Narrating Through a Lens
by Lauren Liacouras
Monday, March 8, 2021
If you're looking to broaden your association’s content strategy, it's wise to consider a variety of elements to engage your target audience. Given the virtual environment we're all in, and the vast number of people who are visual learners, video content can prove integral to a multichannel content strategy.
Despite it being a fresh and engaging way to present information, the video medium is comprised of multiple components that must be considered for the content to be successful.
Audience
Before creating video content, it’s important to identify the audience demographic. It’s a fictive school of thought that video appeals to everyone as a mode of consuming information, albeit many prefer it in this digital age. Those brought up in the tech-savvy era are, of course, more receptive to digital assets like video; however, there may be older, more traditional members who may not want to consume video. Once the target audience has been confirmed, strategic content planning can begin.
Narrative
Creators of video content should consider the association’s vision. During the initial brainstorming and conception process, consider the following questions:
- What is the new narrative?
- How long will the video need to be to tell this story effectively?
- Is a detailed storyboard necessary to create the content?
- Does the narrative call for interview footage or generic stock footage?
- How much will it cost to create the video in order to do the narrative justice?
At the drawing board stage, these questions, in addition to others, can prove especially helpful when devising a plan to integrate video content into a content strategy.
Release
Timing the release of video content is also important. Depending on the timeframe for the story the video is helping tell, an organization can better discern the best time to release the video. Is it serving as a teaser for future content, or is it meant to educate? There is a constant deluge of video content swirling in the ether, so much that it is ill-advised not to thoroughly contemplate a timed release.
Video content is a great way to tell a story, especially if it serves to cast a new light on an organization’s direction. Following the appropriate planning steps when first considering video content can go a long way and lead to a positive outcome.
Lauren Liacouras is a content coordinator at SmithBucklin.
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