3 reasons why you should add a video to your announcements.

A couple of years ago we had a theory with videos. If companies were able to add videos to their ASX announcements, it would drive engagement and mirror the value that insto's get in a roadshow.

Being able to see the presenter, getting their energy, checking if the CEO presented as capable… all of these signals would theoretically build more belief in the company.

But over that time, I have been able to watch hundreds of customers create videos for their announcements, and the way they have used this additional medium has changed my way of thinking.

It isn’t just about reading the same paragraph off the sheet. It isn’t just about seeing them smile or not.

It’s about turning a point in time market release into a narrative, showing that this is one touch point in a living, breathing life of a listed company. And added to our growing data set, it's changed the way I think.

Here are three new ways I think about videos based on how listed companies use them:

1. Substance.
   Not just people but actual substance. From mining companies doing videos on site or with their rocks in view, to retail companies showing stores or biotechs in the lab - highlighting your people, your assets and your size are great ways to demonstrate what is behind the code.
   
   This can be easy to overlook. Your surroundings are normal to you, but abnormal to others. 99% of investors have never been to a mining site. They haven’t been in a lab. They don’t know what it's like to sell feed to farmers, get stocked in Woolies, or build a new app.
   
   Using the videos to directly, or subtly, show them the depth and substance of your company is a big unlock.
   
2. Belief over understanding.
   This is something I have written about before, but it is something that also comes from consistency of videos.
   
   We are all immune to ASX releases. We know that “Business Update” means bad things, we know that you’re always “pleased to announce”, and that every announcement comes with a paragraph from the chair.
   
   What don’t we skip over? The video. It is what we are used to. TikTok, Instagram and now LinkedIn are full of video content. Influencers drive decision making because people build a parasocial relationship with them and follow their directives.
   
   It is the same with listed companies. Being out in front of the market, consistently, drives belief that there are people working on the problems, they are driving outcomes and things are moving. I don’t need to understand what you’re going to do over the next 3, 12 or 24 months if I know good people are working on it. Show me you’re a good person and I will believe.
   
   I will trust.
   
3. A page in a book vs a narrative.
   Some of the best use cases of video is when companies give context.
   
   Yes - here is the announcement, but it is step 5 in an 8 step process, and here I am to remind you of how it all ties in together.
   
   Remember that you spend all of your time on your company, whilst your shareholders spend little to no time on it. Say they invest in 40 companies, that's 60 market sensitive announcements a month - three per business day! They have a job, have limited attention to give to their investments, and can’t remember what you put out six months ago.
   
   Great videos highlight to investors not just this news, but how it fits into your strategic plan, and what it means for the company.
   
   “Three months ago we said we were going to do X, now we have done it, and this is what it means for the business” is a great way I have seen things framed.

These are the top 3 ways I have seen companies use videos really well in 2024 - how many of them do you follow, and how will you use video in 2025 to drive more belief, more buying?