The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 47: Feb/March 2020 | Page 6

BUSINESS NEWS PUTTING VIDEO BLOGGING IN THE PICTURE Workshop turns spotlight on impact of poor employee engagement With video fast becoming an essential marketing tool, one Swindon digital content specialist has created a two-day course to help business owners get their video blogging in the can. With statistics showing critically low levels of employee engagement in the UK, Wiltshire business owners and HR managers will be given the chance to discover how engaged their teams are thanks to a free workshop. Andrea Riding, Managing Director of AARC Opportunity, is an Engage & Grow coach specialising in helping businesses enthuse their workforce so they love their jobs. She is delivering the workshop in Chippenham on 3rd March and Swindon on 5th March, where attendees will go through an exercise to find out exactly how engaged their own employees are and the impact it is having on their organisations. A Gallup survey showed just 11 per cent of UK employees are fully engaged in their roles, with serious consequences for businesses including lower productivity, falling sales, poor customer ratings and increased absenteeism. While a majority of employees – 66 per cent – are not engaged a further 20 per cent are actively disengaged and can represent a disruptive influence in the workplace. The award-winning Engage & Grow programme aims to help companies turn this around by reengaging their employees through a tailored programme. Results show an average increase in employee engagement of 257 per cent for SME businesses which have taken part. “The low levels of engagement have a serious impact on the performance of a business. It is costing businesses around 34 per cent of their wages bill, and results in low productivity, increased absenteeism and higher staff turnover,” said Andrea. “This workshop will enable them to calculate how engaged their own workforce are using a tried and tested Engage & Grow formula benchmarked against the worldwide Gallup research, to determine a value on what this is costing them. “We will be giving them some advice on how to reengage their workforce and, armed with this information, they may consider 6 www.tbeswindonandwilts.co.uk commissioning an Engage & Grow bespoke programme to find a solution. Engage & Grow uses neuroscience as the basis of its coaching programme to help employers and employees think differently.” Andrea added that employers and HR managers could take some simple first steps to help their employees feel more engaged. For example, building trust and cohesion, and setting shared goals, will help bring teams and management together. “Employees want to feel appreciated, they need variety and an opportunity for growth. They need certainty, they need to have significance within the organisation – particularly important for Millennials - and they want to make a contribution,” said Andrea. “Importantly, employees really need to have fun at work. It is so important for learning. “Businesses with highly engaged employees are 17% more productive and 21% more profitable than those with the least engagement. The figures speak for themselves and the impact of being able to double or even triple employee engagement would be incredibly rewarding to any type of organisation.” Both workshops run from 8.30-10.30am. The Chippenham workshop is being held on Tuesday 3rd March at The Meeting Place (access from the Borough Parade Car Park, SN15 3ER), and the Swindon workshop is being held on Thursday 5th March at The VAS (Voluntary Action Swindon) Centre, John Street, SN1 1RT There is no cost to attend but reservations must be made in advance. For more information and to secure a place visit: www.aarcopportunity.com or email Andrea on [email protected]. Pam Jones, who runs Eight Interactive which creates video and digital content for businesses, has devised the VIP – Video Implementation Programme. The VIP has been created in response to seeing many video blogs (or vlogs) that Pam believes would be better left on the cutting room floor. “I have been video blogging for the past two years and there is a process which ensures the videos are effective and targeted,” said Pam, who has been making digital and video content for 18 years. “There’s nothing wrong with quick video posts on social media that are taken spontaneously but when it comes to vlogging, these should be more professional and purposeful.” Statistics show videos attract 300 per cent more traffic than the written word. A website is 53 times more likely to reach the front page of Google if it includes video and 72 per cent of customers say they would rather learn about a product or service by way of video. “It is clear that video is an increasingly essential marketing tool for businesses but unless vlogs are done well they could actually be doing more harm than good,” said Pam. “I have seen all sorts of video blogs which really don’t present the business owner in a professional light and won’t be effective in terms of search engine optimisation.” The VIP is a two-day course and will be held on 3rd and 4th March at the Doubletree Hilton, Swindon. It is open to a small group of business owners and Pam will cover the entire process involved in video blogging. Delegates will learn how to plan and film their videos, and what equipment they need (such as a tripod to hold a smart phone). Pam will guide them through the filming process individually, and she will also cover basic video editing and advise on which software to use. At the end of the course, attendees will have at least one video ready for posting with a firm plan for a dozen films and the knowhow to create them. Unlike quickly snatched videos for social media, these vlogs will be evergreen and be created with search engine optimisation in mind. The VIP is a follow on from Pam’s popular workshop on using video to promote a business. “In feedback, delegates were asking for more about vlogging, so we created the VIP. We are running the programme over two consecutive days to maintain the momentum and enable attendees to come away with really firm knowledge of how to create their video blogs.” The course costs £397 + VAT and Pam plans to run further courses in June and October. To book, visit: www.eight-interactive.com/ video-blogging-training/ and for more information about Eight Interactive, email Pam on: [email protected]. Eight Interactive’s three top tips for great vlogging 1. Make a plan, deciding on a firm message targeted at your audience. Always rehearse first and remember that vlogs have to be engaging and focused. 2. If you are using a smart phone, put it on a tripod. This avoids camera shake and helps you frame the video. 3. Take time to edit the video, perhaps including background music or extra images. There is a range of free software available to take advantage of. For more info: www.eight-interactive.com