Not sure where to start? Read on for four tips to create a company culture video (or videos) that attracts the talent you seek:
1. Determine your goals and stay focused
Before you begin, determine what you want to achieve with your video. Ask yourself what a candidate might want to learn from your careers page, what information is missing, and what the current content says about your company culture. Are DEI efforts, learning and development opportunities, and cultural events highlighted?
Next, determine whether one long video or multiple short videos would best capture the employee experience. Looking to provide a bird’s-eye view of your organization? Try one long video that highlights multiple scenarios. Prefer to focus on multiple experiences? Try several short videos that showcase scientific collaborations, all-hands meetings, or company milestones.
Whatever your goals, being clear and staying focused on your video’s objective ensures your target audience will receive the message correctly.
2. Be transparent about DEI
Your company culture video should accurately represent your organization’s current state of diversity, which refers to all aspects of human difference – from what we might see on the outside (race, ethnicity, color, age, sex, gender expression) to things we may not (sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and spirituality, disability status, socio-economic status, political perspective, education, experience and skills, etc.).
Though it may be tempting to exaggerate your diversity and inclusion efforts, candidates know when a company isn’t being authentic. Don’t be tempted to “cheat the system” by putting what you consider to be your most diverse employees front and center. Instead, focus on where you are right now on your DEI journey. Be genuine in communicating future goals and what you’re doing to get there. Your candidates will respect you more for it – and you will benefit by attracting people who feel aligned with your culture.
3. Include real employee voices
Candidates use Glassdoor and LinkedIn when scoping out potential roles for the same reason people head to Google or Yelp when considering a new restaurant or hair stylist: They want an authentic perspective of what it’s like to work for your organization.
Leveraging real employee feedback in your company culture video is a great way to ensure your business reviews, careers webpage, and social media all align to the real experience. You’ll receive deeper insights and more interesting information by tapping into their individual stories. Consider an interview-style or conversational approach and trust the voices of your employees. Nothing provides an authentic perspective like the power of real employee perspectives.
4. Make it consumable and “evergreen”
In the same way that evergreen trees never lose their hue, there are many ways to ensure your company culture video remains relevant and interesting to potential talent.
Your video’s length should be determined by where and how you plan to use it. A longer video may be great for your website, but shorter clips may be better for social media. You can also pull out excerpts, break longer videos into chapters, or create multiple videos altogether.
For your video to be consumable and recognizable to your audience, don’t forget the basics: Make sure it includes your company logo for brand recognition. Add subtitles for clarity and to increase your potential audience by being more inclusive. Make sure the music in your video doesn’t overpower the voice audio and choose appropriate songs for the mood you want to convey.
Determine whether to include lower thirds (a description, usually comprising name and title, of the person talking that usually appears in the lower third of the screen) during interviews or dialogues, the level of detail you want to include about each speaker, and how to align your lower thirds strategy with your goals to reflect the intended message.
As leaders, presenting your organization in a way that is both appealing and genuine can feel daunting. But don’t let this stop you from sharing the unique aspects of your organization as it exists right now through the power of video.
Need help? Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at Waterhouse Brands for guidance here!