Producing great video content isn’t the easiest of tasks, whether it’s video content or any other format you care to mention. In the digital space the opportunity for anyone to create, publish and promote their own content online has upped the stakes for digital marketers. The ability to fall back on hackneyed formats has had its day, as audiences become more discerning and picky about the kind of content they consume online, especially from companies who are ultimately trying to sell them something.
Creating content is only half the battle if you don’t have marketing activation strategy in place. That being said, if your content is uninspired then it doesn’t matter how good your marketing is, it won’t interest people and they’ll switch off.
Let’s look at the last half of this content marketing equation by exploring five prerequisites to making great content.
1. Establish your Aims/Objectives
It’s incredible how much content marketing still comes unstuck at the first obstacle. Establishing what you’d like to express in your content is one thing, however understanding what you want it to ultimately achieve is another. Obviously these things are connected, but it’s important that you never assume you’ve ticked one off just by working out the other. Your marketing objectives should be innate to, and predetermined of the creative process.
2. Know your Audience
Following on from how you’re going to achieve your marketing strategy, it’s incredibly important to understand who you’re targeting! Entertainment value is a subjective quality and one that is utterly contextual to a given audience (one man’s action adventure is another’s clichéd Hollywood rubbish). Establishing your target market from the outset is usually considered more of a marketing consideration, however it must play heavily into the creative process as well. Understanding the intended audience probably won’t change your objectives, however it will definitely affect how you set out achieving them. Brands with established audiences will likely have established a definitive brand archetype that defines them as a company, as well as the content that they produce. If this isn’t something that you’ve considered, then it’s a great place to begin!
3. Collaborate and Communicate
Brainstorming with other individuals is a powerful method of bouncing ideas and then refining those that have potential. This doesn’t just mean collaborating internally within the marketing department, but also establishing communication with other decision makers involved in the process. As a video production company, we always encourage client feedback at every stage of the creative process to ensure we’re considerate to their brand. Nobody knows the company that you’re trying to market more than the people who are running it.
4. Get Emotional
The notion that a brand must think like a publisher than a traditional business is something that you’ve probably heard on a few occasions, but it’s much easier said than done! Storytelling doesn’t have to sell a product or service – weaving a strong brand message into a compelling narrative arc is a subtle art form, however getting it right can aid the establishment of your brand into the minds of your potential customers for year or even decades to come.
5. Be Consistent
It’s far too easy to get carried away with success, however minds are quickly distracted in the content-saturated online environment, so consistency isn’t just about being convenient – it’s essential if you’re going to realise your full market potential. Creating consistent content doesn’t need to be big budget to get you maximum content, it’s about adding value to your customers that can be deployed at every stage of the purchasing funnel. Hopefully this has given you a slightly better understanding of the intricate cogs that are needed to build a powerful brand video that generates a buzz with your audience.