CWT and the creative video blog

Cat Headroom: The Definitive 2023 Guide to Creative Video

Table of Contents

  1. Use a Swipe File to Help Generate Creative Videos
  2. Types of Videos
  3. The Videos of the Present and the Future
  4. What are Creative Videos?
  5. How to Have Creative Video Ideas?
  6. The Ultimate Checklist for Video Glory
  7. Suggestions for Developing Creative Videos
  8. Have Winning Creative Videos!

What is a creative video?

That is in the eye of the beholder.

For us, the low-fi “high cheese” look of these early ’80s VHS logos gets our wheels spinning:

 

What if these graphics were combined with the Max Headroom, another ’80s pop culture sensation?

 

But what if you don’t have the budget to compete with AMC Networks which is rebooting the first artificial intelligence TV personality and witty glitchbot?

Then you create your own Cat Headroom & Friend inspired by a cute kid and her new feline friend, as seen above.

We know; it’s a picture. We’ll get it moving if you become a client 🙂

To the point at hand, we’ll leave what is an innovative video up to you and the murky vicissitudes of subjectivity. We can help with keeping things fresh, though.

 

Why You Should Care…

In this post, we aim to give video newbies and experienced creators who are tackling brand video ideas on how to keep things from getting stale.

We’ll cover how to generate killer video ideas without spending a fortune.

 

Use a Swipe File to Help Generate Creative Videos

When you don’t know what to write and have nothing but a soul-crushing white screen staring at you bleakly, that’s when you need a tool to generate ideas. So, it would be best to have a tool like a swipe file.

A swipe file is a collection of unique content to get new ideas — you can save images and/or text sections from emails, social media posts, online ads, videos, blogs, and any media you can screenshot and store as a resource in a spreadsheet format.

The primary purpose of a swipe file is to scan the collection of images and text and, by osmosis, have new associations and ideas gurgle to the surface like bubbling water from an underground hot spring.

For example, you could scan a shot from a Max Headroom YouTube video and then the image from a Tweet of cheesy 1980s VHS graphics and get the inspiration to synthesize the two.

Types of Videos

Before getting into our top video ideas, you must understand the different video formats you can create.

Thankfully, many examples content creators and companies have produced will enlighten and motivate you.

Let’s review some of the most popular video formats trending today!

Use a DSLR to create videos like explainer videos

Tutorials/ How-To Vids

This popular video style demonstrates how your product or service works. It’s considered a powerful selling tool to help your audience experience the usability of your product or service. It walks your viewers through a process and answers relevant questions.

 

Explainer Video

Businesses often use these to help viewers solve problems or illustrate a particular topic. They articulate what your company does to people unfamiliar with your business.

It’s typically built to tackle three things: the problem your company is trying to solve, who you are trying to help, and the experience they’ll earn when choosing your products or services.

Testimonials

Testimonials focus on the customer experience. It showcases the positive experience a company or individual had with your business. In summary, a client explains how and why your company was the best choice in the market.

 

Case Studies

Case studies illustrate your company’s value by answering every customer’s question before purchasing: “Will this offer deliver what it promises?”

If done right, you’ll be able to explain your products and services in detail.

This style is a great selling tool because they build trust and offer a clear road map to solve a particular problem. Case studies are BoFu ( “bottom-of-funnel”) content where a prospect has researched you and needs a compelling reason to become a buyer.

 

Video Sales Letter

This type of video persuades a target audience to buy your particular product or service.

 

Social Media

Videos are at the cusp of social media content.

Social media is hungry for video content thanks to the rise of the short-video content displayed in TikTok and Instagram Reels.

They’re a great way to reach audiences of all ages and get your message across social media faster and cheaper.

You might say you need a whole Hollywood production team to produce this content, but you’ll be surprised.

Most content creators use their phones, essential lighting, and a solid microphone to deliver their message. It’s about making your content more human and accessible to your audience.

 

Promotional

These are the most sales-oriented videos on this list; they promote a specific marketing initiative, sale, or event.

It builds awareness and grabs your audience’s attention by getting to the point quickly and aiming to have a positive impact.

 

 

The Videos of the Present and the Future

Use VR as a creative video idea

Livestream Videos

People look for an intimate connection with others and brands on digital channels. So, when you go live and have a dialogue with your followers, it gives a sense of having an in-person conversation.

You allow others to ask questions, complement your work, raise awareness and help them with their challenges in a more human approach.

Livestreams have around 8.2 billion hours of content watched during the third quarter of 2021 and growing, according to Statista.

 

Video Blogs

Yes! Video blogs or “vlogs” are also becoming popular worldwide. They’re a great way to present educational and awareness content without a written blog.

These videos are typical on YouTube, where people share their knowledge on various topics. It’s a great way to keep that human element while using visual resources to help to get your message across.

 

360° videos

Last but not least is the 360° videos. The main difference is that these are recorded in all directions, allowing you to control the viewing directions.

You’ve probably seen this technology with real estate companies that showcase listed homes to home buyers and sellers.

However, there are many other ways that other companies can take advantage of this tool.

It’s been resonating with most audiences, and they have the potential to become the dominating video type of the future.

If you would like help developing creative video ideas, get Content with Teeth’s swipe file.

 

What are Creative Videos?

Ok, we’ve discussed video types and the primary purpose of your content strategy, but what does it mean, and how does it help your business? How can you craft the perfect idea?

Simple.

Creativity is everywhere; it’s just a matter of utilizing your resources and creating something new, ambitious, and interesting that WOWs your audience; it’s more than using the latest visual effects or fancy filters.

It’s about using all your talent and resources to deliver a clear message and have top creative video ideas.

Take TikTok, one of the most popular social media platforms to date. It’s competing with Instagram Reels and has fantastic tools that help content creators craft eye-popping videos.

However, innovative video exists outside these apps, and you have what it takes to create something visually appealing, intelligent, and memorable.

How to Have Creative Video Ideas?

Barbie is inviting people to be creative content producers

Relax. You don’t need to learn to dance or dress like an overweight panda.

When it comes to filming or recording something, there are some essential elements you need to consider:

  • Sound
  • Lighting
  • Setting
  • Cinematography
  • Narrative
  • Performance
  • Editing

Filming is a whole new language, and it’s hard work. Don’t worry. We’ll give you the essential elements to craft an awesome video.

Many people didn’t go to film school and are creating unique content for social media; it’s a matter of trusting yourself.

The Ultimate Checklist for Video Glory!

#1 Brainstorm. Narrow down the topic of your video, who’s your target audience, and what message you want to communicate. Use a digital tool like a swipe file to generate ideas.

#2 Write a script. Again, keep your ideas in order and ensure a consistent narrative with a simple text.

#3 Create a storyboard. You can use pictures or half-made drawings to understand what shots you need to film clearly.

#4 Use lighting. Use different colors, create shadows in the background and play with different styles to give your video personality. Learn three-point lighting and buy all your equipment at Home Depot for almost no money.

#5 Use sound and music if needed. Get a good microphone and decide if background music or sound FX makes sense. Search for royalty-free or copyright-free music on YouTube for quality but inexpensive music to use for your video.

#6 Edit. You can spin your video in all directions with good editing. If you are financially strapped, get free or low-cost video editing software. Trim long sequences and mistakes. “Kill your babies” by removing unnecessary scenes.

Suggestions for Developing Creative Videos

Beyond cinematic language, more options exist to create a fantastic video that WOWs your audience. Here are seven suggestions to spice up those creative ideas!

Use a DSLR camera to shoot creative videos like explainer videos

  1. Use animation – especially on an explainer video or story-based content.
  2. Make a parody – sometimes funny is better. Don’t be afraid to add some humor to your content.
  3. Send a message to your audience, ask questions or ask for feedback
  4. Go behind the scenes – show what is happening while working on your projects; your audience will appreciate it!
  5. Get still photos from the production. They can be used for social media and YouTube thumbnails.
  6. Record a time-lapse or a before-and-after video – a great way to show a project’s progress or final product.
  7. Create a thank you video – giving back and being grateful to your followers for their support is always good.
  8. Do a team member interview – show off your team and let them explain their day-to-day basis and what they love doing the most.

Have Winning Creative Videos!

Sometimes, a boring video can become a fantastic piece with great editing or the right music.

The key to achieving a successful video is always to have your audience in mind and trust your skills.

Have this fact in mind; you’ll never be able to please everybody. So, trust your guts and start creating videos today without remorse.

Creative videos starts with inspiration. Inspiration can bubble from a swipe file, a spreadsheet where you can scan inspirational images and text and develop new ideas. Get Content with Teeth’s swipe file for free below!

is creative content worth it?

Is Creative Content Worth It?

Table of Contents

 

  1. Get a Digital Tool to Help Your Creativity
  2. 10 Benefits of Creative Content for Your Company
  3. Creative Content: Why Does My Company Need It?
  4. Original Content Creation is Key
  5. Dope Content Formats in 2023
  6. Creative Content Helps ROI
  7. Creative Content Marketing
  8. Content Marketing vs. Creative Content
  9. It’s All About Value, Baby!
  10. Types of Creative Content
  11. How to Promote Your Creative Stuff
  12. Spice Up Your Content Today

 

Your boss’ name is Ed.

Ed hates dinosaurs because his Charmin-soft kid was emotionally scarred after a too-early viewing of Jurassic World.

Creative Dino

 

If you don’t read this whole post on creative content, we will force you to go to your next employee review with Ed while wearing a dino head and taking selfies.

Why You Should Care…

Ed is asking you to outsource content. You are stuck between the bottom-dollar copywriter with the WhatsApp number flashing on Facebook (inexpensive) versus the woman with an MFA in creative writing (expensive). We aim to show you why it’s vale la peña to go with the MFA writer and select a choice of steak over flavorless ground round.

 

Get a Digital Tool to Help Your Creativity

Hundreds of posts, emails, and articles are published every second — does your content have what it takes to get noticed?

You need to know how to sell your brand as an experience rather than just a two-dimensional logo attached to your product.

A pleasant content experience fostered by a creative approach will help create strong first impressions and keep your product or service in the minds of your potential customers.

If you want more creativity in your content, your dinosaur-hating boss Ed recommends a helpful tool like a swipe file where you can scan images and copy that inspires you and gets the ideas bubbling.

 

10 Benefits of Creative Content for Your Company

If you are still doubting the power of creative content, here are ten eye-popping benefits:

  1. Organic search authority and visibility
  2. Increase referral traffic
  3. More social engagement
  4. Target customers during the customer journey
  5. Increase conversion rates
  6. Multi-format
  7. Evergreen (constant exposure)
  8. Original research data
  9. Long-term cost savings
  10. Unique brand voice

Move product with a bright, creative approach to content

 

Creative Content: Why Does My Company Need It?

You’ll benefit from having enriched multimedia content your brand could use to form a solid online presence. Below, we highlight several examples and why it’s essential to your company’s success.

You’ve probably heard the phrase: “content is king.”

But why?

 

Original Content Creation is Key

The days of using rewashed ads in a local newspaper are in the past.

Consumers are online, and marketing has gone digital. This is why content creation is CRUCIAL for your company.

According to Red Crow Marketing, Americans are exposed to over 4,000 ads a day!

With such abundant delivery, sticking out from the crowd is essential. This means posting consistently and supplementing your organic efforts (a.k.a. non-paid) with digital campaigns to reach a higher exposure.

Search engines and social platforms algorithms seem to have a mind of their own, learning and ranking differently daily. It sounds almost like a script for the next Terminator movie that your boss Ed’s damaged kid won’t like either!

"I'll be back" with inspired creative on landing pages and other marketing efforts

Dope Content Formats in 2023

The advertising industry is ever-changing, so keeping up with the latest trends can help you stay ahead.

With the rise of social media, marketing managers at small and large companies now have equal opportunities to reach potential consumers online.

We have to find new, exciting ways to catch people’s attention. Still, we recommend always providing value and focusing on being helpful (your boss, Ed, is demanding results after your dino-mask-and-selfies stunt.).

How people interact with brands and make purchases has changed, so it’s only natural that how we promote our company changes too.

Here are three formats of inspiring content for people in 2023!

 

Video Content

Videos have proven to be a successful form of creative marketing for any business.

It’s a format most people can enjoy because it allows them to learn about your brand, product or service quickly and excitingly.

Blending sound with visuals creates a fun experience that helps consumers understand the problem you’re trying to solve with your business.

One main advantage of videos is that they allow users to watch them while navigating your website or social media page.

You don’t need to pay as much attention to videos as you do when reading an article, making them an easy-to-share experience.

 

Creative videos

Interactive content

Another growing trend is anything from polls and questionnaires to interactive eBooks. Plus, this type of content engages people with your website and gathers insights into your target audience.

Interactive

Artificial intelligence (AI)

AI plays a vital role in the latest marketing trends.

Computers can use natural language processing to determine what real people are typing and generate proper responses.

This format can create personalized conversational experiences that engage people and help them with specific problems.

AI also lets your team know more about the types of users viewing your content, helping you develop new creative ideas to meet customers’ preferences.

 

Artificial Intelligence can boost your brand image

Creative Content Helps ROI

Return on investment (ROI) is a business investment’s financial benefit; it’s excellent in helping business owners and marketing people measure their effectiveness in generating revenue.

It’s essential to set goals to ensure it’s worth it; it’s usually represented by a ratio or percentage and is found by dividing the net gain earned from the total cost.

Creative marketing will bring assets like the email address of a valuable prospect

 

Creative Content Marketing

Companies that focus more on the quality of their content begin to yield better results. However, no single strategy will help you improve your returns.

Instead, you need to view each part of your content marketing as parts of an interconnected machine.

Each part must be able to pull its weight for the whole strategy and decision-making to work.

An analysis by HubSpot found the impact of content strategy in today’s workplace, with 70% of marketing managers actively investing in content marketing.

A creative piece of content brings love

Your cranky boss Ed is making an ultimatum. Get creative or get out. Get our free swipe file, a digital tool that will help!

 

Content Marketing vs. Creative Content

These two are different, but they’re like brother and sister.

Content marketing is a strategy that takes your target audience as the primary source of inspiration to produce content that adds value to your buyer’s context — following the inbound principle of attracting, converting and delighting your potential customer.

Creative content is how you format specific content to generate emotions, raise awareness or persuade your audience.

Check out our other blog on creating innovative videos that will skyrocket your engagements.

 

It’s All About Value, Baby!

Include a strategy to craft content that provides value to your niche.

Plan and determine how your content matches your target audience’s needs with their buying journey.

We’ve crafted a complete guide to content marketing on one of our blog posts. Please click here to read the full article.

The definition of B2B marketing, chart.

 

Types of Creative Content

Remember that creativity doesn’t mean you have to force your boss Ed’s traumatized kid, to watch The Exorcist from start to finish. You must use all the possible formats in your arsenal and create something original that matches your brand’s voice.

These are some of the most common ones you could try out and use to your advantage:

  1. Blogging – update your audience regularly and rank higher on search engines.
  2. Case studies – they provide solid social proof that validates your brand’s credibility.
  3. eBooks and guides – high value to users and powerful lead generators.
  4. Social media posts – give your community an inside look at your brand.
  5. User-generated – it raises your brand credibility, and you can leverage the power of fans.
  6. Newsletter – stay in contact with your prospects and build relationships.
  7. Research and data – great for driving traffic to your site and making your brand trustworthy.
  8. Webinars – a high lead-generating tool that helps boost brand awareness.
  9. Podcasts – expand your online reach and showcase your expertise.
  10. Interactive content and tools – reduce your site’s bounce rate by allowing potential buyers to answer polls, quizzes, surveys, and more.

Formats

 

How to Promote Your Creative Stuff

You can rely on digital strategies like SEO and social media.

SEO and Its Power

Along with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practices and traditional marketing methods, one of the best ways to shape an immersive experience around your brand is by using creative content.

SEO is the best way to help your website to gain exposure and become available at the top of Google search results or any other search engine.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Chart

What is SEO?

It’s a technique that uses keywords to match the user’s search intent and display it on the result search page according to a few variables: the quality of your content, backlinks, credibility, and so much more.

We’ll discuss SEO in a later blog post and determine its power to spread your message like wildfire to your target audience. However, you can learn more about SEO in this article; click here.

seo, google, search

Utilizing Social Media Platforms to Distribute Content

Types of Social

New platforms are already on the work, and some have gained popularity over the years, like TikTok. The bottom line is that you need to be creative, speak in your brand’s unique voice, and not be afraid to explore.

If you have a plan and understand your consumers perfectly, you’ll certainly increase your social presence and grow your audience. Here are six more tips for using social media to your advantage:

  • Focus on customer service
  • Promote your accounts
  • Pay attention to trends
  • Focus on eye-catching visuals
  • Engage with your audience, don’t just post
  • Set SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.)
  • Be human (sometimes a face is better than using stock images.)
  • Create an editorial calendar
  • Automate your process

 

Original Social = More Clicks

Social media demands consistency and adaptability. It’s difficult to become famous overnight, but remember that originality can drive traffic to your website or other digital platforms.

Research your buyers and give them what they’re looking for; you have a lot of knowledge about your industry.

So, you could share plenty of information to help them understand how your products and services are the best options to solve their challenges.

 

Spice Up Your Content Today

Although content creation is critical to growing your brand, most business owners don’t have the time or energy to sit back and think all day creatively.

Content With Teeth is the expert who can help you spice up your content by delivering your message creatively and persuasively.

We heard your boss Ed has your neck on the guillotine after you bought a DVD of The Shining and Amazoned it to his snowflake kid. Get a free digital tool like a swipe file to develop creative ideas that will keep Ed off your back!

http://contentwithteeth.com/tag/creative-video/