How to create onboarding videos that boost new hire retention

Employee onboarding is essential in any organization, and it helps new hires understand their roles, responsibilities, company culture, and what’s expected of them.

Creating an onboarding experience that’s both engaging and informative is crucial for new hires’ success. Research conducted by the Brandon Hall Group shows that great employee onboarding can increase retention by a whopping 82%! However, with the recent rise in remote and hybrid workforces, conventional onboarding approaches often miss the mark.

Supercharge your onboarding experience with videos

While it may come as a surprise, incorporating video into your existing process can be a lot less work than you might think! In fact, it can save you time in the long run. In this article, we’ll share a few straightforward, budget-friendly tips for creating effective onboarding videos.

Clearly define your onboarding goals

Understanding your onboarding goals will help you create a more focused and compelling video. Before you dive into video creation, it’s essential to outline your goals. What do you want your new hires to learn from the video? What are the key messages you want to convey? An excellent place to start would be to focus on core values, provide a glimpse of what to expect, and introduce the new hires to fellow team members.

Keep it short and sweet

Your onboarding video should be short and to the point. If it’s too long, it could lead to boredom and disengagement, so aim for a video between 5 and 10 minutes, and focus on the most important information new hires need.

Use a storytelling approach

One way to make your onboarding video engaging is through storytelling to help viewers connect with the organization’s values and culture. Use real-life examples and scenarios to help them understand how they fit into the organization.

Bring others on board

Including a message from the CEO or other senior leaders can help make new hires feel valued and welcomed. While including this element isn’t mandatory, it can help make a positive first impression of the organization and set the tone for the rest of the onboarding process. If including senior leaders isn’t an option, consider including other team members. 

Don’t overcomplicate it

While the idea of creating video content could feel intimidating and might seem like an expensive process, it doesn’t have to be! Utilize the tools at your disposal to make your video memorable, and consider the following resources to create a video with little to no hassle:

• Your smartphone: Smartphones are equipped with high-quality cameras, so most of us already have what we need to produce a video! Some best practices for filming on a smartphone are to film using the rear camera lenses in landscape mode and to pick a location with ample natural light.
• PowerPoint®: Your company likely has corporate slide decks or PowerPoints you can repurpose and customize. This is also a great way to familiarize your new hires with your branding and logos. Using PowerPoint, you can convert an existing slideshow into a video and add a voice-over, and even some background music if you want, and you’re done!
• Other free online resources: Websites like Biteable, for instance, are user-friendly and free to use. This online tool allows you to create a professional-looking onboarding video to help new hires understand their roles and responsibilities, company culture, and the organization’s expectations. If you choose to film video content on your smartphone, you can use free iOS/Android apps such as iMovie, Animoto, and Splice.

Bottom line

Onboarding videos have the potential to significantly boost new hire retention by providing an engaging and informative introduction to your organization. They’re a great way to enhance your existing onboarding strategy and serve as a valuable tool in your recruitment and onboarding toolkit. By defining your goals, keeping the content concise, using storytelling, leveraging accessible tools, and involving team members, you can create an impactful onboarding experience that sets new employees up for success. Embrace the power of video to strengthen your onboarding process and foster lasting connections with your new hires.