Content lessons from lockdown that will stay
Five methods that work best
Naturally, the way we create and consume content has changed. Many of these things may be permanent shifts, or at least a lurch forward in digital transformation. Here are our experiences and some solutions.
1. Everything is accelerating
Timelines are tighter and approvals much faster. Where people might have given us a month to do a project, it's now a fortnight. With that motivation, feedback is naturally also speedier. We're all much more decisive. This is good and we shouldn’t let the old bureaucratic ways creep back.
2. Making it move
Replacing real-life video with animation is big, but we are also working on a combination of the two. We are using other forms of animation, for instance stock footage with dynamic text, which produces really exciting results. It’s cheaper and much faster to create.
We all know that lockdown prevents location shooting. But there are at least five formats we can do:
- Pure animation with voiceover. We have a dozen voiceover artists with home facilities, so easy-peasy
- Pure animation with your experts' voiceover. We can record and direct with good audio
- Dynamic text and icons (see below)
- Dynamic text plus moving footage
- Pure animation plus stills or footage
3. Podcasts are on the up, too
This one is almost a cliché, but good podcasts work. We favour studio plus remote interviews, so it's more like a radio news show with people coming in on the phone. Good interaction is better than a dismal, undirected monologue. We use a method that avoids network connection issues with remote interviews. The interviewer hears their interviewee live but the interviewee's words are recorded locally and then sent via download to be edited in later.
4. Truth and honesty still count for a lot
Giving your audience message-free straightforward advice and information wins.
5. News is news
Given the acceleration and faster approval times, diary-based content makes a great deal of sense, especially in investment. All those monthly surveys and data should be turned round fast so we understand what indicators are going to move markets.
Want to talk? Email us at info@hbrk.co.uk or call 0207 525 9591.
Highbrook Media has long practised remote and virtual working, guaranteeing continuity of service in these difficult times.
