Beginner’s Guide: From “Just Hit Record” to Full Content Engine: A Practical Take from AAM Summit
At this year’s AAM Summit, Sam Pagel (COO, Resound Creative) and Cassy Clayman (Marketing Manager, Topel Forman) delivered a refreshing take on something we all say we’re doing, but often overcomplicate: building a content engine. Their message was simple, actionable and honestly a little liberating: Just Hit Record.
Start with video. Then let everything else flow from it. Not someday. Not when you have the perfect setup. Now.
The Strategy from their session, “How Video-Driven Strategy Becomes Your Firm’s Content Engine”
Video is your cornerstone. Everything else: articles, social posts, sales materials come from it. Instead of tons of long-form content that you repurpose into micro-content, start with the micro-content to spearhead and inspire thought leadership that you can build on.
Instead of creating content from scratch across a dozen formats, you create once (on camera) and repurpose thoughtfully.
The Framework
Systemize and Scale with the C.A.S.S.Y. method to achieve success
- Champion Identification – Identify SMEs that want to show up!
- Adoption Strategy – Map out your adoption strategy and how you want to get started (i.e., identify topics, set a cadence, make it low-tech)
- Systems Building – This is about iterating and structuring your process along the way.
- Scalable Solutions – Repurpose your content, and now start to spin up those other content pieces and channels
- Yield Optimization – Optimize and continue to repurpose your content engine. Get mileage and ROI out of your videos.
Where AI Fits (and Where it Doesn’t)
We’ve all heard the adage: AI should enhance, not replace, human expertise. The strongest content starts with real SME insight and uses AI to accelerate production. With all the AI slop in our algorithms, we’re craving hearing from real people.
Getting Started: Just Hit Record
- Identify your top three SMEs
- Record simple two-to-five-minute videos
- Use Zoom, Teams or your phone
Build the Content Engine
- Transcribe the video with AI
- Expand and repurpose into articles, social posts, outlines and emails
- Upload natively to LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook
The “Just Hit Record” Methodology can help you:
- Achieve higher ROI on your content and your time
- Boost brand awareness
- Grow your audience
- Build rapport through your professionals
- Create connection for recruiting and talent attraction
- Create content engine velocity
Sam & Cassy’s Top Three Takeaways:
- Identify three champions
- Build a starter toolkit
- Schedule your first recording
Bottom line: Flip your content engine model upside down. Start creating video content now, then systematically repurpose and scale it to drive marketing, sales, recruiting and brand growth.
Check out a Topel Foreman Video Example
Check out a Resound Video Example
About Ashton Adair
Marketing Manager, Brand, Voice & Operations at Whitley Penn | Ashton specializes in accounting and consulting industry marketing, with expertise in brand strategy, voice development, and marketing operations. She leads initiatives across website management, advertising, internal and external communications, proposals, public relations, and marketing automation. With a strong foundation in B2B marketing and operational efficiency, Ashton drives revenue growth and strengthens stakeholder engagement through strategic marketing execution and process optimization.
Welcome to CPA Growth Trends — your source for information, insights, tools and best practices to drive growth within an accounting firm.
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