Clip.: Simplifying Brand-Creator Video Collaborations
Introduction
Imagine you're a brand owner trying to expand through user-generated content, or maybe you're a creator on the lookout for brands to team up with. Although the user-generated content (UGC) market is worth billions and growing, it's still messy due to fragmented communication and manual tasks. This is where Clip. enters the scene, a platform born from the need to seamlessly connect video content creators with brands and marketing agencies. In my role, I worked closely with the founding team to craft and design the platform's initial iteration.
Research and Analysis
A great advantage we had as we started working on Clip. was the founding team’s extended experience in influencer marketing. Even though influencer collaborations and UCG are two totally different things, it was extremely useful to have a starting point from which we started analysing the industry. This allowed us to tap into a pool of nano- and micro-influencers who not only showed interest in the prospect of Clip. but also helped us with valuable insights about their processes and challenges.
After analysing the existing solutions and surveying several companies active in this spaces the conclusion was clear: there is a significant need in the market for User-Generated Content (UGC) platforms, and it stands apart from traditional influencer marketing in several ways.
Firstly, UGC represents a more authentic and genuine form of content creation. It often involves real users and customers sharing their experiences and opinions about products or services, which can resonate more strongly with audiences. In contrast, influencer marketing often involves paid collaborations with influencers who may not have a genuine connection to the product.
Secondly, UGC offers a broader pool of content creators, including not only nano- and micro-influencers but also everyday consumers who are passionate about a particular niche or product. This diversity allows for a wider range of perspectives and content styles, making it easier to reach various target audiences.
Additionally, UGC platforms like Clip. can be more cost-effective than traditional influencer marketing campaigns. While influencer partnerships can be expensive, UGC encourages organic content creation, reducing the need for hefty influencer fees.
Furthermore, UGC platforms provide a way for brands to build a sense of community and engagement around their products or services. Users become part of the content creation process, fostering a sense of ownership and loyalty that influencer marketing struggles to achieve.
In conclusion, the market demand for UGC platforms is driven by the desire for authenticity, diversity, cost-effectiveness, and community-building opportunities that it offers. While influencer marketing remains a valuable strategy, UGC presents a unique and compelling alternative for brands seeking to connect with their audiences in a more organic and meaningful way. This differentiation is what makes UGC a promising and necessary addition to the marketing landscape.
Concept Development
Once we validated our assumptions we delved deeper into the process of sourcing genuine, high-quality UGC content.
A central challenge was simplifying the complex interaction between brands and creators. We needed a concept that made these interactions as straightforward and efficient as possible, without compromising on the depth and quality of engagement.
We focused on defining the essential features and user flow. This meant deciding which elements were crucial for an effective yet minimalistic platform and how users would navigate through the process of creating and responding to briefs.
Design
Because Clip. is a bootstrapped company with limited resources it was essential for us to maintain a minimalist yet functional approach to UI design and leverage affordable tools to minimise costs. For this reason, but also because of aesthetic preferences we decided use Tailwind CSS and choose a dark grey as the primary brand colour.
Onboarding
Having insights into the process of a marketer or owner trying to source content for a brand, we knew that time, cost and creative control were essential. Because we were still working on the platform at the time, we decided to do a bold experiment with the onboarding process and direct users straight into the process of creating a brief. Instead of just creating an account and landing on an empty page, we collected details about their content needs while demonstrating creative control, price transparency and a clear timeline of events starting from that exact moment.
Wild as it may seem this decision allowed us to collect leads from day one and manually match brands with our creators database while we worked on the platform.
Campaign page
When designing the campaign page there were several things to consider:
- The creative brief - which could have become quite long, depending the client input; however this information should have been easy to scan for easier distinction between different campaigns and creative variations.
- The applicants - which had to be stored permanently considering the frequent cases where a campaign works and you just want to double down on that content strategy; instead of creating a new campaign it is faster to go through your applicants and just approve some more.
- The collaborators - this page represented a challenge as we wanted to avoid implementing a messaging system from day one; therefore we had to find a way for brands and creators to communicate async, check the status of the collaboration and understand if there’s any action needed from their side.
- The campaign clips - a place where you could check all the video assets of that certain campaign
Other
Besides having everything organised per campaign we also had insights that marketers also like having all media assets organised in one place. This allows them to easily scan and repurpose content at a later time or have a bird’s eye view on the brand’s overall vibe.
Another feature that we thought would be cool to have was an ‘Inspiration’ page where the team would curate the best content produced by Clip’s creators. This would allow brands to navigate the content gallery, find an inspiring video and start a campaign using that video as a reference.
For agencies working with multiple brands we added a layer that allows you to switch between different brands while keeping everything organised easily.
Outcome
Since its introduction, Clip. has effectively facilitated numerous collaborations between brands and creators. The platform has been instrumental in producing a wide range of user-generated content, tailored to the needs of different brands. User feedback highlights Clip.'s user-friendly interface and its efficient process in connecting the right creators with brands. The success of Clip. can be measured not only in the quantity of collaborations it has enabled but also in the quality and diversity of the content produced, which has positively impacted the way brands engage with their audience in the digital space.
Reflection and Learnings
- Adapting to Client Needs and Context:The decision to use Tailwind CSS was a strategic choice driven by the necessity for cost efficiency and quick development. This approach, while not the most grandiose, demonstrated the importance of practical solutions in design. Adapting to the constraints and goals of the client, even in less elaborate ways, is crucial for delivering effective and timely results.
- Involvement in Business and Market Discovery:This involvement provided insights into the unique challenges and opportunities in the user-generated content (UGC) market. It's a reminder that a designer should not work in isolation but rather integrate into the broader context of the project, as this can uncover critical aspects that might otherwise be overlooked.
- Courage to Experiment in Low-Risk Contexts:The onboarding experiment conducted during the development of Clip. serves as a testament to the benefits of experimentation, especially in low-risk scenarios. This bold approach not only set the platform apart but also facilitated immediate lead generation and user engagement. Embracing experimentation can lead to innovative solutions and competitive advantages, highlighting unique angles that can define and elevate a project.
- Minimum Viable Process:This project offered a key insight into embracing simplicity in early stages. The approach of manually matching brands with creators before the platform's full readiness showcases a minimalist strategy in action. This method allowed for an immediate, hands-on understanding of the market and user needs, while keeping the process lean and manageable. This early, simplified interaction not only validated the concept but also provided valuable insights for refining the platform, demonstrating that starting small and simple can be a powerful strategy in the early stages of a project.
Conclusion
My journey with Clip. has been a revelation in understanding the harmony between design finesse and business practicality. For a designer, stepping out of our comfort zone and exploring the vast landscape of startup and business strategies can offer a more rounded perspective on product success. It will often show how in certain contexts, especially in startups, 'done' can indeed be more impactful than 'perfect'.