The month of September included a fabulous and SOLD OUT Phoenix Content Strategy Meetup at Film Bar in Downtown Phoenix. Not only were we excited to have Andrew Bagley and Michael Duah present, but we also had a great turnout with people from all creative disciplines, which will really set the stage for upcoming meetups.

Here are six takeaways from the meetup for those who weren’t able to make it:

1. Don’t create demand; capture it.
2. Create a distribution strategy.
3. Use a “celebrity” to promote your video.
4. Grow a following.
5. Make videos using a transmedia approach.
6. Give a gift, not a story.

First, Andrew shared five tips for creating and distributing videos:

Don’t create demand; capture it

When it comes to video, there are questions that should be asked before the project carries out: Is there demand for this content? Does content already exist for this? How can I make this content better and more valuable to a consumer?

Create a distribution strategy

Once these points have been decided, many people too much time planning and making the video, and they forget to plan how to promote it. Andrew shared that there is no reason to spend a lot of money on a video unless there is enough budget to promote it too.

Use a “celebrity” to promote your video

A great strategy for boosting views is to ask a blogger “celebrity” that’s well-known by your audience to be your video actor and share it on their blog. That way, you can spark your viewers’ interest by including a familiar face and extend your reach by cross-promoting.

Grow a following

Partnering with a popular blogger and promoting your video in other channels is a great way to grow your subscriber base, which is key to gaining more viewers over time. In fact, a YouTube subscriber has been found to be even more valuable than a Facebook follower.

Being consistent and posting videos frequently is also important to gain subscribers because people will lose interest if content isn’t updated or added on a regular basis. Andrew shared that the best practice is to create one video per week to keep subscribers interested and engaged. Also, make your videos 90 seconds to 3 minutes in length to keep their attention, ensuring the content remains rich and engaging.

Make videos using a transmedia approach

During production, get the most value you can out of the video shoot by using a transmedia approach, where you use the same content for multiple purposes. For example, during the video shoot, take photos and shorter video clips to share on social media, and have a writer on hand to create a blog post about the same content. That way, you’re using resources to the fullest and extending the life of your content in other creative ways.

After Andrew’s presentation, Michael shared a different perspective on video and helped us improve the way we tell stories. His main takeaway:

A story is a GIFT for your audience, not just something you’re telling or promoting.

“Story is about transformation. It’s the shortest distance between human beings and the truth.” What does that mean for us as designers and content creators?

In video creation, we shouldn’t look at each project as just something to finish and push over to a client. We need to actually think about the storyline and if it’s something we even want to share with others.

Michael referred to it as “story giving, not story telling.” As creatives, we’re tasked with giving a gift to someone that could potentially change his or her mindset. He challenged us to not figure out how to tell a better story, but to figure out how to give a gift and ask ourselves, “Does this ‘gift’ relate to those who are to receive it? Will they even want it?”

When you’re creating stories for videos, think about providing something necessary and thoughtful at the right time. That’s the recipe for the perfect story or gift.

Overall, the meetup was fun and enlightening, and we all walked away with tangible lessons on how to improve the way we plan, create, and promote videos. Both the Phoenix Content Strategy Meetup and AIGA AZ groups want to do more events like this where we co-mingle content and design, so there is plenty to look forward to as our creative community becomes more close-knit!

Written by Liz Magura, contribution from Amy Lamp