The compelling evidence that video marketing works has resulted in more and more businesses adopting video as a core marketing tool. This makes it a little more difficult for your content to stand out from the crowd, no matter how original you may regard it to be.
The key to cutting through the clutter? Choosing the right video production company.
A video production company can make all the difference in the style and effectiveness of your final video. You might have an idea of the concept, purpose and overall look of your video, but a video production agency will have all the tools to make your vision come to life. There will also be lots of things you might not have considered, such as animation and sound mixing. Not to mention, they’ll have all the relevant expertise, equipment and skills at hand for your video marketing needs.
Comparing the capabilities and resources of different video production agencies will give you a better insight into your time and budget constraints and which companies can match those demands. You’ll be working closely with your chosen video production company, so you want to know that they are both proficient and passionate in creating the perfect video for your brand.
We’ve listed below some things to look out for to find the best video production company for your marketing strategy.
How to Choose the Right Video Production Company?
Not all businesses will have the budget and demand to hire a full-time production team in-house. Instead, you can commission an external agency with expertise in filmmaking and content production to help.
Whether you’re getting a brand movie produced or a promotional video for a new product, finding the right producer is integral to how effectively your content will perform. Take some time to find the right team to work on your video marketing content.
To kick off your quest, read on for some tips on how to choose the right video production company.
Develop a content brief with clear objectives
One of the key steps to finding the right team for your content? Start working on the project brief.
The brief includes objectives and relevant information about your business and audience, as well as any key messages you’d like to convey.
You’ll find that the process of putting together the brief itself will give you focus. You can commence your search with a clear idea of what you need a production agency to deliver. An early start on the brief can save you precious time with your search and help streamline the initial discussions.
Remember – the brief isn’t the same as a script or a storyboard. Whilst a script and a storyboard detail the exact visuals you want to include, a brief is just a straightforward summary. As long as the purpose of your video is clearly outlined throughout, you’ll keep the brief as understandable as possible.
Set a budget
It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many clients start discussions without any idea of what kind of budget they have for a project.
If you’re unsure of what kind of budget you should set, get ballpark quotes from at least three different video production companies to get an idea of market rates.
Depending on whether you want live-action or animated footage, there are all sorts of costs to consider. Animation isn’t always cheaper, but live-action requires a whole host of hiring costs. Setting a budget will give the video production company you choose to work with an insight into what they can achieve for you in the most cost-effective way.
Create a list of companies to approach
There are three main methods you could use to conduct your search:
- Seek out recommendations from other businesses and marketers. Ask someone trustworthy to recommend a video production agency. If someone you know has already worked with them, you can be a little more assured of their reliability.
- Look for well-produced videos on other brands’ social channels. Scope out video content from some of the brands that you love. It doesn’t need to be competitor businesses or even video content targeted at the same audience. You may find something for an entirely different niche that impresses you stylistically and delivers a message clearly and compellingly.
- Do a quick Google search. If you’re looking for a local video production or local animation company, just search for video production in a particular city and start to browse through some showreels. Narrow down to three to five of your favourites for the next step.
Look beyond the showreel
Remember, it’s important to look at results that video content has driven, rather than just the creative. There are plenty of examples of well-produced content that hasn’t ultimately driven any traffic or increased conversion.
Ultimately, you want a team that can produce a video to meet your business objectives. Have a look at the types of companies and specific sectors they’ve worked with to gather an idea of what they can offer you. You can also find these videos on social media – see how far they’ve reached, how many likes and shares they’ve received, and how often viewers have commented underneath. These are all excellent indicators of audience engagement, proving how well these videos have resonated with viewers and converted them into customers.
This will also give you a clearer idea of where to promote your completed video. Thinking about the age range of your target audience will show you where you can reach maximum brand visibility. There’s no point in creating a well-crafted video if nobody is going to watch it.
Have a more detailed discussion
Once you’ve narrowed it down to two or three top contenders, go into your project brief in a little more detail with them.
If possible, set up a face to face meeting. This is important to assess whether there is a fit between your team and theirs. Remember, choosing the right video production company shouldn’t just be about skill and creative ability. Consider personality and culture as well. You’ll be working really closely so you want to make sure that the people are a good match.
Do your research beforehand to see what you like and dislike about this particular video production company. Refer to other videos they’ve created in the past to either show what you want to achieve or flag up any concerns. Fully understanding their video production process will alleviate any worries you may have and see how much they can make out of your budget.
Prepare a list of questions for the first meeting
Along with these tips, we’ve compiled 10 questions you should ask before hiring a video production company. These include key considerations, such as asking to see case studies for content produced in the past.
Here are the kinds of things that you should discuss in the meeting:
- Which services they offer in-house and which they outsource. For instance, is scriptwriting included? Can they provide voiceovers? Make sure that you’re fully clear on your requirements so you can find out whether they have the capacity to deliver what you need.
- How will the project be managed?
- Will they provide edits if any revision is needed?
- What suggestions do they have to make your project work based on their experience and expertise?
A more in-depth conversation will also help you gauge which team is actually willing (and genuinely interested) to understand the needs of your business and your audience. For a producer to develop a video that resonates with your target audience, they should be interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the brief.
There are video content agencies that conduct audience research and competitor analysis, and evaluate existing content reviews. This spot analysis gives you the whole picture of how well your content is reaching and resonating with your client base. As a result, you can optimise your content marketing strategy for future video and written marketing content.
After this meeting, you’ll be able to suss out who is going to immerse themselves in your project by the type of questions they ask and their level of interest.
Clarify the timeline
When working together with a new external agency for the first time, we wouldn’t recommend working too close to a major deadline such as a product launch. Allow some extra wiggle room in there to make sure there is enough time for any edits needed. The last thing you want is to end up with a piece of content that clearly looks rushed and has to be uploaded before it’s perfected.
It’s all in the planning. Most of your production time should be spent fully detailing each aspect of your video so that everyone involved completely understands your video’s objectives and the visuals you want to include. Make sure you don’t rush making any vital decisions so as to avoid missing anything on your list.
Ask for a proposal along with the quote
Once you’ve met with a couple of video production companies and gone through your requirements, ask them to send a proposal along with their quote. This should include a timeline along with a breakdown of the quote.
Comparing the proposals will give you an instant sense of which company has understood your vision and what you’re looking for. The pricing will also be a factor in determining who you hire. Although remember, as with everything, you get what you pay for. And ultimately, a more engaging video that compellingly conveys your message will get a greater ROI.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the above tactics will help guide your quest on how to choose the right video production company, resulting in exceptional content that both you and your audience will love.
We can make video work for you, not the other way around. With over 2000 videos, both animated and live-action, we can sort all of the logistics associated with your testimonial video, meaning no hassle or stress on your part. Still interested? Give us a call to get our creative partnership started.
