How to Provide Value To Brands As A Creative

Summary

In this video, Evan ORS, a professional surf photographer and marketing expert, shares essential tips on how creatives can provide value to brands. He emphasizes the importance of understanding brand needs, researching competitors, and offering content that aligns with marketing goals. Evan advises on showcasing capabilities with case studies, creating high-performing short-form videos, and building long-term relationships with clients. By over-delivering and providing performance insights, creatives can gain trust and secure repeat business, ultimately building a successful and sustainable career in brand partnerships.

Takeaways

• 😀 Understand the brand’s needs by researching their content, competitors, and identifying pain points to offer tailored solutions.
• 😀 Show proof of your capabilities through mock projects, case studies, and testimonials, not just by making promises.
• 😀 Align your content with the brand’s specific marketing goals, such as driving sales, building awareness, or engaging customers.
• 😀 Go beyond just photos by offering short-form video content (TikTok, Instagram Reels) and providing strategic marketing insights.
• 😀 Make it easy for brands to say yes by using a low-pressure outreach method and presenting a clear, valuable solution.
• 😀 Build long-term relationships with clients by overdelivering on your work and staying in touch with fresh ideas and strategies.
• 😀 Always follow up with performance data and insights on how your content performed to build trust and credibility with the brand.
• 😀 Create content that converts by considering not just visual appeal, but the strategic impact on sales and engagement.
• 😀 Offer additional value by providing marketing strategies and recommendations on how to best utilize the content you create.
• 😀 When reaching out to brands, start with a genuine compliment, followed by research, a clear solution, and a low-pressure request for a call.

Q & A

Why is it important to understand what a brand actually needs before reaching out to them?

Understanding what a brand needs allows you to tailor your content and services to help them achieve their goals, whether that’s driving sales, building brand awareness, or improving engagement. Brands want content that drives results, not just aesthetically pleasing photos or videos.

What is the role of competitive analysis when working with brands?

Competitive analysis helps you understand what competitors are doing better, which can inform your strategy for creating content that stands out. By identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a brand’s competitors, you can offer solutions to improve the brand’s position in the market.

How can you prove your value to a brand without just telling them about your skills?

You can prove your value by creating mock projects, building case studies, and providing testimonials from past clients. Show tangible results and demonstrate how your work has benefited others to establish trust and credibility.

Why is it essential to create case studies, and how should they be structured?

Case studies are important because they provide proof of your capabilities and the impact of your work. They should include the content created, the results achieved, and any feedback or testimonials from the client. Tailoring case studies to the specific industry you are targeting can make them more relevant and effective.

What are the benefits of offering free work in building case studies?

Offering free work can help you build a portfolio and gain experience in new industries. It allows you to create case studies that showcase your skills and results, which can be crucial when reaching out to paid clients who may require proof of your ability.

How can aligning with a brand’s marketing goals improve the chances of landing a client?

Aligning your content with the brand’s marketing goals ensures that you are providing the right type of content for their needs, whether it’s driving sales or building awareness. This demonstrates that you understand their objectives and can help them achieve them, making you a more attractive candidate.

Why is offering more than just photos essential in today’s market?

Photos alone are no longer as effective in driving engagement and conversions, especially on platforms like Instagram. Short-form videos (e.g., TikToks, Reels) perform better, and offering these alongside photos adds more value to the client’s marketing strategy.

What is the significance of providing content strategy and caption ideas to clients?

Providing content strategy and caption ideas shows that you’re not just delivering content but also offering your expertise in marketing. This can help the brand maximize engagement and conversions, demonstrating your business and marketing knowledge beyond photography or videography.

How can you make it easier for brands to say yes to working with you?

Make it easy by crafting a low-pressure outreach message that includes a compliment on the brand, followed by a clear solution you can provide. A simple ask for a brief discovery call allows the brand to consider working with you without feeling overwhelmed or pressured.

Why is building long-term relationships with clients more beneficial than focusing on one-off projects?

Building long-term relationships is beneficial because it saves time and effort in constantly finding new clients. Established relationships lead to repeat business and can lead to larger projects as brands are more likely to trust a creator they’ve worked with before.

What are some ways to build trust with a client for future work?

Over-delivering on work, staying in touch with new ideas and strategies, and consistently delivering results help build trust. Following up with performance data, suggesting future campaigns, and offering insights can show the client that you are invested in their success and help solidify a long-term partnership.

Why is it important to track and report on how your content performs for a client?

Tracking and reporting on content performance provides measurable evidence of the value you’re delivering. It helps build trust with the client by showing that your work is directly contributing to their objectives, such as increased sales or engagement.