Videos in corporate communications make information easier to understand – from a brief management update to a product video. The right format, however, depends on the objective and the target audience. This article presents ten use cases and helps you choose the right one.
Table of Contents
- Tasks and use cases for video
- The right formats for different communication objectives
- Company videos for internal communications
- Company videos for external communications
- Formats for internal and external audiences
- Planning the right video format
- Delivering company videos to the right audience
- Using videos with VIMP
- Conclusion: Use Company Videos Strategically
- Frequently Asked Questions About Videos in Corporate Communications
Videos in Corporate Communications: Tasks and Use Cases
Videos can explain processes, share knowledge, provide guidance and offer personal insights. They are particularly useful when a visual demonstration or direct address adds clear value.
However, video does not automatically replace emails, documents or personal conversations. Instead, every company video should serve a specific communication objective.
Our article Corporate Communication via Video explores the strategic role of video in more detail. This article, by contrast, focuses on the practical question of which format is best suited to each communication task.
Production value alone does not determine whether a company video succeeds. What matters is whether it delivers the right message to the right audience.
Videos in Corporate Communications: Which Format Fits?
The right video format depends on the communication objective, target audience and desired outcome. The following format finder provides a quick overview:
| Communication objective | Target audience | Suitable video format |
|---|---|---|
| Provide guidance | Employees | Management update |
| Explain changes | Employees | Change or project video |
| Support onboarding | New employees | Onboarding video |
| Share knowledge | Employees, partners or customers | Training or learning video |
| Demonstrate a process | Internal or external users | Tutorial or explainer video |
| Present a product | Prospects and customers | Product or service video |
| Attract applicants | Potential employees | Recruiting video |
| Present the company | Customers, applicants and the public | Corporate video |
| Demonstrate results | Prospects and customers | Customer testimonial |
| Enable interaction | Internal or external participants | Livestream or webinar |
Looking to manage different video formats centrally and with controlled access?
Company Videos for Internal Communications
Management updates, change videos, onboarding content and training videos are particularly useful for internal communications. They help companies provide guidance while strengthening employee communications and knowledge sharing.
Management updates for employee communications
A management update brings information directly from senior management or department heads to employees. It should focus on a manageable topic and communicate one clear core message.
Change videos for internal communications
Change and project videos explain what is changing, why the change is necessary and how it affects employees. For longer projects, several short updates are often easier to understand than a single, lengthy video.
Onboarding videos for new employees
Onboarding videos introduce the company, key departments, work tools and internal processes. A series of short modules is also easier to update than one long introductory video. New employees can return to individual topics whenever necessary.
Training videos for knowledge sharing
Training and learning videos communicate specialist knowledge, safety requirements or product information consistently. An E-Learning Extension is also available separately for VIMP Enterprise. It enables organizations to create courses with customizable media sequences, questionnaires and supplementary documents.
Company Videos for External Communications
Product videos, recruiting videos, corporate videos and customer testimonials support external communications. They explain services, provide insight into the company and help prospects make informed decisions.
Product videos for external communications
A product video should not simply list features. Instead, it should demonstrate a clear benefit. A simple narrative starts with the problem, moves on to the application and finishes with the result. Depending on the product, real-life footage, screen recordings and animations can be combined.
Recruiting videos for employer communications
Recruiting videos give potential applicants an insight into teams, responsibilities and the working environment. They are particularly helpful when they provide clear answers about everyday tasks, collaboration and development opportunities.
Corporate videos as company films
A corporate video presents the company, its values and its identity. To remain relevant over time, however, a company or image film should not rely too heavily on short-term campaigns or figures that may quickly become outdated.
Customer testimonials
In a testimonial video, customers describe their initial situation, their experience of working with the company and the results achieved. Their statements should remain authentic. In addition, consent and usage rights must be clarified before publication.
Which Company Videos Work for Both Internal and External Audiences?
Tutorials, explainer videos, livestreams and webinars can reach both internal and external audiences. Their content, distribution channel and access settings determine how they are used.
Tutorials as explanatory company videos
A tutorial demonstrates a specific process step by step. Internally, for example, it might explain an approval workflow, while externally it can help customers use a product. Clear titles and chapter markers also make it easier to find the relevant information.
Livestreams and webinars for internal and external audiences
Livestreams are suitable for town hall meetings, training sessions, product presentations and digital events. Afterwards, the recording can be made available as video-on-demand content. This turns a one-time event into a resource that remains useful over time.
How to Plan Videos in Corporate Communications
Companies should choose a video format based on its objective, audience, useful life and level of confidentiality. The following four questions support the decision:
- What should the video achieve?
Should it inform, explain, share knowledge, build trust or encourage interaction?
- Who should see the video?
An internal update requires a different level of context than a product video for new prospects.
- How long will the content remain relevant?
Tutorials, training videos and onboarding content should be modular and reviewed regularly.
- How may the video be distributed?
Confidential content requires different access controls than public product or recruiting videos.
Subtitles and transcripts should also be considered at an early stage. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative describes captions as a synchronized text alternative for speech and important audio information.
Delivering Company Videos to the Right Audience
Company videos should be available wherever the intended audience can access them easily and with the appropriate permissions. Public reach and protected internal delivery should therefore be considered separately.
Public videos can appear on the company website, social networks or public video platforms. Our separate page on YouTube for enterprises explains the specific considerations for businesses.
Management updates, internal training and protected recordings, on the other hand, require a platform with roles and media permissions. Our article on data protection for videos and secure video platforms explains additional selection criteria.
Videos in Corporate Communications with VIMP
VIMP helps companies manage videos centrally and provide them to internal or external audiences with controlled access. On-demand media can be organized into categories, channels, albums and groups. Livestreams can also be integrated into the video portal.
With VIMP Enterprise, access to individual media items can be limited through roles and media permissions. LDAP, SAML 2.0 and a REST API are also available for integration into existing IT environments.
VIMP can be deployed on-premises or operated through Fully Managed Hosting. This supports a wide range of use cases – from internal management updates to product videos embedded on public websites.
Conclusion: Use Company Videos Strategically
Successful videos in corporate communications begin with a clear communication objective. Only once the target audience, message and desired outcome are defined can the right format be selected.
Not every topic requires an elaborate company film. A concise tutorial, a personal update or a focused product demonstration will often serve the purpose more effectively.
By choosing formats deliberately, companies can use video effectively across both internal and external communications.
Frequently Asked Questions About Videos in Corporate Communications
Suitable formats include management updates, change videos, onboarding content, training videos, tutorials, product videos, recruiting videos, corporate videos, customer testimonials and livestreams.
Company video is a broad term for videos used internally or externally by a company. Corporate video usually refers to a representative company or brand film.
A company video should be as short as possible and as detailed as necessary. The appropriate length depends on the topic, target audience and intended use.
Public videos can be distributed through websites or public video platforms. Confidential content, however, requires a platform with suitable roles and access controls.
Success depends on the communication objective. Relevant metrics may include views, watch time, completion rate, interactions or direct inquiries. For internal videos, participation rates, follow-up questions or completed learning content may also be useful.
Not every company video requires an elaborate production. Clear visuals, good audio and a logical structure are often sufficient for an internal update or short tutorial. For brand, recruiting or product videos, however, professional production can support the desired impact.
The right frequency depends on the audience and the communication need. Regular management updates or training content may follow a fixed schedule. However, relevance and accuracy are more important than the number of videos published.
