By Frank Mengert
As we navigate through the digital era, it’s clear why a growing number of employees prefer interactive communication methods. Digital dependency among workers is one reason why conventional methods of disseminating information about employer-sponsored benefits might not capture their attention.
Today, numerous organizations have shifted towards more innovative and engaging strategies to digest important details about benefits programs. Among these, video training has become a popular choice. Still, it’s important to remember certain principles to make sure that even the most forward-thinking training brings the value to employees that they should.
Why Employee Benefits Communication Shouldn’t be Overlooked
With employee loyalty increasingly difficult to achieve, the importance of investing in effective communication strategies and diverse benefits packages cannot be overstated. The real impact of these benefits, however, depends on their successful communication with the workforce.
Importance of Effective Communication
Ensuring employees understand and value their benefits is critical. Effective communication is the key to achieving this. It closes the distance between the provision of benefits and their optimal use by employees.
Through straightforward, succinct, and easily understandable communication, employees are equipped to make better-informed choices regarding their benefits, increasing their job satisfaction and creating a deeper bond with their employer.
Common Issues Faced in Benefits Communication
Efficiently communicating the details of employee benefits often presents significant hurdles for many organizations, especially when laying out complex options that are hard to digest, language filled with technical jargon, outdated training manuals, and lengthy team dialogues.
These issues can cause employees to feel confused and uninterested, leading to a lack of understanding or use of their benefits.
The Impact of Poor Communication on Employee Satisfaction
The fallout from poor communication about employee benefits leads to a lack of employee engagement and how valued employees feel by their employers. This disconnection can manifest in decreased productivity, increased turnover, and challenges in attracting skilled personnel.
When employees are either unaware of or don’t understand their benefits, they’re unlikely to use them, which not only diminishes the employer’s investment but can also lead to a workforce that doesn’t value their healthcare or is absent more frequently.
Why Video Can Be a Game-Changer for Benefits Education
Video can transform the way employees perceive, understand, and engage with their benefits packages. Here’s how:
Engagement and Retention of Information
Our brains are wired to prefer visual stimuli and we can process much faster than text. This characteristic is important when educating employees about benefits since video content can substantially improve attention rates.
Videos provide a more interactive and less burdensome learning experience than reading through document after document. They also excel at conveying emotions and subtleties, deepening the viewer’s connection to the content they are digesting.
Accessibility and Convenience
Benefit information can be confusing – especially if employees don’t have an HR background. Benefits videos are particularly valuable in this regard as they allow employees to visualize their coverage and make use of illustrations, graphics, and charts that break down intricacies so they’re easier to understand and put into perspective.
They’re also much more engaging, making employees more likely to absorb complex information and less likely to tune out when faced with confusing government jargon, which is important when trying to instill a certain level of value in the benefits they’re receiving.
How to Develop Effective Benefits Education Videos
Here are several types of benefits videos you can create to enhance your benefits education strategy:
Explainer Videos
Explainer videos are invaluable for breaking down intricate details about employee benefits into manageable, understandable segments. Creating an effective explainer video requires focusing on simplicity and clarity.
Determine the essential message you need to communicate and articulate it using clear, simple language, steering clear of any complex jargon. Visual support is a key element – utilize appropriate images, diagrams, and icons to back up your narrative. A well-crafted voiceover can also navigate viewers through the video, ensuring they capture the critical parts of the information provided.
Testimonial Videos from Employees
Genuine feedback from colleagues can offer a compelling endorsement. Creating testimonial videos where employees talk about their firsthand experiences with the company’s benefits program can significantly connect with and impact your audience.
These videos bring a personal touch to your benefits communication, making the content more engaging and credible.
Animated Infographics
Animated infographics provide a compelling way to convey complex benefits information by merging the informative nature of infographics with the entertaining aspect of animation. They are particularly effective for illustrating quantitative data, sequential steps, or operational processes.
You can initiate this process with a detailed storyboard that highlights the essential points you intend to address. Apply animation techniques to emphasize shifts, illustrate progress, or focus on key details, all while maintaining a smart and coherent design that also reflects your organization’s branding.
Interactive Support Tools
Interactive support tools take video education to the next level by allowing viewers to engage with the content actively. These might include quizzes to test understanding, calculators for personalized benefits analysis, or choose-your-own-adventure-style videos that guide employees through different scenarios based on their choices.
Feedback mechanisms can also help viewers ask questions or request further information, making the learning process more dynamic and responsive.
Measuring the Success of Your Video Education Campaign
Creating compelling video materials for employee benefits is just the beginning. The real test of an initiative’s effectiveness is in reaching your specific goals. Below are some ways to assess the impact of your video education initiatives with the right metrics, tools, and techniques.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- View Count Metrics: The view count is a measure of how many people watch the video. A substantial number of views can signal that your video is capturing interest. However, it doesn’t automatically mean that viewers are fully engaged or retaining the information presented.
- Engagement Length: This indicator measures the actual time spent by viewers watching your content, offering insights into their level of engagement. Videos with longer watch times are generally seen as more engaging and interesting to the audience.
- Interaction Metrics: This gauge measures viewer actions, including likes, shares, comments, and other forms of reactions. An elevated interaction metric indicates that your material is making an impact, prompting your audience to engage more deeply with your video.
- Total View Completion Rate: This performance indicator measures what portion of your audience watches your video from beginning to end. Elevated total view completion rates are a strong indication of engaging content that captures and retains viewer interest until the closing seconds.
Interpreting Data and Making Adjustments for Future Campaigns
After gathering data from your video education initiative, analyzing the outcomes and refining your strategy for future benefit is crucial. Some considerations for data interpretation include:
Identify Trends
Look for patterns in your data to determine which aspects of your video education campaign are most successful.
For example, if your completion rates are consistently high but your engagement rates are low, it may indicate that your content is informative and engaging but not necessarily shareable or interactive.
Optimize Video Length
By examining watch time data and completion percentages, identify the most effective length for upcoming videos. This optimal length will depend on the preferences of your target demographic and the complexity of your content. While shorter videos usually secure higher completion rates, extended videos might be necessary for comprehensive topics.
A/B Testing
Initiate A/B tests for different elements within your video campaign like thumbnail designs, titles, or calls to action. This strategy helps pinpoint the most compelling components that resonate with your audience and increase engagement levels.
Feedback Loop
Motivate your viewers to share their thoughts on your videos, either through comments or by participating in surveys. This approach gives you valuable perspectives on the strengths and areas for adjustment in your campaigns.
Start Leveraging Video for Your Benefits Education
Video can be a potent medium for educating your audience on benefits education and lead to higher engagement levels and better information retention.
Following the recommendations provided in this guide, you can create successful video initiatives that achieve significant results while ensuring your employees learn valuable information about their benefits.
About the Author: Frank Mengert continues to find success by spotting opportunities where others see nothing. As the founder and CEO of ebm, a leading provider of employee benefits solutions. Frank has built the business by bridging the gap between insurance and technology driven solutions for brokers, consultants, carriers, and employers nationwide.