As a person in charge of finding a video production company to produce your companies online content, you are in a position of great responsibility. A video can completely redefine how your business is perceived online. They are great for SEO as well as organic shareable content. They can be the deciding factor on whether a site-visitor converts, or moves onto the next site. It can be complicated, trying to decipher between all of the different options and portfolios, and figuring out which one fits your business the best. Here’s 5 tips on how to pick the correct company to trust your name and brand with.
Consider the end result.
Every candidate should have a portfolio easily accessible on their website (if they don’t, skip to the next one). Check to see if the portfolio contains any videos for other brands within your niche or industry. Also check to see if they’ve produced any work for a company whose target market matches yours. Watch those videos through the eyes of your market and see if the video is truly compelling or persuasive. Experience targeting a certain demographic is a major plus for a production company because it shows that they understand that market and how to solve their pain. Look for the capabilities to the company to be showcased on the website. Does the company offer drone footage, stabilized shooting, VR equipment, or specific effects that you may desire? The ultimate goal is to see if the company has produced a product that you would want for your business.
Budget.
Every aspect of production takes time, and money. From pre-planning and concept development, to post production editing and color grading, it all takes time, which means money. Have a clear understanding of this before you request a quote from any company. Also, consider doing some of the preproduction work on your own. Approaching a company with a concept and script could cut out a huge chunk of what the production team would typically charge. For more tips on making the most of your video marketing budget click here. Another important aspect to understand is video quality versus video quantity. If a professional, top of the line look is what you are shooting for, expect to create a short single video to keep the expense reasonable. Likewise however, if your goal is to produce multi-series web show, don’t expect any bells and whistles unless you plan on paying a nice chunk of change for them.
Understand the details.
Often times production companies outsource work to different teams of people or even different companies. Make sure that you know exactly who is going to producing your video and ensure that they have the experience that you deem necessary.
Any team worth working with will ask very specific questions about your company’s goal for the video, target market, and tone.
Gauge the personal customer service provided from the very beginning.
Video production is a process and requires a positive mutual relationship between the client and the production team, in order to create a powerful video. The types of questions that they ask you can oftentimes be a great indicator of their experience and intentions. Any team worth working with will ask very specific questions about your companies goals for the video, target market, and tone. These are people that you are going to trust your brand image and name with, it’s imperative that they care as much about your goals for the video as you do.
As universal as videos are, they are something that will require updates or the creation of more in the future.
Ask for referrals.
Do your own research of past clients of the production company. Ask them if the video team executed their vision accurately and if their experience was pleasant. It is the video production company’s job to relieve all of the pain and stress that comes with the task of creating digital content that represents a business and communicates a message effectively. Confirm with past clients that the company cared about the success of the product and perhaps see if a productive relationship was developed between both parties. Remember that as universal as videos are, they are something that will require updates or the creation of more in the future. Maintaining a connection with the production company can be extremely beneficial for future projects as they will understand your market and vision better with each new video.
View all your options.
Get quotes from multiple companies and discuss with your team the pros/cons offered by each. Different companies charge different rates. Video production equipment is expensive to buy and rent. Studio rentals are also a cost to be mindful of. Some studios own the location in which they shoot, others do not. Thankfully we do. New Evolution Video has a 1200 square foot facility available for 24/7 access through our sister company, DK3 Studios).
Pro tip for budding videographers: Just starting out with video equipment and are on a white-knuckle budget? Cut expenses even further by bringing your gear into our studio. We offer affordable hourly leases on video production spaces.
Curious to save more money? We hope you will check out How To Determine Video Production Costs on our blog.
