As a creative director, someone whose been making professional videos in Edmonton for businesses, individuals, and myself, there are some lessons I’d like to share with you. Each project is like baking a cake; the ingredients are relatively the same, but the amount you put in and how long you bake it for is different. Working in Edmonton and, on the odd occasion doing destination shoots, I’ve found a pattern when it comes to creating a video.

One is, that clients want to showcase their brand or business via video. So the easiest way to do this, or at least the go-to way, is to talk about their services and products. Most clients in the city don’t have Hollywood budgets to make their videos, so they tend to lean on short and simple videos to understand. I argue that taking the time to think about your videos before going into the production phase is crucial. Storytelling is key to having a successful video production campaign, and not enough people take the time to plan this out.

Two is, that most don’t have a strategic plan for their videos. Many rely on myself or my team to develop a strategic plan – the creative direction of the video and what to do with the video once it’s created. Understanding the route of advertising the video or videos from beginning to end will allow a business to get the most out of it. A video is helpful for advertising; it can help with SEO, brand elevation, and messaging. One of the most straightforward tactics, but best, is to pick a platform you want to dominate via professional videos or authentic videos and go after it.

Optimize and lock in on one, maybe two platforms, and take the time to build it out. Digital content is a long-term brand strategy, not something short, so figure out what you want out of your videos and go after what makes sense, not just throwing up the video on each platform and hoping it gains some traction.