Today, clear communication is more important than ever.
The construction industry is a long-established sector, where business is based on professional relationships, trust, partnership, reputation and customer satisfaction.
Communication is the basis of good business relationships and needs to be timely, personable and relevant to be effective, according to Shoosta, a video tech platform that enables enterprises to scale video content, through a suite of apps and professional services.
But what happens in a disrupted world, such as when a global pandemic effectively brings the world to a grinding halt?
We lose face-to-face contact and all methods of communication come through our little screens of phones and laptops.
This disruption of the workforce has 74 per cent of employees feeling like they are missing out on company news, according to a survey by Smarp. Workplaces are returning to a new norm, where there are more flexible working options available than ever. It’s important to adapt our communication to reach employees in the most engaging and relevant way. Effective communication is a positive factor on employee satisfaction, it boosts motivation, loyalty and has a direct influence on customer satisfaction.
Video is the most effective communication tool for a flexible working environment: the brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
And a video is multiple still images strung together making it about 80 per cent more effective and engaging than an email, a PDF and a presentation doc combined.
In the fast-paced world of today, people want to consume information quickly and would rather watch a two-minute video than read a document for 20 minutes, research by Idea Rocket found.
This translates to the workplace too, with 42 per cent of employees saying they would rather have flexible video options, such as a pre-recorded video message. in addition to their scheduled virtual meetings.
Realistically, not everything can or should become a video, but it can be used as a tool to improve open rates and message retention. (Kaltura Data Report 2021)
Emails containing video improve click through by up to 300 per cent and when watched (Lemonlight), video viewers retain 95 per cent more of the message compared to text. (Campaign Monitor)
So where does it make sense to use video? Any department can use video where they have a really important information and want to drive high viewer retention, when they have an authentic message to deliver to people they can’t get in front of, or when they need to boost open rates of emails, just to name a few uses.
Videos have a purpose across all departments, however the teams that benefit from video the most are Communications, Training and Education, Marketing and Sales.
"Before Shootsta, we struggled with communications on every key milestone. It usually takes weeks for internal staff to edit videos. With Shootsta, we have made constant and effective stakeholder communications, staying connected with the customers and delivered significant transformational change successfully. Best of all is the 24 hour turnaround and we know that Shootsta have our back at all times."
--Yaseen Mubarak, Data Solutions Lead, Associate Director at AstraZeneca
As well, in the construction and development industry, video is becoming a key part of Australia’s leading businesses such as Stockland, Charter Hall, Richard Crookes Construction and Reece Group.
When using video as a tool of a strong external and internal communication strategy it helps to share knowledge and positively shape brand perception.
Reece Group is Australia’s leading supplier of bathroom and plumbing products with 450 stores across the country. They are using video as a key part of their communication strategy because their people are particularly visual, they love hearing stories and gaining knowledge through peer-to-peer sharing.
Charter Hall and Richard Crookes Construction too are using video as part of their internal and external communication with stakeholders.
Video is a key tool for the education of employees, it’s an engaging way to deliver training to upskill employees without having to have a face-to-face session.
Online video courses can make a trainer’s role even more efficient than before by reaching more employees across more locations.
Bingo Industries is an Australian waste management and recycling company with recycling centres in New South Wales and Victoria. Yes, not quite construction but a great example of how you can use video to educate staff on your safety policy.
Reaching target customers with engaging and relatable content can be achieved through creating videos that are suited to each stage of the marketing and sales funnel. Whether it’s a marketing video, a personalised sales video or an onboarding welcome message.
Video use cases that work particularly well in the construction and development industry are building progress videos, real estate walkthroughs, community event videos and client testimonials.
Creating videos doesn’t have to be difficult. With the right tools and support you can create your own professional videos all the way from planning to editing.
All of the companies listed above create their videos through Shootsta, which can enable you to create professional, easily and cost-effective videos.
"Last year we paid a lot for a video agency to deliver our videos, mainly utilising stock footage and our own asset footage. This year, because spending was tightened, we took the management of this project inhouse and saved a lot of budget by utilising the production team at Shootsta to work closely to our brief to deliver."
--Hayley Carruthers, Digital Engagement Manager at Charter Hall
If you want to know more about how your organisation too can create professional, easily and cost-effective videos, check out shootsta.com for more information or contact us.
The Urban Developer is proud to partner with Shootsta to deliver this article to you. In doing so, we can continue to publish our free daily news, information, insights and opinion to you, our valued readers.