How Southwest Airlines created a multimedia comms department

More, more, more content!

Does your job ever feel like that?

Before you spend another late night at the office, cranking out dull infographics or dreary corporate photos to be tweeted and forgotten, spend a lunch break with Sonia Avila of Southwest Airlines.

In the Ragan Training session, “Creating a multimedia organization,” Avila, ‎senior manager of creative services, offers dozens of tips on how to create smart images and videos that match your communications goals.

For those overworked communicators making the case for additional staff, Avila offers tips on where to find talent and how visual content can convey what’s special about your organization.

“Now we’re in the space of social media content,” she says. “We have to be there; we have to be engaged.”

Here are a few of her takeaways:

Ask your employees

Are you finding that people don’t read or share you content? How about asking employees what they want? Southwest holds face-to-face conversations, undertakes a communications audit and conducts employee surveys.