys, or what they love about working at your company. These authentic testimonials do double duty: they make featured employees feel valued while showing others what growth and success look like at your organization.
Behind-the-Scenes Content That Shows Your Culture
Pull back the curtain on how things really work. Show the brainstorming sessions, the late-night pizza runs during crunch time, the celebrations after big wins. This content helps remote employees feel connected to daily office life while reinforcing your culture for everyone.
Training That Doesn't Suck
Transform your onboarding and training content with video demonstrations, employee testimonials, and visual explanations of complex processes. Video training materials can be revisited as needed and accommodate different learning styles: something your 40-page training manual definitely can't do.
Best Practices for Creating Hollywood-Quality Content (Without the Hollywood Budget)
Start With Strategy, Not Equipment
Before you buy a single camera, get clear on your goals. Are you trying to improve understanding of company strategy? Boost morale during tough times? Recognize achievements? Your content strategy should drive your production decisions, not the other way around.
Invest in Audio Quality
Here's a pro tip: employees will forgive shaky video, but they won't stick around for terrible audio. Invest in decent microphones before you worry about fancy lighting setups. Clear, crisp sound makes even smartphone video feel professional.
Keep It Short and Sweet
Attention spans are short, and your employees are busy. Aim for 2-3 minutes for most content, with longer formats reserved for truly comprehensive updates or training materials. If you need more time, consider breaking content into a series.
Make It Interactive
Use engagement features like polls, comments, or follow-up questions to turn your videos from broadcast into conversation. Ask viewers to share their thoughts, nominate colleagues for recognition, or suggest topics for future videos.
Feature Real Employees
Your most authentic content will always feature real people talking about real experiences. Train employees to be comfortable on camera (it's easier than you think), and give them talking points rather than scripts. Authenticity beats polish every single time.
Measuring What Matters
You can't improve what you don't measure. Track these key metrics to understand your video communication impact:
Engagement Metrics
- View completion rates
- Comments and shares
- Click-through rates on calls-to-action
Feedback Quality
- Employee survey responses about communication effectiveness
- Voluntary feedback on video content
- Suggestions for future topics
Business Impact
- Employee retention rates
- Internal survey scores on company connection
- Understanding of company goals and initiatives
Ontario-based companies like Canada Goose have seen measurable improvements in employee engagement scores after implementing regular video communications, with particularly strong results in connecting remote workers to company culture.
Making the Case for Investment
Still need to convince the higher-ups? Frame video communications as retention strategy, not just a nice-to-have. With the average cost of replacing an employee ranging from 50-200% of their annual salary, even modest improvements in retention deliver significant ROI.
Start small with leadership updates or employee recognition videos, measure the impact, and scale from there. You don't need a full production team on day one: you need commitment to consistent, authentic communication that treats your employees like the humans they are.
Ready to Transform Your Internal Communications?
Your employees are already consuming hours of video content daily. They're craving connection, transparency, and communication that actually engages them. The question isn't whether video can transform your internal communications: it's whether you're ready to give your team the Hollywood treatment they deserve.
The best part? You don't need to figure this out alone. From strategy development to production execution, the right video partner can help you create internal communications that don't just inform: they inspire, engage, and retain your most valuable asset: your people.
Ready to take your internal communications from amateur hour to award-worthy? Let's talk about how we can help you create video content that rallies and retains your team.
