Brand Creative: The Power of Spec Work

It’s easy for your big ideas to get pushed aside keeping up with the day-to-day work of a busy marketing department.

Project managers are trying to keep jobs moving. And Monday morning panic quickly launches your team into a week of putting out fires and steering clear of near-misses until you land safely on Friday afternoon.

You made it through another week. But those dynamic projects that you have in your mind have yet to be started.

Whether it’s a B2B campaign, brand video, or a capabilities landing page to position your internal creative department, we need to get these projects out of our head and onto the page as a first step.

Why spec work is important
How many times have you watched resources spent on projects that you know will have little impact?

It happens all the time. Primarily because a pattern gets established as to what tactical creative is needed for a product rollout or marketing campaign and there’s a templated “to do” list that people are comfortable using.

It’s also an easy sell to whoever has to approve the budget — because it’s familiar and there’s a track record that won’t cause any disruptions (“this is what we do every quarter with our rollouts…”)

The results will be predictable and acceptable. And the team will go on auto-pilot to knock out the various headlines, copy blocks, and design.

How do you change course?
It’s highly unlikely that the VP of marketing will stroll over to your cubicle and assign you that brand video you have storyboarded hundreds of times in your head, or the outdoor campaign to introduce a new hospital to the community.

So how do you make it happen? You make it real for them with a script and storyboard, spec ads, or sample podcast..

And when you present the work, watch their faces light up.

Remember, they want to have an impact on the organization too. Show them the path they need to get there. You can even present it alongside the requested approach as an alternative.

Now It’s not just you pitching an idea and hoping they can imagine it. It’s sitting in front of them in the form of a video storyboard, series of ads, or a testimonial. Heck, you can even put together the budget to get it done. Make it easy for them to approve or at least take to the next level.

Who will work on your spec projects?
(HINT: offer it to your internal creative team first!)

If you have an experienced creative team, it’s very likely they’re chomping at the bit for a project that can have some impact and that you are excited about.

Even if they decide that what you want is outside their skill set, they will respect you for coming to them first and discussing it.

There’s nothing more frustrating than being a dependable team player and seeing interesting projects farmed out to a freelancer or outside agency.

If your team feels they can handle it, give them a shot.

Send the more routine, self-contained projects out to freelancers and let your team work with you on the projects that will get noticed. It will help create a deeper bond between you and your team and facilitate trust.

OMG I love your blog!

Below is a sample email I developed that you can use to connect to powerful social influencers to help take your business or career to the next level. While some of the details in my letter are specific to this case, it can be easily adapted to fit your situation.

Dear [INSERT NAME],

I absolutely love your blog!

Your latest post [INSERT TITLE] was so insightful. It felt like you were talking to me.

In fact, I was so inspired by your approach that I [INSERT REQUESTED CALL TO ACTION] just like you suggested.

The results were [INSERT EXUBERANT ADJECTIVE].

I also joined your email list and subscribed to the Special Monthly Bulletins you send out about [INSERT TOPIC].

I’m sure it’s well worth the $15 dollars and the investment will return far more in the great advice I can put to use in my own business.

By the way, your Linkedin profile is soooooooo creative.

I love the way you don’t just list where you’ve worked, but turn those experiences into active accomplishments.

And your sales numbers are incredible. Triple digit returns on every campaign you’ve worked on! Wow. It’s always very exciting to read about someone delivering skyrocketing metrics.

Why do you change jobs so often?

You'd think those companies would hold on tight after you delivered such impressive results. Guess they didn’t realize how valuable you were until you left. (Isn’t that always the case!)

Well, at least now that you’re self-employed you can speak directly to your followers and don't have to hold back because of corporate constraints.

I noticed you have 500+ connections. Impressive. (I bet it’s closer to 10,000!)

How do you remember their names? (I can barely find my way to the mailbox each day.)

It must be difficult when someone contacts you for a referral and you can’t remember who they are or where you crossed paths.

Do you connect to everyone?  Me too!

In fact, funny story, I connected to some guy in Aurora, IL who seemed like a real go-getter.  Turns out he was in prison. Who knew? I was kind of afraid to “unlink” though as I was worried he might take it personally. (Oh well, at least by staying connected, I show that I’m open to working with ex-cons.)

Isn’t it great how many storytellers are popping up in business these days?

I thought I was the only kid who harbored dreams that someday I would tell stories for large institutions and Fortune 500 companies. (I guess visualizing your goals works!)

Your post on brainstorming was brilliant. I’ve used the dartboard technique a lot and just recently tried the “scraps of paper in the hat” method.

You were right (again!) – you can randomly pick out just six single words and find connections to create a compelling piece of content.

Mind if I share?

I created this for a client using that very technique. (I had to take out the client name because of the NDA, but I can tell you they are a major, major player in the software industry).

I pulled the following words from the hat:

     Football

     Glue

     Pencil

     Plaster

     Goat

     Cereal

Here’s what I came up with…

“It all started with a football. Sure, there was glue and a pencil, but that was about it for this little startup. They would have to figure out how to program and develop software by leveraging plaster and a goat. Fortunately, they had cereal.”

I know, it’s kind of weird but it worked well in terms of SEO.

Plus they repurposed the content and used it for a video voice over, Facebook ad, infographic, and as a sidebar in their corporate capabilities piece. (Guess they got their money’s worth on that one!)

Well, I’ve kept you long enough. I appreciate your time. Let’s get connected!

FIND THE HUMANITY IN YOUR BRAND

On the surface, Applicant Tracking Software is not emotionally gripping.

But if you've ever applied for a job online, it's likely you've used it. And, if you're a recruiter or human resource professional, this is a key tool in your arsenal. 

So, when a national corporation needed an online brand video to positioning their software as a service (SaaS) company, the challenge was to find the humanity in it.

And the key was to step back and take a wider view of the software in terms of how it affected those who use it.  The reason it was created -- and one that had an emotional hook -- was it connected people with people.

And this became the spine of the script and guided our voice over and edit. It was emotional. Uplifting. And created clear positioning for an SaaS B2B product in a crowded market.

Take a look.

Don't Skip The Script

I’ve seen it happen many times. The Communications Director gets a call from a C-Suite exec, Marketing Director, or VP of Human Resources to create a video. 

The deadline is tight. The strategic direction is vague. Panic ensues. 

If there is an in-house video department, the key person from that department is summoned for a meeting. If the organization does not have in-house video capability, a local production company or freelancer is called in to work on it.

There’s only one problem. There’s no concept for the video, no outline, and no script.

Whether it’s a video testimonial, "talking-head" interview with an executive, or introducing a new HR initiative -- the most successful video projects have one thing in common. They start with a script. 

Why? Because video is a temporal creative art, not static. Like music, it has an arc. And, while it ebbs and flows as it moves along, a script provides the through-line that keeps the audience tied to the overall objective. Think of it as a spine.

You can even use a script when the video is interview-based and a conversational tone is critical. While you never want to write out answers for interview subjects, you will absolutely want to shape your questions to guide subjects to hit your main points. 

Think a script is creatively limiting?  Not true.  

Having a script:

• Provides you with important creative parameters to keep you on message

• Reveals where your video needs to be "broken out" visually to sustain interest

• Ensures that you have a story arc -- a clear beginning, middle, and end

• Informs the production team what footage needs to be captured

• Gives you a concrete way to present to clients before you start shooting

• Allows the production team to plan for the shoot and maximize your dollars

So next time you get that panic call, take a deep breath...and don’t skip the script.