Lore

Video Content Strategy: Brainstorming Basics

Video content consumption is growing, and will continue to grow. Why?

  1.  Similar to the situation photography was sitting in about 10 years ago, it is getting easier & cheaper to create video.
  2. It’s easy to watch a video on a phone vs. reading a long passage, and if you think mobile will stop growing at 50% of traffic on the internet, you kid only yourself.
  3. Showing beats telling. Video is a great format to show off your product/destination/etc.

There are countless articles that have been published about how to do video well, but here’s a very short and sweet exercise to help you brainstorm what type of video content you should create. (Much of the below credited to “Think With Google’s” article here.)

First, answer the question, “What does my brand stand for?”

IMG_2989

Not what do you make, but what do you stand for.

Example for Nike:

  • shoes NO!
  • Help the world’s best athletes achieve peak physical performance
  • Push fashion and style forward in athletic wear
  • Inspire the layperson to accomplish more with their chosen sport/activity

Second, answer the question, “What does my audience care about?”

IMG_2990

Example for Nike shoe shoppers:

  • shoes NO! (Well, yes, but shoes could be anyone. Why NIKE shoes?)
  • Look cool/attractive/stylish at the gym
  • Emulate my favorite athletes’ performance
  • Improving my performance on the court/field/etc

Ok, now the third, and essential part of the exercise, “Where do these two circles intersect?”

IMG_2991

That intersection is the video you should create for the web. It’s not the 30 second TV spot you created, but the stuff you should create. See how Nike Soccer leverages their strengths with the customer’s desires. For example, they are leveraging some of their greatest sponsored athletes to hit home on customer’s interest in emulating the world’s best. Another content track could be short videos explaining how to execute some of soccer’s most stylish tricks (the rabona, for example) while the athletes wear Nike’s shoes. This could fill the “inspire the layperson/improve my performance” company/customer intersection. The opportunities could go on and on.

nike_youtube

I know, Nike has an unfair amount of $ and resources to play with, but this works for small brands too. We’ve done the planning with various brands and there are options for small businesses too.

Now, when you go out to make the video content that sits in that intersection of the 2 questions, make sure it is:

  • As short as possible. If it’s more than 2 minutes, why? Say it faster. Break it up into a few videos if you need.
  • Informational or entertaining, or both.
  • Not self-serving. Who goes on YouTube to watch ads or to hear a business just talk about how great they are? If it has to be about a product, make it an educational demo, a review from an industry influencer, or something informational (tips/tricks).
  • Think of the video content you create in themes or playlists to help you organize your content ideas.

If you are looking for additional examples of great Youtube content channels, check out these: Portland (destination) and Guitar Center. Happy brainstorming!