From IG Reels to TikTok trends, video content tells a creative, visual story that no other content type can capture. Video brings humanity and empathy to life. In today's virtual world, where people can feel more like a transaction than a person, the human element has never been more important in providing transparency and trust with your candidates.
Think about the explosion of video content available now on platforms such a s TikTok and Instagram. Video is the #1 preferred content type by all media consumers, meaning companies who are not keeping up with this trend are at a great disadvantage when it comes to engaging candidates and building an integrated employer brand strategy that stretches beyond blog posts and virtual events.
These three reasons will shed light on why video marketing should be the driving force behind the culture story being told through the lens of your biggest advocates: your employees.
Why has video content taken over our social media feeds? Cell phones today have camera and recording capabilities like never before. It’s never been easier to create authentic, captivating visual content with this everyday device constantly at our fingertips. Then add the millions of apps that exist for video editing and creative storytelling, and it’s clear to see where this explosion in video creativity has come from in the last few years.
Platforms like Instagram and TikTok recognize the value of video marketing and are now prioritizing video content in their algorithms. TikTok is solely a video platform, and has amassed over 1 billion users, and has 3 billion downloads, across 150 countries in the six years the platform has been around. Instagram recently underwent a massive app update to their UX to prioritize video content - specifically Reels. Why? Because Instagram Reels receive about 22% more engagement than videos posted directly to your feed on Instagram.
Video marketing may be a trend that’s only just gaining its momentum, but all indicators say that it is here to stay. The future of our organizations are those who are the most digitally connected consumer group in the world - Gen Z. And due to the virtual environment that many of these early career professionals started their work experience in, digital content that tells a human-first, transparent story into your workplace has never been more pertinent in building their trust by giving them an inside look into your company culture.
In the last few years, a global pandemic changed the working world as we knew it forever, creating the opportunity for more remote work than ever before, and shifting workplace culture to think beyond the four walls of an office building. This also meant that companies lost the ability to showcase workplace culture through traditional marketing avenues such as in-person events and onsite work perks. As the world went virtual, candidates were left in the dark in understanding how a company’s culture truly operates, as many workplaces adapted to this new normal.
Because changing careers or joining a new workplace is a huge life decision, candidates crave transparency - an understanding of what makes a company unique and why it’s the right choice for them, and potentially their family. Candidates today have more control in the job search than ever before - which is why we’re experiencing what’s been dubbed as “The Great Resignation” with over 68% of employees actively searching for new roles. Companies are investing in recruiting teams to headhunt and source for the top talent across so many different industries. Recruiter conversations focus on what differentiates their company's culture and how that culture aligns with the candidate's values and vision for the future. But, seeing is believing, and oftentimes it takes more than just a phone conversation to truly bring a workplace culture to life in the eyes of a candidate.
Video tells that visual story of your workplace better than any other media type. It brings to life a company’s workplace culture, vision and values by pulling back the curtain on your employee experience through the lens of your most important advocates - your people. Your story is what makes your company unique. What’s the culture story you have to tell, and how can you bring that to life?
Candidates trust employees 3x more than a company to provide credible information on what it's like to work there. Trust and transparency go hand in hand in the candidate journey. There are many companies today who can talk the talk when it comes to their company culture. But how are they bringing those culture values to life and truly walking the walk? These are the questions candidates want to know. And there’s no better advocate of a strong company culture than your employees.
Your people are your biggest culture drivers, carriers and champions. By amplifying their voices through the content you’re creating, you’re giving them the microphone to share their transparent experiences and speak directly to candidates through their stories of success, growth and support. Your employer brand is your workplace reputation - it’s your culture story. But it’s the personal brand being built by your employees through their stories that drive your employer brand and EVP (employee value proposition) in attracting talent.
Employees are also your biggest cheerleaders - and your megaphones. Not only are they trusted advocates of your brand, they also have a network of talent they can influence through the content they’re sharing across those social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Leverage them. Leverage their stories and experiences, as well as their networks, to showcase your workplace through authentic videos that prove you’re more than just any other company - you’re a group of humans working together to solve challenges creatively through diverse perspectives.
If video marketing isn’t part of your employer brand strategy (yet), prioritize it. No matter your budget, video is an easy, authentic way to bring your company culture to life through the stories of your people. And if you don’t have the time, bandwidth or resources to create and edit this video content on your own, there’s a great platform called Jamyr who will help build a strategy with you, and amplify the voices of the people who are proud to share their experience and journey with the world.
A platform and service to scale video content for recruiting.
