Content Marketing is what I do. Creating compelling, share-worthy videos :)
Author: Aashish
My purpose is to make the World a happier place, share stories & be the change. Content Marketing is what I do. Creating compelling, shareworthy videos :)
Tiny celebrations go a long way… in achieving bigger goals…
Throwback photo from a few years back when all teams got together to look at the screen because our video was about to hit 2 million views. We had shots made out of… well, I won’t say what, but everyone did a shot. It was a tiny celebration, a quick 10-minute party, and then everybody got back to work.
But it’s those tiny celebrations that define the culture, the freedom, the camaraderie, friendships, and the drive to do it together. When the journey is fun, the outcome is also great.
Always remember: when you’re creating content, you’re not creating for yourself or the client, but for the audience of the client. Be obsessed about figuring out what’s in their interest first.. walk in their shoes, do research, deep dive into their pain points and micro moments.. make sure you have a lot of dots to connect for that one killer idea.
The goal of the video isn’t just for them to watch it. The goal is to make it so compelling that they share it. Make it worthy of sharing first.
When your audience is happy, & content is being organically shared.. stakeholders are happy. It’s win-win-win. If you start focusing solely on your client, you’ll be stuck in the race of pleasing them.
Stop pleasing your stakeholders, stop pleasing your clients & start creating genuinely authentic content for & about your audience. When you give them value for every second they watch, you’ve cracked it.
Prioritize fun! Great creative output is always an outcome of fun, freedom, and happiness – not the other way around. The more you’re having fun, the more your mind flows freely. Ideas happen when dots connect naturally.
You can’t force it. Just go for a walk, play a game, chat with a friend. What’s that one activity that gives you joy? Do that for 30-60 minutes and come back fresh.
Creative roles aren’t like traditional jobs. Your success depends on the quality of ideas you produce. And that’s always an outcome of fun, freedom, and happiness.
I remember working on a video once.. which went on to become the one with highest engagement in Asia a few years back… Before we finalised it, we just took a break for a few hours.. filming slow-motion shots of toy cars falling off the table For an hour we made Hollywood style footage with our phones.. After that, we got back to work.
About deadlines, break projects into manageable chunks with mini-deadlines, one brick at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed about building the entire wall. You need progress, not perfection. Celebrate the tiny wins. The more it seems like an adventure, the less overwhelmed you’ll feel.
In my experience, the best ideas come when you’re not trying so hard. So loosen up, have fun, and let creativity flow!
Your team is accustomed to strict protocols and feels boxed in with office structures and processes. Here’s how you can ignite creativity within your team and what worked to produce killer content in the last ten years…
1. Fun
Great ideas are always an outcome of fun. The more fun we had, the better our output. We played TT, charades, watched shows, jammed to music together… Always Prioritize Fun.
2. Break the rhythm
Disrupting routine sparks fresh thinking. Once, I had the team stand on chairs for a meeting. It looked ridiculous but broke the monotony, jolting minds to the new… Another time we drove to the airport together just to return… got stuck in a jam… we had our brainstorm in the car :) Shake up the routine.
3. Free flowing jam sessions
We held unstructured brainstorming where ideas flowed freely. These ‘jams’ allowed for wild, unconventional thinking, often leading to breakthroughs. No idea, no contribution is wrong, and everyone must feel safe to share freely without judgment. Magical dots connect when everyone is in the flow… jamming.
What’s your craziest example of shaking off routine to ignite ideas? Do share… :)
