We share everything you need to know about creating your first foundational video, in the latest update from our visual marketing series: Santa Clarita Video Marketing 101.
Video has quickly become a foundational tool in modern marketing, whether you run a small business, personal brand or corporate firm.
In fact, it’s become such an important piece of the overall marketing strategy that it’s starting to feel more complex …
Reels. Livestreams. Webinars. Snaps. TikToks. IGTV. YouTube.
The list goes on.
So how do you know what you need and when?
Well, that part is actually pretty simple.
Foundational videos are the very first type of video content you need to create if you want to build an intentional, lasting strategy – especially for luxury brands.
We share everything you need to know to get started in our series, Santa Clarita Video Marketing 101.
Santa Clarita Video Marketing 101: How To Use Foundational Videos
What’s A Foundational Video?
A foundational video is a well-produced, key piece of content that communicates your core messages about your brand with clarity and emotional connection. Consider it to be your digital first impression or your online elevator speech. It’s a crucial opportunity to engage and connect with your audience with through five components:
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Leadership
When it comes to foundational videos, you really want to feature your leadership as much as possible. You are the face of your brand, and speaking directly to your audience on video helps build trust with the person in charge – even if you’ve never met before.
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Story
A foundational video is the perfect place to share your core brand messages: who you are, what you do, and what you stand for. It’s not a place to talk about current events, specific sales points, or too much detail about your offers. Instead of diving into the details, focus on telling stories that communicate your value while covering the main points: who, what, when, where and why.
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Production Quality
Just like a first impression, it’s important to put your best foot forward in a foundational video. Plus, these videos typically get front-and-center placement in your marketing, and the goal is to use them for a long time. That’s why you want good lighting, dynamic shots and professional editing.
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Length
Foundational videos typically live on your website and are often used in email marketing. They’re designed to engage a viewer who’s interested in diving deeper with you, rather than catching a quick look on social media. That’s why you can stretch the length a little bit, typically from 3-5 minutes long.
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Timelessness
Finally, a foundational video is timeless in its content; it’s evergreen. Why? You want these videos to last. For that reason, avoid saying things like “10 years in business,” and instead, say the year you founded your business, such as “2013,” to make sure your video is ageless. Likewise, opt for timeless looks and avoid trends when getting dressed for your shoot.
Why Do Foundational Videos Matter?
One of the most powerful aspects of video is its ability to expand your audience and move new leads down the sales pipeline. In fact, 83% of marketers who’ve used video say it helps them with lead generation and leads directly to sales, according to a study by optinmonster.com.
Simple, clear marketing videos are proven to increase your digital reach and improve your audience engagement while simultaneously positioning you as a local expert in front of new people 24/7.
Whoa. That’s a tall order. But the results come naturally with a consistent video marketing plan.
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Build Brand Awareness
A foundational video delivers a consistent message to everyone who sees it – and you get to craft that message. By creating it with intention, your video will reach new people every time you post it, or every time someone visits your website, and you can trust they’re all receiving the same, thoughtfully crafted message about your brand value and offers. Plus, search engines and social media platforms prioritize video content with their algorithms, which means you’ll get more views than a typical post. That’s how you reach more people with video.
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Create Emotional Connection
In addition to increasing your digital reach, video is also a great tool for strengthening your emotional connection with your audience. People connect with video in a deeper way because they can hear, see and feel the emotion in your delivery. Even if they’ve never met you, potential customers can engage with your brand and your story through video. It helps new leads and longtime clients get to know, like and trust your brand in a more memorable way.
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Elevate Your Branding
While all forms of video can be useful in your overall marketing strategy, a foundational video is particularly effective for luxury brands because they convey value, build trust and elevate the look and feel of your digital spaces. Especially when you opt for professional production, viewers can see the quality and the investment you’ve made in your brand. It shows you care, you’re serious, and you can offer the same level of commitment and service to your clients, too. The distinction may be subtle, but it’s a significant part of the messaging in your video and an important decision to consider in your overall video marketing strategy.
What Should Foundational Videos Say?
A foundational video typically has a different, more specific, message than a standard marketing video. The goal is to tell the core stories that represent your brand, such as why you started your business or what your core values are. Think of the stories you find yourself telling your customers over and over again – the ones that not only explain how you do what you do, but why you do it. These are the stories you want to capture in a foundational video. To help you get started, try answering these important questions:
- Why did I start this business, and how did it happen?
- What are the core values that have shaped our brand over the years?
- How do I help people?
- What do we offer that our competition doesn’t?
- How do we do things differently than the industry standard?
Why Choose SchlickArt To Create Your Foundational Videos?
At SchlickArt, we believe a professional videographer should do more than just point and shoot. On a technical level, it should produce crisp, clean and compelling story-driven content. But when it comes to the level of service, we believe in going above and beyond. A video production company should help you feel comfortable in front of the camera, confident in your messaging, and assured that your video will accomplish your specific marketing goals. From technical skills to creative support, here’s what you can expect from a SchlickArt video session:
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Creative Vision
A lot that goes into a good marketing video – before you even hit record. You have to consider your goals, platforms, story, script, wardrobe, graphics and more. At SchlickArt, we walk you through every step of the process, taking the time to answer all your questions and even discuss aspects of production you may not have even considered yet.
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Thorough Production Process
While a clear creative vision is the starting point, a good marketing video requires a thorough and intentional production process in order to turn that vision into reality. That’s why we approach our production process with four distinct phases – Consultation, Pre-Production, Production, and Post-Production – each one designed to craft an excellent video and an excellent experience.
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Expert Coaching
From the minute you walk into the studio, we do everything we can to help you feel calm, confident and excited to create marketing content that looks and feels like you on your very best day. That means we provide an on-set producer who will help coach you through everything, so you’ll know exactly how to stand, what to do with your hands, where to look, how to gesture naturally in frame and more.
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No Time Constraints
A ticking clock isn’t going to help you relax and enjoy the process. That’s why we place no time constraints on your video session, and we will never rush the process or nickel-and-dime you over time. That being said, we always do our very best to match your timeline. That means, if you’re extremely busy and on a tight schedule, our streamlined process will get you in and out of the studio – without sacrificing quality.
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Professional Editing Services
Once your shoot is finished, we work our magic in post-production, providing full professional editing services that put your mind at ease. We can take out all the “ums” and “ahs” and make you sound your very best. We also include a round of revisions, so you have the option to take out anything that you don’t like. Most importantly, full editing services means you don’t have to get it right the first time. You have as many takes as you need – whether it’s one or 10.
About Our Santa Clarita Video Marketing
With years of professional experience, Brian not only has an eye for crisp visuals and engaging shots — but also an ear for powerful storytelling. In his vision, Santa Clarita video marketing should communicate the why behind your business and present it to the world in the most compelling visual format possible. With a camera in his hand, Brian can turn a vision into reality and business-as-usual marketing videos into an opportunity to connect.
Visual Marketing Education
At SchlickArt, we know your marketing visuals are only effective if you actually use them. That’s why we help you create powerful photography and video – and then we teach you how to share it. With each session, we’ll give you our best tips based on your specific marketing goals. We provide the education and resources you need to brand your content, integrate it into your marketing strategy, post it with intention, and maximize engagement along the way.
If you want even more tips and resources, we have an educational blog, newsletter and video channel to help you dive deeper, as well as professional presentations, workshops, and coaching sessions if you’re ready to take action and level-up your marketing now.
About SchlickArt Photography and Video
SchlickArt, a boutique photo and video studio in Santa Clarita, started in March 2012 with the simple idea that empowerment creates a kind of beauty and authenticity that shines through every camera lens. Built on a philosophy — rather than a product, service or person — SchlickArt has rapidly evolved, meeting professional portraiture, business photo and business video needs as diverse as the community we capture. It’s the desire to take care of you, the client, that drives us at SchlickArt.