Remember the order of operations from math class? PEMDAS: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, and Addition and Subtraction. If you started with the wrong step, you were almost guaranteed to get the wrong answer. At least, that’s how I remember it.
The same idea applies to marketing, especially when it comes to content and video creation.
The Marketing Order of Operations
- Organizational Goals – What are we trying to accomplish?
- Market Research – Who are we competing against? What does our audience care about?
- Brand Strategy – Positioning, differentiation, voice, and promise.
- Marketing Strategy – Channels, campaigns, offers, and funnel.
- Messaging – What are we actually going to say?
- Creative Concept – How should we communicate it?
- Production – Video, photography, design, copywriting.
- Distribution – Website, email, social media, ads, events.
- Measurement & Optimization – What’s working, and what needs to improve?
So many times I see schools, nonprofits, and brands go out of order.
Earlier this year, we were talking with a school about creating videos for their website and Meta ads. I was certainly willing to help, but they still hadn’t finalized their brand positioning, messaging, and several other foundational pieces. Without those, the videos wouldn’t have been nearly as effective as they could be.
Instead of moving forward with production, I recommended they finish the rebrand first. Then we could come back and create videos that actually supported the new brand and marketing strategy.
I see the same thing happen with website traffic.
Organizations often say, “We need more traffic,” so they pour their energy into driving more visitors before they’ve created content that gives those visitors a reason to stay, engage, or take action.
Web traffic is good.
Qualified web traffic is better.
And qualified traffic deserves content that’s built with purpose.
At the end of the day, video doesn’t create your story but rather it reveals it. A great video strategy can amplify a strong brand, a clear message, and a smart strategy, but it can’t invent those things out of thin air. Get the foundation right first, and the camera simply brings it to life.
If you have any questions about this process feel free to reach out to me.
