When several of my blog subscribers ask the same question over several months, I know it’s time to write a blog post about that topic. Sherry reached out to asked me if I had a guide or template to help her create a video for a new product her company was launching. She needs a marketing brief for a video that can be shared internally with colleagues and then passed along to a videographer to get estimates and quotes on the work.
Sherry’s new product is called SO! – A New Organic Beauty Product for African American Women Over 50. SO! (means Sherry’s Organics).
I shared a template with Sherry to gain internal alignment on the tactic and get quotes from reliable video vendors. Try to keep your video brief to one or two pages. Make sure you get internal buy-in from key stakeholders before you share it with external vendors.
Here is that brief template with some of Sherry’s basic information included.
I hope it is helpful to you.
A Marketing Brief Template for Creating a Video
Background
Provide some context to the situation. You are launching a new product called SO! – (Sherry’s Organics) that will revolutionize your category. No one sells a product using the types of organic ingredients combined with your unique blending system. Awareness needs to be amplified, and you want to make sure that the communication brings excitement to your key benefits without being too focused on features. The video should create an emotional connection with the women in our target audience segment. Video is an ideal platform since you want to use this communication in five different ways.
How Will You Use The Video?
- Outbound marketing (email),
- Inbound (on your homepage and products page)
- In some paid ads you’ll be doing within a trade journal,
- As part of some retargeting efforts
- On paid LinkedIn ads to find distributors.
Style/Tone
Since you have positioned your brand toward older women, you want to create something that speaks their language – not the language of millennials. I want a script that doesn’t feel salesy but will help you explain the problem you solve for women in this age group. The video must have an older women’s voice, and it should be easily identifiable as African American. Most of our current customers are from the African American community, although other ethnicities will buy the brand too.
Length
The video should be no longer than two minutes and, we also need a 30-second version you can use on Instagram and in some digital ads. Thus, two scripts are needed with the same narrative arc – but one can be longer. We want the script to be “storyboarded” for us, so we know what imagery will show with what content from the hand.
Target
The core demographic for this product is African American women over 50 who want organic makeup. They live in more affluent households and buy products like ours as ways to treat themselves to some small luxuries. They buy online and in-store at places like Sephora and Nordstrom.
Language
You only need to produce this video in English.
Mandatory Images
You must include our beauty shot and a family shot of products within the video or at the end. Most of the women shown in the video should be African American and older than 50. It is okay to include a few younger people and men. We have some still and video assets of products and people that you can use. Adding some stock still or video is okay too. Key fact: Our image is more natural and less high-end fashion, so we want to show women who don’t have too much makeup on their faces. We want a natural look.
Hosting
The video will live on our YouTube, Vimeo, and website homepage.
Budget
We have a budget of $12,500 to write the script, film, buy stock video and photos, and add a soundtrack. And that budget must cover the cost for the voice-over artist too. The editor will have access to all our brand-approved, still photos and our extensive video library.
Call to Action
At the end of the videos, we will have a CTA to drive people to get free shipping on a sampler of the new products. The link will take them to a landing page to place an order. The second video to find distributors will have a different CTA. It will drive people to a landing page about becoming distributors.
Timing
We launch this product in twelve weeks, so the video needs to be completed by the end of September.
In Summary
Putting your thoughts in writing helps to make sure you and your team are on the same page. And it helps your videographer understand your vision. If you want to create a video on your own to save some money, check out this software from Animoto. Watch some of the videos I create for marketing The Marketing Sage here using this software.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Watch a short video about working with me.
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
