GUIDE

Creative production plays an important role in marketing, helping brands communicate their stories effectively. Copywriting involves the art of using words skillfully in the brand’s process of expressing itself and connecting with consumers. Strong and attractive texts convey brand messages clearly, allowing the target audience to establish an emotional connection and identify with the brand identity. Graphic design, photography, animation, and 3D increase the aesthetic appeal of the brand by using visual elements effectively. Visual content strengthens customer interaction by highlighting the unique features of the brand.

Digital marketing is a type of marketing that includes plenty of textual expressions. In addition to copywriting, which is one of the important departments of traditional advertising, content writing has also become an important profession in digital marketing. Content writing does not have a specific sales target like copywriting. It is mostly done to inform customers about certain issues. It is the content writer’s job to prepare blog texts, e-books, video transcripts, or podcast scripts. Copywriting refers to texts written to increase the sales of a product or service. Email texts, advertisements, or product descriptions are texts written by the copywriter.

Copywriting is possible by understanding very well who the target audience is. No copywriter can do his job well if he doesn’t have a clear idea of the customers. A copywriter who knows his target audience well defines customers’ needs better. The copywriter who knows his target audience well can speak the customers’ language. She knows which phrases can attract customers’ attention. People can genuinely connect with brands that speak to them as if they were in real life. This is one of the most critical points of copywriting. Writing the texts sincerely, as the general tone of the brand allows, will increase conversions. Simplicity is a point that must be achieved in copywriting. Complex expressions will also create a complex image in the perception of customers.

Customers turn to brands to solve their existing problems. Perceiving this problem correctly will make it possible to express the solution correctly. The brand that finds a solution to a problem is preferred. There is a lot of content and advertising text in today’s digital media. It takes a long time for customers to find what they want within this content. Also, nowadays a person’s attention span is quite short. A customer needs to be persuaded within their attention span. Otherwise, customers will shift to different websites or content. Using impressive language in short periods of time is achieved by appealing to emotions. A clear and concise language that appeals to emotions will provide the desired transformations.

AIDA: It consists of the first letters of the words attention, interest, desire, and action. When creating text, customers’ attention must first be captured. Customers are fed with information that will keep their interests alive. Desires are then aroused that compel the customer to take action.

BAB: An attempt is made to convey what happens before and after customers purchase the product or service. First of all, the customer is shown having problems. Afterward, it is explained how the problems of the customer who bought the product were solved. Finally, it is explained rationally how the product or service solves this problem.

FAQ: It is the narration of the benefits of the brand by a real or fictional hero. The hero is shown with his problem, talks about his story and problem, and his problem is solved with the product.

4C: Texts should be concise. Short texts are always easy to understand. Texts should be clear. Fancy words no longer attract customers’ attention. Texts must be credible. Brands that are truly knowledgeable on the subject are preferred. Texts should be impressive. Memorability is possible by being impressive.

Graphic design is a very important point for branding and digital marketing. Visuals have been the most effective solution to convey a message since the early years of marketing. Graphic design plays a very important role in both creating brand awareness and creating advertising works that will affect sales. Complex messages can be explained more simply with graphic design. For this, it is necessary to adhere to the basic rules of graphic design. Knowledge of typography, page layout, color use, visual hierarchy, and image use constitute the basics of graphic design.

Branding: One of the basic elements that form the character of a brand is the identity of the brand. Creating a brand identity is possible with graphic design. The logo chosen for the brand, color options, fonts, and photo usage are important points that create the brand identity. The distinctiveness of all these visual elements will be enough to distinguish the brand from its competitors.

Advertising and marketing: Companies that have successfully carried out their branding work start advertising activities to communicate with their target audience. Visual studies constitute a wide area of marketing activities. Visuals for flyers, e-books, emails, and websites are created with graphic design.

Web design and user interface: Web design is the most critical point of digital marketing. Web pages created by web design developers contain many graphic design elements. Websites with high user experience are also very good in terms of graphic design. Theme selections, page interfaces, landing page images, and photographs for blogs are evaluated in terms of graphic design.

Motion graphics: Graphic design should not be thought of as just a static work. Most videos created for marketing efforts contain graphic elements. Graphic elements are animated and turned into video works. Logo animations, animated presentations, 2D promotional videos, and GIF works are created with graphic design studies.

Line: Lines form the basis of a design. Lines appear in different forms in the design. The use of lines is very critical to create the composition. The design can be enlivened by using lines in different styles. Connecting lines with each other creates shapes.

Shape: Geometric, abstract, or organic shapes are found in every composition. Shapes in different textures and formats are used when designing a logo, preparing informational content, or creating motion graphics.

Color: If the design wants to evoke an emotion in the masses, colors are very effective. Colors have an effect on human psychology. Different visuals can be created by using the three main properties of colors, tone, value, and saturation, at different values.

Typography: Typography is the arrangement of texts in different styles to become graphic design elements. Typefaces are a frequently used element in graphic design. Texts of different sizes, colors, fonts, and densities are used in graphic design works produced to convey a message.

Texture: Every element used in the design can be given a texture. Rough, soft, shiny, etc. Textures are textures that can be used in accordance with the design composition. Design composition can also be created with textures.

Size: Composition is the most critical issue of a design. The size and smallness of the elements to be included in the design create the depth of the design. In addition, the importance of the elements in the design is determined according to their size.

Balance: The use of symmetry and asymmetry determines the balance of the design. Any proportional dimension between graphic design elements creates the balance of the composition. Balance is the building block of design.

Alignment: Seeing the design regularly is possible with alignment. With various grids, graphic design elements are aligned and the design appears balanced. There are grid or guideline types specific to each design type.

Proximity: The visual hierarchy between graphic design elements is related to the degree of proximity to each other. Proximity affects the perception formed in the mind of the viewer.

Contrast: Emphasizing certain aspects of the composition is possible with contrast. Some graphic design elements in the design are highlighted with contrast.

The importance of photography in marketing efforts has become even more important with digital marketing. Nowadays, increasing internet and social media usage has increased the daily photo consumption more than ever. Product photos, entertaining content, or lifestyle frames are visual content that internet users frequently encounter. Brands that want to attract the attention of their customers fill their social media and websites with interesting photos to show their products in a different way. Today, articles with images attract more attention than articles without images. Text-only ads receive fewer conversions than photo ads. The majority of internet users perform visual searches through search engines. The majority of purchasing decisions on e-commerce sites are made by looking at product images.

Animations enable many subjects that are difficult to understand and portray in an understandable way. Animations attract more attention than static images. It is also very affordable considering the costs spent on filming. Considering the filming organization, animations that require less effort take more time than static images. This is because, compared to static images, animations include audio elements, transitions, animated text, and logos. Additionally, animations have a certain duration, speed, and dynamics. It is necessary to bring all these elements together in an appropriate way. In addition, the dynamism of the video should be supported with transitions between scenes.

There are certain stages in preparing content with motion graphics. First of all, the copywriter must write the scenario of the animation and the texts that will be included in the animation. Next, the graphic designer must design the elements that will be animated. Illustrators must draw the drawings that will be included in the animation in advance. The sound designer in the team must prepare the music and sound effects of the animation. Finally, the animation designer brings all these elements together to make the animation final.

There are many reasons why animations are frequently used in marketing communications. Emails created with animation are more interesting and provide higher conversions. In a search made on Google, video content is ranked higher. Video landing pages provide higher page time. Video ads made through Meta get more conversions than static ads. This makes it possible to generate income at lower costs. Even though the Twitter platform is a text-heavy channel, the interactions of video content are increasing day by day.

Brand awareness: Effective animations make brands more noticeable to potential customers. Brand logos are animated and displayed on the screen. Thus, its memorability is further increased.

Simplification: Some brands’ products or services may be abstract or complex in a way that cannot be directly displayed on the screen. This situation can be prevented with animations. Information-rich animations can explain each point of the brand service in detail to potential customers.

Impressiveness: Animations attract more attention than static images and texts. Audio elements, transition effects, color transitions, and moving elements attract the attention of the masses.

Establishing an emotional connection: Animations are the most effective storytelling technique. Stories are effective in connecting potential customers with brands. Customers’ emotional bond with brands directly affects their purchasing behavior.

Promotional Animations: Brands have products and services. Every brand owner wants to explain their products and services to their customers in the most understandable way. Promotional animations are the most effective and understandable way to do this.

Advertising Animations: Advertising campaigns are one of the most intensive communications of brands. Animated advertisements are one of the most frequently encountered advertisement types on social media.

Training Animations: Brands try to portray an expert image in the eyes of customers. That’s why they offer educational videos to their customers about their products and services. Most of these educational videos are designed as animations.

Brand Promotional Animations: Every brand has a story. Brands try certain ways to tell their stories, values, and missions to their customers. Animations are one of the most frequently used methods of explaining how brands emerged.

Social Media Animations: Brands carry out intensive communication activities through social media. Special days, celebrations, trending topics, or competitions are shared with animated videos.

CGI is the computer-based generation of things that do not actually exist to produce realistic virtual worlds and objects. Objects designed as 3D models frequently appear in video games, architectural presentations, or commercials. The entire Metaverse universe, which has become a popular discourse lately, is designed as 3D modeling. Things that do not exist in reality or that are difficult or expensive to photograph and record on video are modeled in 3D. The created 3D models are edited in certain programs and turned into video animations. CGI technology, which is not limited to marketing only, also finds a place in the cinema and entertainment industry. In almost all blockbuster movies, many scenes and effects that are difficult and costly to shoot in reality are produced with CGI technology.

Not only digital media but also product photographs on brochures used in advertising were produced with 3D modeling. In this way, the product can be photographed in any environment and in any format desired. In addition, when AR technology is considered, the virtual effects that appear in front of the frames that are translated into the real world with the camera are 3D models produced by CGI technology. In this form, CGI has opened the doors of limitless creativity to the world. Considering the resulting product, it is quite costly compared to the real thing. In addition, considering the difficulties of shooting, CGI technology provides working efficiency without the difficulties that production companies must overcome. All physical difficulties disappear. The color, type, and style of everything can be changed in minutes. In addition, CGI technology makes it possible for many independent artists to work on the same project simultaneously. A different scene can be substituted for a desired scene in the project. This is almost impossible to do in standard video production. Because almost everything is planned before production.

Product promotion and advertising: Showing the details of the products, showing the main benefits of the product, and creating a mascot for the brand.

Digital marketing and social media: Preparing attention-grabbing content, creating interactive content, and designing virtual reality experiences.

Website and mobile applications: Designing 3D graphics and animations, creating rich user experience.

Product packaging and design: Creating attractive product visuals with 3D modeling.

Virtual events: Creating virtual experience events in 3D modeled scenes, designing interactive experiences, and designing virtual stores.

Training videos: Demonstrating product usage and making complex services easier to perceive.

Customer experience: Designing the experience the customer will have while using the product with virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.

Online sales platforms: Enabling products to be personalized by designing 3D models of the products.

Videos are among the types of content that consumers frequently prefer. At this point, video editing is among the indispensable parts of the digital marketing age. As the quality of the videos increases, the interest of the audience in that content increases. From this perspective, the interaction of campaigns created with good video editing is quite high. Nowadays, there is almost no campaign without video. Sometimes the launch of the campaign and sometimes the follow-up communications of the main campaign are made with video-supported shares. Nowadays, people turn to videos rather than visuals and texts to get information. This increases brands’ preference for video content in their communications. The increase in content on the internet has also affected video durations. The first seconds of a video have become very critical in terms of attracting attention. Content that cannot capture the viewer in the first seconds of the video cannot achieve conversion.

Determining the target audience: Who is the target audience of your video? It is important to understand the demographic and behavioral characteristics of your audience, such as age, gender, and interests, and adapt the content accordingly.

Video duration: Since the attention span is short, videos should be kept very short. There should be a striking opening that can attract the audience in the first few seconds.

Clarity of message: The purpose and message of the video should be clear. The viewer should understand the desired action by the end of the video.

Use of sound and music: The use of quality sound and music can help your video make a more effective impression on the viewer. Care should be taken to choose music in the spirit of the content.

Visual quality: High-resolution images and professional image quality should be used. The visual style within the video should be consistent; a Brand-specific color palette and design elements should be used.

Impressiveness: An emotional connection should be established with the audience. Making the audience laugh, make them think, or impress them can cause them to form a stronger bond with the brand.

Mobile-friendly design: It is necessary to ensure that videos can be easily watched on mobile devices.

Internet users’ intense interest in video content has increased the share of video in marketing communications. It is possible to encounter brands that cannot communicate with video content alone. Videos are the most common content format that brands use today to explain their products and services. Videos offer a more impressive narrative alongside words. This is because videos are versatile. Videos have the power to tell about a brand’s products, the day its employees are in the office, the highlights of its campaigns, or what the after-sales services are. It can also make use of real images, graphic shapes, music, and sound effects while doing this.

Video types, the number of which increases day by day, are shared by brands on all platforms, especially websites and social media channels. These types of videos positively affect customers’ purchasing decisions. Brands gain traffic to their websites and increase their interactions through videos. In addition, liked videos are shared by customers, opening up ways to reach potential customers organically. Thus, conversions increase, and product sales increase. Brands strengthen their brand identity with the brand images they integrate into their videos.

Video production is a discipline that requires a specific plan. For a video to emerge, multiple steps must be met meticulously. If these stages are not carried out with proper planning, unprofessional video work will be produced. First of all, it is necessary to start by determining the target audience. Who is the viewer of this video? However, a video work in which the target audience is correctly defined will achieve the desired conversion. Correctly defining the audience that will watch the video makes it possible to write the video text with the correct formulas. Being original and creative will increase the number of views and memorability of the video. At this point, doing keyword research related to the subject and style of the video makes it more possible to produce videos on popular topics. Only in this way can a correct screenplay text be written. Video production for marketing should not be left to personal tastes and decisions.

Video Production Glossary: It is a dictionary containing terms related to video production.

Video Production Strategy: Defining the target audience and brand message.

Video Production Briefing: Determining elements such as goals, tone, and style.

Script Planning: Designing the story, characters, and dialogues.

Scripting: It is the preparation of a scenario by detailing the story, characters, and dialogues.

Storyboarding: Visualization of scenes.

Location Scouting: Selecting the locations where shooting will take place.

Casting: Selection of actors and determination of characters.

Production Scheduling: Determining the timeline of shooting.

Equipment: These are the equipment to be used in shooting.

Camera Operator: The person who manages the camera during shooting.

Producer: The person who takes overall responsibility for the project.

Director: The person responsible for the creative management of the project.

Lighting: It is the lighting process of the shooting location.

Sound Recordist: The team responsible for sound recording.

Hair and Makeup Artists: These are the people responsible for the appearance of the actors.

Live Streaming: It is the process of instant online broadcasting.

Stock Footage: These are ready-made video recordings that can be licensed and used.

Green Screen: It is a technique that allows adding different backgrounds to the video.

Motion Graphics: It is the use of animated graphic elements.

VFX: CGI is the process of adding special effects or animations to a video.

Color Grading: It is the process of adjusting the color tones of the video.

Voiceover Recording: Adding a voice over the video.

Music and SFX: It is the selection of sound elements suitable for the atmosphere of the video.

Sound Mixing: It is the process of combining and arranging different sound sources.

Video Distribution: It is the process of sending the video to the platforms to be published.

TVC Submission: It is the delivery of the commercial film to the TV channels where it will be broadcast.

Sound production in marketing communications is a multifaceted process and discipline that attempts to use sound art for specific purposes. In other words, audio production for marketing is the process of producing, editing, and broadcasting audio elements based on certain reasons. The critical issue here is that all operations performed on voice serve marketing goals. Sometimes the jingle played in an advertisement or the background music used behind a product promotion is chosen to evoke certain emotions in the target audience. This is also preferred to reinforce some catchy messages about the brand. Sound has the ability to evoke emotions quickly. The emotional bond desired to be established between the brand and the target audience is brought to the desired level with the audio files used. The right combination of music, voice, and sound effects in a YouTube video and Spotify podcast can strengthen this bond.

It is a fact that just as visual elements create brand identity in the perception of customers, sound elements also present a certain image. Certain sounds can reinforce the perception the brand wants to project. The jingles they use in their advertisements, the signature sounds used with logos, and the sound effects used in transition animations are identified with the brands. After a while, when customers hear brand sounds without looking at the screen, only that brand appears in their minds. Podcasts are increasing in popularity. Brands not only advertise on podcasts but also sponsor podcasts that are associated with their brand. Customers who listen to podcasts sponsored by brands describe these brands as thought leaders and representatives of the subject.

Radio advertisements are audio advertisements created to attract the attention of the audience with interesting scenarios and suitable voice actors.

Podcasts are recordings of interesting and informative audio scripts covering specific topics.

Marketing videos feature plenty of audio files, with professional voice-overs and sound effects used to enhance the storytelling and overall impact of the visual content.

Jingles are short, catchy songs associated with a brand. They are often used in radio commercials and TV commercials to strengthen brand awareness.

IVR systems use recorded voice prompts to guide callers through menu options during telephone interactions.

Audio Logos are short audio elements that represent a brand. They are used strategically in marketing materials to improve brand recall and identity.

Creating educational videos and e-learning materials can be made more instructive with audio production. Clear narration and sound effects increase the effectiveness of educational marketing materials.

Live events involve creating announcements, introductions, and background music to enhance the overall atmosphere.

Retailers are using audio production to create in-store audio elements that add to the overall branding and shopping experience.

Front-end Development:

It refers to the visible side of websites, programs, or software. It is the design and development of layout, graphics, and other visual elements within a project. The aim is to ensure that the user navigates the website or application with the best experience. User experience is relevant to this area. Web development can be considered the starting point of the field. The most common front-end development languages used today are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. HTML is the first language that comes to mind. It defines elements of a website, such as headings, paragraphs, images, and links. It is the backbone of a website. CSS is responsible for the visual appearance of the website. It is the area where the colors, fonts, layout, and design elements of the website or applications are arranged. The compatibility of web pages on desktop and mobile screens falls within the scope of CSS. JavaScript, a dynamic programming language, is where interactive elements of websites such as drop-down menus, forms, and animations are designed. With Java Script, websites have a more dynamic structure. To program with JavaScript, JavaScript libraries such as React or jQuery can be used.

Back-end Development:

The front-end constitutes the visible side of websites. The back-end deals with the invisible part. The back end is responsible for keeping everything running smoothly on the website or in a program. Servers, operating systems, APIs, and databases are the work area of Back-end developers. Python is an entry-level programming language. There are search engines such as Django and Flask that handle database management and HTTP processing tasks. Its library is open source and quite extensive. PHP is a very common server-side coding language. It works seamlessly with HTML. It serves to manage databases, create dynamic content, and interact with web servers. Versatile and widely used, Java is a programming language used to build websites that require high performance and security. C# is a programming language developed by Microsoft. It is used to create Windows desktop applications and web services.

Full Stack Development:

It refers to working with both the front-end and back-end of a website. It means building a website, application, or program from start to finish and running it smoothly. A developer who has served on both sides can detect problems faster and make the necessary improvements. Comprehensive information makes it easy to optimize the performance of the project.

Website Development:

It is the concentration of programming knowledge only on websites. Mobile applications and desktop software are not included in this area.

Desktop Development:

Programs don’t have to work only online. Some programs are locally running applications and some are used in offline services. Desktop developers develop software applications that run natively on devices.

Mobile Development:

Some applications are developed only for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Mobile developers focus only on applications that run on mobile devices. Mobile applications have a different programming language than normal website software.

Game Development:

Console games, PC games, and mobile games each consist of certain codes. These codes are coded by game developers and offered to game lovers.

Embedded Development:

Some non-computer hardware, such as electronic interfaces, consumer devices, and IoT devices, consists of codes and software. Embedded developers are in high demand these days with the increase in smart devices.

Security Development:

Websites or programs face the threat of malware or hackers. Security developers are responsible for creating more secure software by eliminating vulnerabilities in websites or applications. For this purpose, they identify security risks and establish secure systems.

Developing a website varies depending on the size of the project, programming language, and resources. First of all, it is necessary to state the purpose of the website.