Why Video Matters in Communication

In today’s content-saturated digital world, video stands out as one of the most powerful levers for effective communication. It captures attention, builds engagement, and drives conversions — all thanks to its unique ability to tell stories and spark emotion.

But crafting a meaningful video isn’t something you do on a whim. To make it a cohesive part of your communication strategy, every choice — from the core message to the final format and distribution — must serve a clear purpose.
Here are 12 key questions to guide your next video project.

 

1. What’s the Primary Goal of This Video?

Before you even think about the script or visual style, you need to clarify the strategic role your video will play. It could be:

  • Awareness: introducing your brand, product, or service
  • Engagement: prompting interaction (likes, comments, shares…)
  • Conversion: generating leads, sales, or sign-ups
  • Retention: strengthening the relationship with existing customers

👉 Pro tip: define one main goal per video to avoid diluting your message or confusing your audience.

2. Who Is This Video For?

Effective videos don’t speak to a vague crowd — they speak directly to a well-defined target. To identify your audience, consider:

  • Your marketing persona: age, job title, interests, daily challenges (and how your solution helps solve them)
  • Their stage in the buyer’s journey: are they discovering, considering, or ready to decide?

👉 Example: An awareness video aimed at a cold audience should have a more educational, explanatory tone. A conversion video for a warm audience can be more direct and persuasive.

3. What’s the Core Message You Want to Deliver?

Skip the fluff, tangents, and overcomplications — your audience will only remember the main message. Make sure it’s:

  • Clear: one idea at a time
  • Concise: grab attention in under 20 seconds
  • Memorable: strong visuals and storytelling elements help it stick

👉 Quick tip: Try to summarize your message in one short, simple sentence anyone could understand.

4. What Format and Tone Best Suit Your Audience?

Your choice of format depends on the goal, the audience, and the platform — so make sure all three are clearly defined before this step. Some effective options include:

  • Animated explainer video: perfect for simplifying complex ideas
  • Customer interview / testimonial: social proof that builds trust and authority
  • Short-form vertical video (Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts): great for grabbing attention and reaching a wide audience fast
  • Storytelling / personal branding video: ideal for building emotional connection

As for tone, consider the following:

  • Corporate: enhance your image and assert your authority
  • Inspirational: rally your team and partners around shared values
  • Educational: inform, explain, demonstrate, raise awareness
  • Playful / humorous: boost virality — but handle with care

5. Which Platforms Will You Use to Share Your Video?

Each platform has its own rules, ideal formats, and content styles:

  • YouTube: the go-to visual search engine — great for SEO. Works for both short and long formats

  • LinkedIn: professional and B2B-focused. Accepts short or long videos

  • Instagram / TikTok: vertical, fast-paced, engaging and entertaining content. Prioritize short-form videos

  • Website: homepage, landing pages, blog articles — great for anchoring your message

  • Email marketing: keep in mind technical limitations (often only a link or thumbnail is possible)

👉 Tip: Edit and subtitle your video according to the platform (e.g., no sound expected on LinkedIn or Instagram). And don’t forget — mobile comes first. Choose formats that look great on smartphone screens!

6. How Does This Video Fit Into Your Broader Communication Strategy?

Your videos shouldn’t exist in isolation. They should be part of a bigger, coherent content strategy. A single video can:

  • Introduce a topic you’ve explored in a white paper

  • Bring life to an existing blog post

  • Slot into a multichannel conversion funnel

  • Be repurposed into micro-content (snackable assets)

👉 Tip: Make sure your video aligns visually and narratively with your other content — consistent branding, tone, and messaging are key.

7. Do You Have a Clear Narrative Structure?

Even a short video needs a solid story arc. The classic storytelling structure still applies:

  • Problem: a pain point your audience faces

  • Solution: what your product or service offers

  • Benefits: how the audience will win by choosing you

👉 Shortcut: For short-form content, follow the HOOK – VALUE – CTA structure:

  • Hook: grab attention in the first few seconds

  • Value: share something useful or insightful

  • Call to Action: prompt the next step in the buyer journey

8. Do You Already Have Existing Content or Assets to Leverage?

To save time and budget — and keep your content consistent — think about what you already have on hand:

  • Raw, unedited video footage

  • Event recordings

  • Internal interviews

  • Logos or branded visuals

  • Existing infographics or animations

👉 Tip: Reusing these materials lets you build a modular video library that’s cost-effective, brand-aligned, and quick to deploy.

9. What Are Your Deadlines, Budget, and Constraints?

Yes, it may sound obvious — but defining these parameters clearly from the start is crucial. It’s worth stating the obvious here, because these elements will directly impact:

  • The production level (motion design, filming, voice-over…)

  • The team involved in the project

  • The video’s expected lifespan

👉 Tip: Always allow a 20–30% time buffer to account for script approval, draft feedback, and client reviews.

10. Which KPIs Will You Track to Measure Performance?

Your KPIs should align with your objective — not all videos are judged the same way:

  • Awareness: views, completion rate, reach

  • Engagement: likes, comments, shares, click-through rate

  • Conversion: conversion rate, leads generated, ROI

👉 Pro tip: Use UTM tags and analytics tools (GA4, HubSpot, Matomo, etc.) to track user journeys and video performance with precision.

11. Have You Planned a Production Frequency or Content Logic?

Effective video marketing doesn’t rely on one-off content. It’s built on a stream of consistent, diverse formats that guide your audience through every stage of the journey. To plan for long-term impact, ask yourself:

  • Is this video a standalone piece or the first in a series?

  • Have you considered additional formats: teasers, short versions, topic-specific edits?

👉 Tip: Integrating your videos into a broader editorial calendar gives you a clear roadmap and ensures strategic consistency.

12. Do You Have a Promotion and Distribution Plan?

No matter how well your video is produced, it can easily drown in the flood of content published every second. To stand out, your video needs a real visibility strategy:

  • Scheduled organic posts on relevant channels

  • Paid promotion and targeted platform ads

  • Internal advocacy (social selling, email signature banners, employee sharing)

  • Repurposing across emails, blog articles, and campaigns

👉 Tip: Include distribution planning from the briefing stage to maximize your video’s ROI and ensure it reaches the right audience.

Answering these 12 questions before launching your project will help you lay a solid foundation for a video communication strategy that’s effective, coherent, and measurable. At NTTRB, we’re here to support you every step of the way — from setting clear objectives to production and editorial planning.

Got video projects in your content strategy? Let’s talk. We’d love to explore them with you.