Learnings and Recommendations for Building a Solid Client & Creator Relationship

When working with clients who are creating content for the first time, or working with a new client, there are a lot of questions and pitfalls that I have encountered over the years. The best chance you have to avoid them or tackle them quickly is to build a good working relationship with each other.

You will spend a lot of time together during the length of the project and there are bound to be a few bumps along the way. Communication and honesty on both sides is extremely critical. It is the best way to build a relationship and ensure that when problems do arise, you will work together as a team to fix them.

What I have found, is a lot of problems stem from not asking the right questions upfront and assuming that either side knows what the other is thinking.

These are some of learnings and tips, that can help both content creators as well as those on the client side:

Know your Audience

Creating a customer profile for your clients is a necessity.

Knowing your audience is essential. It will allow you to create a meaningful piece of content that will resonate with them directly. Typically you can build this once and use throughout the relationship, however you should update it when you kick off your next project.

Content Creators

• Clients should have data on their customers, use that data as a starting point.

• Use the client as a resource, not an obstacle.

• Identify other pieces of content that your audience is engaging with.

Clients

• Unless it is a brand anthem, remember you are creating content for your customers, not the internal team.

• Identify where your customers are consuming content.

• 9 out of 10 times, the content creators use your product and are your customers.

Brand vs/and Creative

You can stay on brand and do something bold.

Knowing the brand and the audience you are targeting will allow you to create a piece that is within the brand but still tailored to the viewer. Identify which aspects of the guidelines are non-negotiable and which have a little more give.

Content Creators

• Know the brand guidelines.

• Don’t fight the brand, use it’s history as guardrails.

• Working with guardrails can help focus a creative idea instead of hinder it.

• Study your clients past work and use it as a learning.

• What worked, what didn’t work, what had high engagement, etc.

Clients

• “This is how we have always done it.” Is a fast way to kill enthusiasm and repeat past mistakes.

• Learn from the past, but embrace the future.

• Don’t be afraid to bend the Brand.

• You can stay on brand and create something new and fresh. Chances are your team and higher ups are looking to bring the company forward.

Schedules and Reviews

Be honest and stay on schedule.

Building a realistic schedule is crucial to a good relationship. You want to manage your time efficiently and avoid any unnecessary delays. Everyone's time is valuable and should be respected.

Content Creators

• Ask how long a client will need for reviews and who the stakeholders are.

• Be aware of vacations and company holidays.

• Ask about Legal review; when they will need to review and how long the process takes.

• Schedule a call for your first review.

• Set expectations. Establish upfront what they should be looking for.

• Delivering an edit at 10PM is not End of Day.

• Find out when the client and additional stakeholders typically leave the office, and do your best to deliver an hour before they leave.

• Schedule an internal deadline the day before it is due to the client.

• This will help you identify any last minute changes you might want to make and give yourself the time to make them.

Clients

• Be honest. Think of your content team as partners, not a vendor.

• Mention any bad past experiences early on.

• Allow the team to account for them, not repeat them.

• Alert the team about any internal pitfalls.

• Legal review, Brand review, hard to pin down executives, etc.

• Rough Cut / Fine Cut / Final

• Rough Cut - Typically will not include graphics, color correction, sound mix etc. The focus on the Rough cut is the story. Making sure the message is is being communicated.

• Fine Cut - A tighter, cleaner version of the Rough. Will typically include rough graphics and animation, tighter cuts, and cleaner picture and audio. This is usually the edit that the executive team should see.

• Final Edit - The completed video. Full sound mix, color correction, graphics, etc. Here you should be looking for anything that wasn’t addressed in previous edits and any inaccuracies.

Relationship

Think of this as a partnership. Everyone succeeds together.

Ensuring that both parties have a great experience is key. Know that email tone is often misunderstood; and if you are worried about something or have to have a difficult conversation, it is best to pick up the phone.

Content Creators

• Your clients are your job security. Forming a relationship with them should be your top priority.

• Relationships lead to renewals and referrals.

Clients

• Our biggest goal is to see you promoted for the work we have done together.

• Informing your team of your aspirations and goals, will help them work better with you.

Additional

Working together should be an experience that everyone enjoys.

Remember, communication is key. Over-communicate when necessary and build a bedrock of trust. Each of you has a specific skills and different tools at your disposal; use them together to create the best output.

Content Creators

• Don’t fall in love with your ideas. They will change, and most of the time there is a better one on the horizon.

• Your client is your best asset, use them.

• Include your client in the creative process.

• If they work with you from the beginning, they are more likely to sell the idea/or defend it internally if they have a connection to it.

Client

• Be open. Talk through everything; concerns, goals, likes, dislikes, etc.

• Your content team wears many hats, including therapist, confidant, partner, and personal champion. Your success is their success.

• Be realistic and honest about your budget.

• Look at your competitors and dare to do better.