In the world of buzzwords, I'm creating my own.
A 'Content ScriptWriter' is someone who writes scripts for the sole purpose of creating content. Bill Gates said "Content is King," and that saying has weaved it's way into all the 'marketing 101' courses. The next question to ask is "What kind of content?" As we've seen over the last 5 years, more specifically, Video Content is King.
The common misconception is that you can set up a camera, hit record, say some things, and you're done! In bulletpoint form, that's kinda right. In reality, making a great quality video starts at the script (the 'say some things'). Your script is the foundation, checklist, and roadmap to all pieces of content.
As a creator and cosumer of social media content, I've seen alot of terrible videos. And unfortunately, many online communities starve for meaningful content. Content to answer their questions, content to inspire them, and content to connect with them.
My career path can be descrided as a real life game of Snakes & Ladders. I've never owned the game...nor do I recall playing it, but I understand it. Move along the board, gingerly. Ladders are great, you move up! Snakes are horrible, you move down. Boo.
My first ladder was city college. I learned, very quickly, that my classmates & I take away different things from the same class. This experience gave me the foundation of thinking outside the box. After city college, I went to film school which was my first snake. Closeminded and cliquey, I soon became an outcast. It was 2 & 1/2 years, learning "the craft" of screenwriting thinking I would go to Hollywood. I love stories and I love movies/tv shows, what could possibly go wrong?
After gradution, March 2016, I was burned out and wanted nothing to do with Hollywood...another snake. Scriptwriting is a niche form of writing that is assumed to only work with film. In the end, I found the liquor industy, more specifically, the retail side, yeah a ladder! Between you and me, I LOVED my clients...& hated the corporation.
The corporate training taught me how to "sell." Video after video, I was fed sales tactics. I tried them and got nowhere. There were some sales here and there, but nothing could compare when I started catering to people. I shifted my focus away from "selling" to just having a conversations. Spending 8+ hours a day,[getting to know] I wanted to know the people who were walking in the door.
Quickly, I found out that the BEST way to "sell" is to serve the customer. If you take care of them, they will take care of you.
Sometimes, they couldn't articulate what they wanted. No problem. Sometimes, they articulated their want to 'get in & get out' as quick as possible. No problem. When I focused all my efforts on serving my customer I fell in love with the people.
I'm forever thankful for those years spent in the liquor industy. They taught me so much about people and relationships. As I approach the big 3-0 (where my '93 babies at??), I wondered what I wanted to do in this next chapter. Well, I wanted to combine my passions: helping people take care of their customers by scripting their content. I know it's a mouthfull, please bare with me.
I've worked with a few YouTubers and have seen their video content become more consistent. Less trend chasing and more evergreen content. Their content is more authentic. The comment scetions are filled with thank you notes and more questions. These videos have served and connected with their customers in a more personal way and it's paying off.
When in doubt, I alway fall back to wanting to serve the customer. Take care of them and they will take care of you.