POSTS
Beyond the Project - Strategic Planning
In a perfect world, every video you commission works as a self-contained piece of content that benefits the viewer in some way. That’s why most of the work production companies carry out for their clients are project-based. It is helpful to view each video or video series as individual campaigns with their own objectives.
However, these videos are not isolated projects. They need to connect with your existing - and future - content production. Thought needs to go into both its creation and it’s distribution.
Before you create any more 'great content', figure out how you are going to market it first.
Joe Pulizzi, Author
Consultancy is long term support for ongoing video content creation. It is all the work that surrounds the production of the videos themselves to ensure that key objectives are set, met and evaluated. Our Consultancy services focus on four key areas:
Let’s examine the first of these…
Branding is everywhere, yet it’s meaning is hard to pin down. My favourite definition comes from Phillip Kotler who describes it as “the act of designing the company’s offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market”. It is not just a function of marketing. For a brand to feel authentic, the messaging must come from “company’s offering” - they can’t be buzzwords plucked from the air. This takes careful planning.
Most companies have carried out some degree of market segmentation prior to producing videos, even if only informally. However, marketing segmentation can be hugely effective when properly structured. It should be measurable, accessible, substantial and actionable - with the last being the most important. Success is far more likely when creative decisions are driven by beaningful differentiation between marketing segments.
While Google AI may have reached the point where it can order you a takeaway, most buying decisions are made by human beings. For now, at least. Communicating clearly in terms people understand is something that can easily become lost:
Marketers too often use corporate-speak and a lot of buzzwords that don’t really mean anything. Buyer personas can help you avoid that trap by reminding you to think about the real humans who read your social posts and engage with your content.
Christina Newbury
With so much necessary focus it can be easy to forget the human element. The honing of audience personas during planning is a huge help once the cameras start rolling.
The combination of brand positioning, market segmentation and persona creation lay the foundation for strategic creative decisions. We go into greater detail on our process page. Part two of this series deals with best practice for carrying out a video audit.
.svg){kind=icon}
