Struggling to make new hires feel truly part of the team from day one? Let’s be honest, a static slide deck and a pile of paperwork often fall flat. Traditional onboarding can feel disconnected, maybe even a little boring, leaving your newest team members overwhelmed rather than excited. What if there was a better way to share your company’s story, culture, and essential info?
Enter the onboarding video: a dynamic, cost-effective tool that helps you scale culture, ensure clarity, and build genuine connection from the get-go. A simple and effective video can convey essential information about attendance, code of conduct, and compliance in an easily digestible format. Think of it as your best storyteller, working 24/7. As professional content creators specializing in animation, we at Superpixel have seen firsthand how powerful professional videos can turn those crucial first days into first wins.
Here are the key takeaways for busy business owners:
- Onboarding videos deliver consistent messaging without you repeating yourself.
- Create a sense of belonging, especially for remote or global teams.
- Visually explain complex policies or workflows for better retention.
- Make your company values and mission feel tangible and real.
- Reduce repetitive tasks for founders and HR, freeing up valuable time.
Why Onboarding Videos Work Wonders for Modern Businesses
For Founders: Scale Your Story Without Repeating It
As a founder, your passion and vision are infectious. But repeating the company origin story, mission, and values to every new hire takes precious time away from steering the ship.
A new hire video can be an effective tool to convey this essential information.
Save Founder Time with Evergreen Messaging
Record it once, share it infinitely. An onboarding video captures your authentic voice and core message, ensuring every new employee gets the same inspiring introduction directly from you, without you needing to be physically present every single time.
The process of video creation can be streamlined using various platforms, making it accessible even to those without technical skills.
Build Connection Remotely or Globally
In today’s distributed workforce, creating a unified culture can be tough. Video bridges geographical gaps, helping remote hires feel connected to the team and leadership from anywhere in the world.
Imagine being able to share that “welcome to the team” feeling, consistently.
Showcase Brand Mission with Emotional Storytelling
Why did you start this company? What drives you? Animation and visual storytelling can bring your mission to life in ways text alone cannot.
Think about your favourite animated movie—how did it make you feel? That’s the power we’re tapping into.
For HR and L&D Leaders: Reduce Churn and Increase Clarity
A clear, welcoming onboarding process is critical for retention. Confused or disconnected new hires are more likely to walk away.
Employees should have access to training materials at their own convenience, allowing them to learn at their own pace and revisit resources as needed.
Reinforce Key Policies Visually
Let’s face it, policy documents can be dry. Animated explainers can break down complex HR policies, compliance rules, or benefits information into easily digestible, memorable chunks.
Set Expectations on Culture and Workflow Early
What does a typical day look like? Who reports to whom? How does the team collaborate? A short video can set clear expectations about company culture, communication styles, and workflows, reducing early-stage confusion.
ADP highlights that effective onboarding significantly boosts engagement and retention.
Highlight Key Information and Leadership in Minutes
Introduce key leaders and department heads visually. Including key information about the organizational structure, company culture, and roles helps new hires understand the company better and feel more comfortable reaching out.
Consider this
Organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82%, according to Brandon Hall Group.
Transformative Insight #1
Story-driven video beats policy PDFs every single time for making a lasting impression, be it for new onboarding employees receiving an overview of the company, or more targeted key information for key team members.
The Anatomy of a High-Impact Onboarding Video
Okay, so you’re sold on the why. But what makes an onboarding video truly effective? It’s not just about hitting record; it’s about crafting a purposeful narrative in an effort to build on key metrics.
Incorporating customer success stories can significantly enhance the impact of your onboarding videos by illustrating real-world value and effectiveness.
Including company policies in your onboarding videos is crucial to ensure that all employees understand and comply with the regulations and procedures set by the company.
Building Your Video’s Blueprint
Many guides skip the actual process, but here’s a structure that works to fit your company’s mission:
Script Structure:
Start with a warm welcome message. Introduce the company culture and core mission to create an emotional connection. Explain key processes or initial tasks. Introduce essential tools or platforms. Keep it focused!
Video Length Guide:
Attention spans are short. Aim for 90 seconds to 5 minutes maximum. If you need more time, break it into a series of shorter, topic-specific videos.
Visual Rhythm:
Pacing matters. Ensure the visuals, transitions, and music align with your brand’s energy—whether that’s fast-paced and energetic, calm and professional, or playful and bold. Many viewers will see your content on a mobile device – a factor to keep in mind.
Visual Storytelling That Connects
How do you make concepts like ‘company values’ feel real? Through smart visual choices.
Use Animated Metaphors
Abstract ideas like ‘innovation’ or ‘collaboration’ can be hard to grasp. Animation allows you to use metaphors (think gears turning for teamwork, or a lightbulb for ideas) to make these concepts tangible and memorable.
Create Onboarding Videos, Welcome Videos for the Onboarding Process
An employee onboarding video is essential for familiarizing new hires with the company’s culture, values, and team dynamics. Highlight the key features of your product or service to ensure new hires quickly understand its capabilities.
Use examples, tips, and techniques to create effective onboarding videos that engage employees and facilitate a smoother transition into their new roles.
Include Your Brand Characters or Motifs, Core Values in your Video Training
If you have brand mascots or specific visual elements, incorporate them! This reinforces brand identity and adds a unique touch.
Match Tone to Team Vibe, Consider Team Members:
Is your team culture serious and corporate, or more laid-back and creative? The animation style, colours, and music should reflect this accurately. Authenticity resonates.
Power of Visuals: People retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to only 10% when reading it in text, as noted by Forbes, 2017.
Transformative Insight #2: Culture is better shown than stated—video makes your values feel visceral and real.
Employee Onboarding Video Formats That Fit Your Business and Budget
You don’t need a Hollywood budget to create effective onboarding videos. Including other team members in the videos can foster collaboration and interaction among employees. The key is choosing the right format for your message and resources.
Integrating different video formats into the employee onboarding process can significantly enhance engagement and help new hires feel more connected to the company culture.
Focusing on Value, Not Just Tools, for your Video Template
Different styles achieve different goals:
2D Explainer for Policy Clarity in your Hire Videos
Clean, clear, and cost-effective. 2D animation is perfect for simplifying complex information like HR policies, benefits explanations, or software tutorials. Onboarding videos addressing sexual harassment in the workplace are crucial, particularly for new employees who are not remote workers, suggesting an emphasis on the unique challenges faced by onsite employees compared to their remote counterparts.
Read more: Drive Business Growth with 3D Animated Explainer Videos
3D Visual for Physical Workflows or Safety Demos
Need to show how a physical product works, demonstrate a safety procedure, or visualize a complex process? 3D animation offers depth and realism that can be incredibly impactful.
Mixed Live-Action + Animation for Human Warmth with Brand Polish
Combine footage of your actual team or office with animated graphics, text overlays, or characters. This adds a human touch while maintaining a professional, branded look. Integrating the company’s history into these videos can also help new hires connect with the brand’s journey and understand its goals and principles.
Modular Video Strategies for Growing Businesses
Think beyond a single onboarding video. A modular approach offers flexibility and longevity. Aim to create the perfect onboarding video by utilizing modular strategies.
Break Onboarding into Chapters
Create a series covering different stages: Day 1 essentials, Week 1 goals, 30-60-90 day milestones. This makes information less overwhelming and easier to revisit.
Create Role-Specific Segments
Does the onboarding process differ significantly for sales versus engineering hires? Develop short, role-specific video modules that supplement the core company onboarding.
Incorporate Onboarding Training Videos
Emphasize the significance of onboarding training by creating engaging video content for new employees. Showcase various examples of onboarding training videos that enhance team collaboration and provide efficient learning experiences, ultimately leading to better adaptation and productivity for new hires.
Repurpose Training or Product Overview Video for Multiple Uses
Smart planning in your engaging onboarding videos allows reuse. Clips from your onboarding video might work for recruitment materials, internal training updates, or even investor presentations. Go big or go home with content repurposing!
Transformative Insight #3
The best onboarding video isn’t just watched once—it gets reused multiple times across your organization.
Case Study-Driven Ideas to Spark Your Imagination
Let’s look at how animation has solved real-world communication challenges, similar to those faced during onboarding. A well-structured onboarding program or welcome video is essential for providing a comprehensive introduction to new hires.
At SuperPixel, we’re not just animators—we’re storytellers who understand business goals. Effective onboarding videos can significantly boost employee engagement by enhancing communication, connection, and workplace culture, which ultimately leads to improved job satisfaction and retention.
Simplifying the Complex: The AIA Explainer
Imagine needing to explain something intricate, like insurance plans. We worked with AIA on their Medishield Life Plan. Facilitating personal connections during the onboarding process can significantly impact long-term employee retention.
- What We Did: Crafted an 8-bit-inspired 2D animated explainer video. The nostalgic, retro aesthetic made complex insurance concepts feel simple and approachable. We also emphasized the importance of great onboarding videos to enhance new hires’ engagement and retention.
- ***Result:***Improved consumer understanding significantly and made the product benefits more accessible through engaging, easy-to-follow visuals.
Building Connection Through Story: McDonald’s Wellness Campaign
How do you convey heartfelt messages about culture or values? For McDonald’s Singapore, MSF, and Families for Life, the goal was to promote family mental wellness. High quality training, including comprehensive training videos, ensures new delivery associates understand their roles thoroughly.
- What We Did: Developed a heartfelt 2D cel-animated short film focusing on the vital role of parents and featuring employees to showcase real-life examples of company culture and core values. It wasn’t about selling burgers; it was about telling a relatable human story.
- ***Result:***Achieved 300k YouTube views within one month, demonstrating how animation can effectively boost awareness and connect emotionally.
Visual Idea: Think about creating a simple infographic comparing the time your team currently spends on repetitive onboarding tasks for new hires versus the one-time investment in creating an onboarding video series. The visual ROI can be compelling!
How to Get Started with Your First Onboarding or Orientation Video
Ready to jump on the trend? Starting a new job can be both exciting and daunting, making effective onboarding crucial for improving retention rates and ensuring new employees feel informed and valued. Taking the first step doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s important to use other tools, such as employee handbooks, to support the creation of onboarding videos and provide comprehensive information for new employees.
Planning for Success (Especially for Decision-Makers)
Like any good business initiative, planning is key.
Define Your Goals:
What specific problems will this video solve? Better policy understanding? Faster integration into the company culture? Clearer expectations? Improved information retention? Be specific.
Identify Common Sticking Points:
What questions do new hires ask most often? What processes cause the most confusion? Focus your video content on addressing these known pain points.
Create a Compelling Onboarding Video:
Ensure the video captures the attention of new hires and effectively communicates essential information about the company. Provide actionable steps to make the video engaging and informative to ensure an engaging onboarding video.
Collaborate with a Creative Partner:
Whether internal or external, work with someone who understands both storytelling and your brand. Outline the script, key messages, and visual style together.
Production Tips for Non-Video Experts
You don’t need to be a film director to oversee this.
Choose the Right Format:
Based on your goals and budget, decide if 2D, 3D, or a hybrid approach makes the most sense. (We can help guide this!)
Use Professional Voiceover:
A clear, engaging voiceover adds warmth and professionalism, humanizing even fully animated videos.
Keep Visuals Tight:
Focus on one key idea per scene. Avoid cluttering the screen with too much text or overly complex visuals. Clarity is king. Providing a brief overview in the video shows can help introduce new hires to the company’s history and values effectively.
Conclusion: Why Every Forward-Thinking Business Owner Needs This Now
Let’s recap. Successful onboarding via great onboarding videos isn’t just a “nice-to-have”; it is a game-changer for scaling your culture, saving valuable team time, and making every new hire feel genuinely welcomed and prepared from day one. Video onboarding ensures consistency, boosts retention, and brings your company’s story to life in a way that resonates.
Imagine being able to streamline your employee training and onboarding, free up your leaders, and give every new team member an engaging, memorable introduction to your company. That’s the power of well-crafted onboarding videos, they give your team all the tools to succeed.
Ready to bring your vision to life and transform your onboarding experience with engaging videos? At SuperPixel, our animated onboarding videos and orientation videos do more than just inform—they inspire connection and set the stage for success. We craft visuals that help turn your new hires into long-term champions for your brand.
Also read: 10 Powerful Benefits of Video Production Services for Businesses
