Nick BuchheitVideo marketing works wonders. Research very clearly shows the effectiveness of video as a core marketing tool, which is why an increasing number of brands are now producing video. This also means the number of marketing videos online is constantly growing, making it more and more challenging to stand out.
So how do you cut through the noise?
The key is not only to produce videos but to produce high-quality videos that are tailored to help you turn your business goals and objectives into reality. And the key to achieving that, you may ask? A clear and well-thought-out creative video brief.
Defining your strategy and using it as a basis for your projects will help you create the right content and move you closer to your marketing goal. A detailed plan will help you move in the right direction, and a detailed creative video brief will help your video production agency shoot the videos you need.
Related reading: Marketing Video Production – Trends and Strategies for 2022
What Is A Creative Brief For Video Production?
A creative video brief is basically a summary describing what kind of video it is you want to create. It’s where to guide your team and your agency throughout the project and keep everyone on track and moving in the same direction. The brief is there to outline things like goals, deadlines, budget, messaging, branding guidelines, target audience, and any other information that will be important when planning for and executing your corporate video production.
Why Do You Need A Creative Brief?
There are many moving parts in video production, and one of the most critical factors to ensure a great result is clarity. Clarity on everything from expectations and budget to timeline and creative approach. And that’s where the creative brief comes in. The brief serves as the point of departure for the collaboration with your video production agency, and it can also be a part of your formal agreement. The brief makes sure everyone involved is on the same page and has access to all important information.
Writing the creative brief is also an excellent exercise for the brand ordering the video, as it forces you to go from fluffy ideas to more concrete directions and requests.
Related reading: What Is Corporate Video? Top Trends, Tactics and Strategies for 2022
How To Write A Creative Brief For Corporate Video Production
When working with a video production agency, writing the brief may feel like a challenge. Perhaps you’re not sure about the terminology, and maybe you’re not familiar with the technical terms of corporate video production. But you know what? That’s totally fine. That’s why you hire experts!
On the other hand, you are the expert on your brand and what message you want your video production to convey. And that’s where your focus should be when you’re writing the video production brief. It’s a means for you to express your brands, objectives, and needs to the agency. The best video production projects involve communication through the whole process and an open can-do attitude on both sides.
This article provides a ready-to-use template that you can copy and use for your next video project. But we suggest you only use it as a basis for your brief and complement it with the material that makes sense in your specific case.
Anything that helps your agency understand your brand better is helpful, from the story behind your brand to the mood boards you used when creating your latest project. While it’s a good idea to keep your brief concise and to the point, you should not be afraid of including anything you think will help your agency understand the whole picture.
Related reading: Corporate Video Production and Marketing Videos – How To Give Feedback To Your Video Agency
Video Brief Template – Ready-To-Use For Your Next Corporate Video Project
Below we’ve listed eleven bullet points that will help you write an effective creative brief for your video production agency:
- Introduction
- Project Overview
- Project Objectives
- Project Success
- Target Audience
- Channels and Distribution
- Competitive Overview
- Message and Style
- Brand Guidelines
- Tone of Voice
- Budget
- Timeline and Deadlines
Download Your Video Brief Template
However, there may be more information that’s relevant to your specific project. It’s usually a good idea to discuss with your agency what they need from the brief, before you start writing it.
Now, let’s have a closer look at each section of this brief template:
1. Introduction
If you haven’t worked with the agency before, it’s a good idea to introduce your company first of all. Start by briefly introducing your company, brand, and concept. Who are you, what products or services are you offering, and how are they benefiting your customers? If you have written a positioning statement, this is an excellent place to throw that in.
2. Project Overview
The next step is to outline the project your brief describes. What is it that you are looking to produce? And how does it fit into your overall marketing strategy? Is this project part of something bigger or a stand-alone project?
If this project is part of a more extensive campaign, share some examples of other content it contains. If not, you might want to share content from previous campaigns. You want to give your agency an overview of the project before you dive more into detail.
3. Project Objectives
Now it’s time to describe why you want to start this project. What are you looking to achieve, and what are your objectives? Are you planning to create a brand video to build brand awareness and brand affinity? Or do you need an explainer video to educate your customers on using your product or services? Or perhaps you need a docu-style video showcasing your company’s CSR work?
What type of video you’ll produce depends very much on what you want to achieve with it. Are you looking to create an emotional reaction, or is the purpose more on the informational side of things? Do you want your viewers to be inspired to take a specific action? Knowing exactly what your goals and objectives are is essential.
Related reading: 5 Calls-to-Action You Should Be Using In Your Videos
4. Project Success
Understanding what success means to you in this project dictates a large portion of your overall strategy and budget. As yourself these questions:
- How will you know if this project is successful?
- What would one conversion from this project mean for your business?
Six months from now, how will you determine whether or not this project was successful?
Answering these questions before you start your project gets the entire team on the same page before stepping forward.
5. Target Audience
Your agency will also need to know who you create your video for. Who will be watching it, and what does your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) look like? When creating marketing videos, it’s crucial to know your target audience. That will help you and your video production agency understand what type of video and storytelling would resonate with them, increasing your chances of running a successful video marketing campaign.
Examples of things to consider when defining your target audience include:
- Age
- Occupation
- Aspirations
- Challenges
- Pain points
- Budget
- Location
6. Channels and Distribution
Your video production agency will also need to know where you plan to show your video. Will the video be a part of your website, or is it meant for social media advertising? Perhaps it’s part of a series of educational videos inside your app? Or maybe it’s a TV commercial? All these different platforms and channels require different types of videos and different approaches.
Often, your target audience will decide what platforms make the most sense for you to publish your videos in. Are you, for example, you’re selling teenage fashion? Then your audience is probably hanging out on TikTok or Instagram. Oh, you’re selling B2B solutions? Then you’re more likely to find your audience on LinkedIn or searching for information on Youtube.
Related reading: Dynamic Video Production – How To Make The Most Out Of Your Video Shoot
7. Competitive Overview
It’s also important to let your video agency know who your competitors are and what kind of videos they’re producing. Not to copy them, far from it. But because it’s an essential piece of the puzzle.
Knowing your competition will help your agency make your brand stand out. The market is saturated, to say the least, and the last thing you want is for your videos to turn out too similar to your competitors’ content because your agency didn’t even know what that content looked like in the first place.
8. Message and Style
When you know why you’re making videos, and for whom, the next question becomes what to create. When you know your goal, you can craft the perfect messaging to achieve that goal.
To stand out in the noise, you want to stress the things that differentiate your brand, and you want to do it in a creative way that captures people’s attention. You need to get ultra-clear on precisely what you want to say and share that with your video production agency. Slim it down and cut all that’s not necessary, as it will only create noise and distract from your core message.
Related reading: How to Improve Your B2B Video Marketing by Taking Cues from TV Commercials
9. Brand Guidelines
One of the most critical elements of successful digital marketing is branding. And to create a solid and lovable brand, coherency is key. This means it’s vital to share any branding guidelines with your video production agency.
And don’t worry, it won’t hamper their creativity. It will only provide helpful boundaries to get creative within while still creating content that adheres to your style guide. Then again, some artistic liberties usually do the end product good. The most important thing is that you share your guidelines with your agency and have continuous collaboration and communication throughout the project.
10. Tone of Voice
Let your agency know what Tone of Voice your brand is using. If your brand’s Tone of Voice is defined in your brand guidelines, that’s great. If not, it can help to think of your brand as a person. How would that person speak? What tonality and what kind of language would they use? And what kind of words would they not use? What feelings do you want your brand to evoke, and how does your target audience talk? These questions are essential if you want to create a video that resonates with your ideal customers.
Related reading: Creating a Story Arch For Corporate Storytelling
11. Budget
When you writing your brief, it’s also essential to get clear on your budget. Only when you know how much you are willing to spend will you be able to plan your project. A smaller budget by no means equates to a lower quality production, but it does mean you’ll have to plan accordingly. The more specific your goals are, the easier it will be to allocate funds to your different video projects.
Related reading: Budgeting for Video – How to Decide on the Size of Your Production
12. Timeline and Deadlines
This section specifies any important dates and deadlines for your video production. If you’re in a hurry, that will impact your video production. And when time is scarce, clear communication becomes even more important. To avoid frustration and misunderstandings down the line, it’s good to be as specific as possible when defining your timeline.
It’s also good to define your own availability so that you can plan for meetings and feedback rounds well in advance. The less stress, the better the experience will be for everyone involved.
Partner With An Award-Winning Video Production Company
Choosing the right video production agency will significantly impact the effectiveness of your video marketing efforts. And providing that agency with a good brief is the first step to a successful project.
Whether you’re producing a brand video, a corporate video, or a docu-style video, finding the right production company will affect how your content performs.
Ideally, you find a production company that can be a long-term partner for all your marketing video needs. This will ensure a coherent visual style and tone of voice and give the agency a chance to get to know your business and your goals.
Related reading: 5 Steps To Choosing The Right Corporate Video Production Company
At Covalent, we can help you create a winning video marketing strategy. Get in touch to explore how we can make your brand come alive with authentic video content.