First, Let’s Solve the Actual Problem

Your budget is flat… again. Expectations, however, are anything but. CFOs are shrinking budgets like never before, all while generative AI and other technologies wave the flag of cheaper creative at a faster pace. 

So if the answer isn’t smaller ideas (and it never is), it’s time to implement better systems. 

By prioritizing what’s closest to revenue, producing assets designed to multiply, and measuring quality by business outcomes, you can create an operating system you can run whether you sell products or services, work with enterprise or SMB, for-profit or nonprofit.

Fund What’s Closest to Revenue

Make your CFO happy by starting with the money. Every dollar needs a job, so start with work that creates or accelerates real conversations.

Start by prioritizing high-intent experiences, like comparison pages, pricing/quote/consult flows, and clear “how it works” content. Sales enablement tools are always critical… they help handle objections. Things like short demo or explainer videos, and one-page proofs help your sales team close big deals. And credible proof, like concise case stories with the problem, approach, and a number that moved, gives customers the confidence to buy from you.

De-prioritize channels with low assisted conversions and content without a clear handoff to sales or a defined conversion event. Try using a 70/20/10 split, where 70% goes to proven performers, 20% to adjacent bets, and 10% to experiments.

Build a Modular Content System

Invest in great creative, and make it travel. AI tools are great as a foundation for generating ideas and research, and cutting costs in some areas, but the quality of creative work, and actual storytelling, comes from taste, context, and choices only humans make. In businesses where authenticity and trust are critical, AI may not be a good choice. If your team is short in this area, or if you don’t already have an AI strategy in place, find a creative partner that knows how to integrate AI tools and workflows appropriately.

Plan each initiative as a content kit, a single, well-planned effort that yields a month (or more) of assets.

For example, one planned shoot or creative session could produce:

• 90-120s hero video or anchor article
• 3 short vertical reels or micro-posts (top/mid/bottom funnel)
• 6-8 stills, graphics, or GIF loops for ads and email
• 1-2 one-pagers (customer-facing + partner/referral version)
• Slide modules that can be mixed and matched

You can make it modular by:

• Scripting in chapters so you can slice it cleanly.
• Capturing both horizontal and vertical frames.
• Recording natural sound and B-roll for texture.
• Creating a library of on-screen templates (lower-thirds, spec/benefit callouts), and keeping them consistent.

Repurpose Everything

Repurposing means reframing with a new angle that’s appropriate for your audience and funnel stage. With a little planning, you can orchestrate multiple pieces of fresh content from a single video shoot.

Here’s some examples:

• Top of funnel: “3 things to know,” myths vs facts, quick POV clips.
• Mid-funnel: side-by-side comparisons, feature walkthroughs, checklists.
• Bottom funnel: ROI snapshots, before/after, short client quotes with a measurable outcome.

Create a template library with 6-8 reusable layouts for reels, carousels, sell sheets, and landing sections. Your future self will thank you once you start rolling, or the next time your budget gets chopped.

Don’t Skimp on Quality Video

Video is one of the fastest quality cues. But quality video can also be expensive. Keep your costs sane by setting a few boundaries.

• Embrace batch production. One efficient day or a solid week of production is better than scattered hours, so good planning is key.
• Adopt a lightweight motion system. Two transitions, one lower-third style, and one spec/benefit card can be reused everywhere. A rigid formula doesn’t always make sense, but it can save a lot of time when it does.
• Show, don’t narrate. Hands-on demos, diagrams, and over-the-shoulder screens and reduce script length and editing time.
• Accelerate it with AI. Use it to draft scripts, rough-cut assembly, captions, and resizing. But always use humans for accuracy, voice, and tone.

Borrow Other People’s Reach

Any organization has partners, including retailers, distributors, chapters, referral firms, associations, clubs, chapters, or practice groups. Give them a custom co-brandable partner referral toolkit so they launch faster and stay on-brand.

Toolkit essentials could include:

• 30-45s demo/intro video + 10s cutdowns
• Product/service stills or headshots with transparent backgrounds
• FAQ/objection cards
• Email copy blocks + 3-5 social captions
• Landing-page section blocks (benefit tiles, proof band, CTA)

Include editable fields and lock brand elements. Provide a one-page usage guide.

Avoid the Rework Tax With a Strong Brand

Most budget waste is preventable. A light, living, portable, and clearly defined brand system removes ambiguity. If you don’t already have an easy-to-use and distribute brand guide, this is step one. 

Make sure your brand toolkit includes templates and tactical guidelines, like: 

• 6-8 approved social and landing layouts
• Component library for web and print (hero, proof, comparison, CTA, spec table)
• Motion rules (speed, easing, lower-thirds)
• Photography/lighting cheatsheet
• Headline and CTA patterns with examples

Great brand systems won’t limit creativity. They’ll speed it up and ensure stronger consistency.

Keep Trimming the Stack

Audit your program quarterly. And don’t be afraid to toss what isn’t pulling weight. Keep only what helps create content faster or clarifies revenue impact.

• Keep your CMS, analytics with attribution, collaborative editing, DAM, and marketing automation you actually use.
• Question overlapping social tools and novelty AI without integrations.

Replace bespoke spreadsheets with a shared intake and sprint board for clarity and throughput.

Measure What Quality Means

Clicks are table stakes. Defend your efforts by tying quality to the outcomes that your leaders will recognize.

KPIs tied to quality could include:

• Pipeline influence (first-touch and multi-touch)
• Time-to-first-meeting from post-engagement
• Sales cycle compression based on the creative assets 
• Reuse rate by sales/partners (if they reuse it, it works)
• Cost per finished minute for video (benchmark → improve)

Build a simple Content → Conversation → Conversion view. 

If it moves deals, it’s working!