When it comes to the workplace there are two fundamental truths that we can all probably relate to:

1. Emails can make us miserable. They have the power to be a major productivity killer, distracting us from the current task at hand. For – and this may come as a surprise – there really is no such thing as multi-tasking. It’s a modern myth.

What we think is multi-tasking, is actually task-switching – and this switching always slows us down. In fact, according to research from the American Psychological Association, multitasking takes 40% more time than just handling one task at a time.

(So, if an email or text comes in as you continue to read this post, we hope you have been inspired to ignore it.)

2. Internal emails can make us even more miserable. Sure, when a customer chimes in – we all sit up in our chairs to make sure we’ve got our best professional state-of-mind on and get to reading with earnest dedication.

But . . . when the email is about the new release going live, or an update from the industry event in Hamburg – was it really worth interrupting the report our manager asked us to complete by lunchtime?

It’s no surprise, then – that figuring out how to capture and keep the attention of employees has long been the holy grail of internal communication professionals. But, this isn’t the case for just the ICOMM folks – it’s relevant to anyone across the organization who has valuable updates, insights, and calls to action to communicate.

So how can it be done?

How can brands effectively engage employees?

The Email Time-Space Continuum

Of course, there are some tricks to the email engagement trade that the outbound marketing teams have refined. For example:

1. Tuesday is the best day of the week to send emails, i.e. more opens and clickthroughs; and preferably at 6 am (when turning on the phone and checking emails), 10 am (after the morning rush), 2 pm (coming back from lunch), or 8 pm (when settling in for the night’s session of ‘double-screening’ at home).
2. With nearly half of all emails getting opened on mobile, comms must be mobile-ready, because if they’re not – they will likely be deleted within 3 seconds (yikes!).
3. When putting the word video in the subject line, open rates will increase.

Say It Proud with Video

That last one shouldn’t be a surprise. We all know very well by now that video is the most engaging type of content on any channel for any context, whether in B2B communications, B2C communications, or if the brand is communicating with itself – i.e. internal communications.

However, quite often if you’re looking to communicate with Boston what the GM said at the India town hall, or if you’re the head of IT ops and want to communicate the value of the new disaster recovery system that was deployed – video might not seem like the obvious option. This is not because video isn’t perceived as valuable. Rather, it’s because it is often perceived to be complicated, expensive, and time-consuming to produce.

So, does every communication really warrant getting the creative agency involved, bringing in fancy sound and lighting equipment, and getting a professional director to tell you how to be at one with the camera?

The Medium for the Masses

Well, we would argue that – yes! Sort of . . . because you should be creating video. There is no enterprise communication that can’t benefit from being articulated with video. But, you don’t always need an agency.

The key is to make video creation accessible to everyone in the company, and this can be done with a tool that enables them to create videos easily and to create videos that come out looking slick and professional.

And, of course – since in business time is money – it’s no less important to be able to make videos quickly so that the message is delivered in a timely manner, without missing the relevance boat.

Produce It and They Will Engage

Is all this really possible? It is!.. when the video creation tool – first of all – has an interface that is so intuitive that anyone can use it, regardless of their role in the organization.

But that’s not enough. For the video to look as though a top-notch agency produced it, the tool should offer many options for telling stories, with lots of storyboards, creatives, fonts, and colors. Additionally, users must be able to brand the video – ensuring that employees engage with the organization’s visual identity.

The tool should also offer the right balance of creative freedom and editing automation – so that users can not only save on the cost of creating professional videos but also save time. Because, as we said earlier – in business time is money.

And, in internal communications – the emails that don’t make us miserable, but instead – engage us and help us connect with our colleagues and the organization, are the ones that are communicated with video.

With these tips, you can enhance your internal communication efforts and drive employee engagement numbers on your videos to the next level!