A Texas-sized plan: Our strategy for a year of social success.

We’re no strangers to making sparks fly on our client ESAB’s social media channels. Recently, our team took a trip to Denton, Texas, with a big mission: to capture a full year’s worth of content for social video in just a few days.

In a world where social media trends can change on a dime, planning a year ahead might sound a little wild. But we’ve got the secret sauce for thinking big, thinking ahead, and having some fun in the process. Here’s a peek behind the curtain of our playbook.

Blueprints first, welding later.

Before we even touched a camera, we aligned on a crystal-clear vision for the year. We identified the big-ticket product launches, the key industry trends we wanted to own, and even the national holidays we could celebrate. By tying all our content themes to ESAB’s big-picture goals, we made sure every single shot was a step toward success.

You can’t predict trends, but you can be ready for them.

Social media is all about being in the moment, but a smart strategy is built on a solid foundation. While we captured plenty of content for specific campaigns, we also made sure to film a ton of “evergreen” footage – think beautiful product shots, dynamic b-roll, and general visuals. This gave us a flexible content library so we could jump on new trends and tell new stories all year long.

The shot list is your copilot.

When you’re capturing a year’s worth of content in just a few days, a detailed plan is non-negotiable. Our detailed shot list included everything from specific product shots and how-to guides to soundbites from ESAB’s subject matter experts. This kept us on track and helped us get the most out of our time with the experts, who could speak on specific products and processes with authority.

Teamwork makes the dream work (with influencers!).

We know that the most authentic voices for a brand are its biggest fans. We built time into our shoot schedule to create content with #TeamESAB’s influencers, capturing not just testimonials, but collaborative videos that showcase their personalities and expertise. This content is crucial for building trust and reaching a wider, more engaged audience.

Plan for the finish line.

A successful content shoot isn’t over when the cameras are off – it’s when you’ve got a polished, ready-to-go content library. We had a clear vision for the final video products, including the style, pacing and on-screen text for Reels and TikToks. This foresight in preproduction drastically streamlines postproduction, allowing us to quickly turn raw footage into a polished and impactful content library ready for posting.

At the end of the day, a successful social media shoot comes down to strategy and smart planning. By thinking big and planning ahead, we built ESAB a content library that’s on point for today’s trends and adaptable for whatever comes next. That’s how we keep the sparks flying.