For a business that is new to video marketing, working with a video production company might seem intimidating.
- What should you expect?
- What should you be prepared for?
- What kind of questions should you ask?
Fortunately, if you enter the relationship with the right expectations, video marketing can be a fun, fruitful experience.
Here are 5 key things to consider when hiring a video production company.
Experience
When it comes to video production, experience is of utmost importance. The last thing you want to do is spend thousands of dollars with a production company that has never produced a professional video. There are many details such as framing, lighting and color-grading that a video producer will fine-tune over time. If you choose to work with an inexperienced company, they may be “learning” on your dime.
An experienced videographer will know:
- The best time to shoot your outdoor scenes for optimal lighting
- How to frame a shot in a small, cluttered office space
- Which colors will cause your potential audience to respond favorably to your company
Experience may be hard to see in the appearance of your production company, but will be incredibly easy to see in the appearance of the end product.
Planning
The average person does not cognitively notice when a marketing video was done exceptionally well, but they do notice when one is done poorly. In a similar manner, it is difficult to tell when a video has been planned out well, but it is easy to see when one was planned poorly. The result is a slipshod video that does more harm to a brand than good.
An intentional production company spends more time planning a video production than they do executing. The following are all essential parts to an effective pre-production:
- Determining an audience
- Developing messaging
- Writing a script
- Creating a shot-list
Planning each shot and every word will be key in creating a marketing video that personifies your company appropriately.
Quality
Today, video producers are a dime a dozen. It seems like everyone with an iPhone, photoshop and a YouTube account is a “professional” videographer. As a business owner, the last thing you want to do is jeopardize your brand equity working with a production company that is satisfied with subpar work.
Quality is a major determining factor for consumers when viewing marketing films. Your potential customers are analyzing your every move online, and poor quality marketing, especially video, can be a nail in the coffin of your brand perception.
How can you increase the quality of any video production?
- HD cameras
- Stabilizing rigs
- Portable lighting
- Powerful editing machine
In the world of video production, new technology is being created every day. Make sure the production company you are engaging with is investing in the gear they use to produce your videos.
Messaging
Of course, a production company could use all of the most advanced, high-tech gear in the world and still produce an ineffective video. Beautiful imagery and powerful audio must be accompanied by compelling, intentional messaging.
A quick way to distinguish the professionals from the amateurs is the emphasis on messaging. Ask your production company, “How important is messaging in my marketing video?” Those who are concerned about the performance of your marketing will exhaust time and energy refining the messaging in your video productions.
When considering messaging, it is simple to see how the voiceover talent or lines delivered will have an impact, but it doesn’t stop there.
There are a few things that can shape the messaging of your marketing videos:
- Shot set-up
- Color scheme
- Facial expressions
- Clothing
- Casting
- and much more
In a way, everything your audience sees or hears will be perceived as a piece of your messaging. This is why meticulous crafting is essential.
Results
It is important to determine what results you are hoping to achieve prior to creating your video. Much of the pre-planning and messaging will be affected by the desired results. Do you hope to increase brand awareness? Sales? Leads? Or better inform your audience? Determining your desired results up front will allow you to track the effectiveness of your video. Being able to compare the cost of the production to the business acquisition that was linked to the video will help justify future projects.
For a long time, tracing return on investment for video production was extremely difficult. It was hard to determine exactly how many people had even seen the video much less how many sales were a direct result. New marketing methods like inbound marketing and platforms like vimeo and wistia have made it easier to track ROI for video projects.
Take Five | Video Production in Bridgeport, West Virginia
The good news is since video production companies are a dime a dozen, you can (and should) be picky about which one you work with! Strive to work with a production company who is going to epitomize all five of these necessary pillars:
- Experience
- Planning
- Quality
- Messaging
- Result
The marketing companies you work with will be a large part of the brand perception of your company. How they handle your projects will directly affect the way your potential consumers view you. Ensure that your video producer has experience intentionally planning and creating high-quality marketing videos with powerful messaging that get results.
Want to learn more about our video production process? Click below:
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