So you have decided your company requires video production services to tell your story and engage with your target market, but you not sure where to start and feeling a little overwhelmed by what to consider before starting the process?
To help you start your video creation journey, we have compiled 10 tips we recommend when considering engaging with a video production agency.
1. Define the purpose of the video
First things first: Why are you making a video?
This is a key piece of information to communicate to the video production company.
Who is your target audience?
Are they people who already know about your brand or is this the introduction video?
What is your call to action?
Intending to drive leads vs. generating brand awareness can affect the creative direction of the video.
Where will this video live?
A video for a web landing page might be very different from one on social media.
2. Know your tone
What emotions do you want to elicit from the viewer? You know your audience better than anyone, so picking the right way to convey that emotion is key.
For example, let’s say you want viewers to come away from your promotional video with a feeling of trust. If your audience is the local community, you might want to go for a friendly and personal tone where viewers hear from real staff. If your audience is more corporate, you might want to have a more formal tone focusing more on key facts and company history.
3. Find the right team
Now you have more of an idea of what you want, it is time to start your research into a video production company that will be the right match. Do some research by looking at their showreels, portfolio’s and the companies they have worked with to get a feel for what they do and how they work.
Get in contact for a meeting or request a quote, sharing your vision which you will have defined by points one and two above.
TOP TIP Don’t judge a video company by their showreel alone. It’s often more helpful to watch a project in full to get a better idea of what a finished video will look like.
4. Share your vision
By sharing your ideas and vision early on, you will get the most out of your video production agency. Allow them to act as an extension of your team, living and breathing your brand.
Have a brainstorming session (or Zoom call these days!) which can explore your brand in detail e.g. fonts, colours or any guidelines that need to be adhered to, discuss your expectations and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) or what success looks like for your brand, so that everyone is working towards the same goal.
5. Define the scope of the project
What do you expect from the video production company? Different companies offer different services from concept creation to scripting through to post production and online marketing. Do you require the video in different formats for different platforms or for snippets for advertising campaigns? Some companies will include this in their costs while others will have a menu price list for different formats.
Much of the scope will probably depend on the next point: THE BUDGET!
6. Know your budget
What is your budget? The video production team will need to know what your guide budget is in order to give you an accurate idea of what they can accomplish for you.
Keep the triple constraint triangle in mind when setting your budget.
7. Agree the timeline
When do you need the video delivered? The production team will work backwards and develop the schedule based on this. Agree on shoot days and delivery timelines, in writing, so everyone is working towards the same schedule, and it gives clear expectations from the start.
8. Be open
Remember you're working with a video production company for a reason. You can benefit from fresh eyes, ideas and an outside perspective. Don't be afraid to move outside your comfort zone and shake things up a little in order to make an engaging video.
9. Communication is key
Like any good relationship, this one will require communication, trust, and mutual respect. Trust each other to create something brilliant together and build a strong relationship. The production company will bring expertise and an outside perspective. Your company will bring brand and customer knowledge and vision.
You will be required to give your feedback as you move through the various stages of concept development, pre-production, production and post-production, be sure to respond and if you require feedback or approval internally from your own team, try and give them hard timelines so your overall deadline is not affected.
