Video is great. But what if your audience is geographically spread and doesn’t have access to a screen?

Most employees “expect to see video at work” (Melcrum), and for good reason. Remember when the TV trolley was wheeled out at school? Personally, it was the highlight of my week! Video is always a nice break; if it’s done well, it can educate and inform without us even knowing it. There are plenty of other benefits too:

• Measurable results
• Multiple languages
• Emotional content creates emotional responses
• Appropriate for multiple learning preferences
• Many styles and approaches to fit most budgets
• Covers multiple locations
• Saves senior leadership time
• Fast delivery of information
• Multiple platforms (e.g. mobile)

The problem is, sometimes the people you want to see the film are very difficult to reach. It may be that some employees don’t have access to a PC or are mobile, or maybe they’re in a location that has poor connectivity.

So how do you get your amazing film to everyone in the business?

Firstly, you need to consider whether it is essential that EVERYONE sees it. If the majority see it, particularly those that are online and influential in the business, will the message permeate through the company anyway?

If you want to do all you can to reach as many employees across your business as possible, here are a few things that have worked for our clients in the past:

1. Get the content right
   It may sound obvious, but if you don’t get this bit right then the rest of the process is pointless. More interestingly though, if the content is good enough (relevant and interesting), employees will make more of an effort to see it as word gets around. That makes your job easier.
2. Target influential people in the business
   By making sure that key influential people in your business see (and buy into) your content, you are increasing your chances of success. Sometimes it helps to get those people involved with the production process too. If they are invested in the films, they’re more likely to talk about the content, share it and make positive comments. This can help reach people who wouldn’t normally engage or don’t have easy access to the films.
3. Use meetings and events
   If large groups of employees don’t have access to a screen (factory workers, for example), it can be useful to use a team meeting or event to show the films. That might be a town hall, team briefing or other special event for the film. This approach means the audience will see the film without information being filtered by others in the business.
4. Mobile devices
   A large percentage of our content is now viewed on mobile devices (over 75% in some cases). By hosting your video content on a suitable online video platform (Buto.tv for example) you can ensure that your content is automatically optimised for all major mobile devices (iOS, Android etc.) This opens the content to employees on the road who can view it on their phone or tablet anywhere in the world.
5. Promote your content
   As with any digital content, it doesn’t matter how good it is if your audience don’t know it’s there. Even internal material needs to be advertised in some way to attract your audience, so think like a marketing executive or use a video agency that can help you. Make sure the content is positioned correctly and promoted within the business; targeting influential people can help here too.

Depending on the type of business there are plenty of other ways to reach your audience, even if they aren’t all sat at PCs in a major city. Make sure distribution is part of your video strategy from the outset, and involve a video agency that can help you with more than just production.

Simon Crofts
Creative Director

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