How can video help your business?
Perhaps you need a tool to help increase sales leads? Maybe you’re looking for a compelling way to share your brand message and values with potential clients. Or maybe you want to communicate with your employees so that your customer service is consistent.
Video has always been a fantastic way to portray brand image, convey trust (through customer testimonials), demonstrate a product or service, or to inform and/or train investors and employees. Even with the countless new social media marketing vehicles available today, video is still the foremost method when it comes to delivering a compelling message. Most people prefer to watch video than read a ton of copy.
At the end of the day, you want to persuade and motivate your customers in a positive way.
So, let’s get started with some questions and answers that will serve as a guideline when you embark on the journey of producing a corporate video.
Do it yourself or hire a professional?
Here are some questions you need to ask yourself. How do you want your customers to see you? Will a video created by you communicate the professional quality of your business?
How to choose the right professional?
When you hire a professional they should have experience, the right equipment, appropriate editing software, and access to script writers, royalty free music and voiceover talent required for a successful end product. They should also be knowledgeable about branding and even social media depending on the application. They should be willing to agree in advance on a production schedule (pre-production, scripting, location shooting, video editing, sound sweetening, DVD authoring, duplication, and delivery). Lastly, ask to see their portfolio and ensure they can assist you with a strong video concept and deliver it well. Something as simple as lighting can make or break your end result.
What should a Producer ask you PRIOR to getting started?
- What type of video do you require?
- Is this project an investment briefing, product video, sizzle advertisement, traditional commercial, infomercial, or training video?
- Where will your audience be watching the video – on the web, on a DVD, or at a live event?
- What level of quality (aka production value) will you require – web definition or high definition?
How long would you like the video to be?
Depending on what type of video you would like to create (TV commercial, training video etc.) the length of the video needs to be considered.
What do you hope to accomplish with your video?
- What is your message?
- Who are you trying to reach?
- What is your budget?
- Do you have a deadline?
- Do you have an outline for the content of the video?
- Do you have approval for use of graphics, products, and logos? These are legal clearances so you don’t have any issues once the video is released to your target audience.
- Have you got location options determined?
What Kind of Cost Are You Looking At?
A simple internet video of about a minute or so in length can be as little as $1,500 USD. It may sound like a lot, but quality video takes time, and what you are really buying is experience. A producer who knows what they are doing can maximize a budget to get you the most bang for your buck—and do it quickly.
Once shooting is complete, the video editor will combine the video, audio and graphics to create a rough cut; you’ll review the rough cut and agree on any changes needed before it goes into final production.
And you’ll then be able to add video to your suite of tools to help promote your corporate messages.
Video works. Use it.
Here’s a Checklist we find helpful to prepare for video production projects:
- Create a description of what your company, product or service does.
- Think about your Goals/Objectives and what you want to communicate with this video and why?
- What type of content needs to be included?
- What are the main features/benefits of your products/services?
- Are you providing a solution to a problem with your services/products?
- Which features do you want to promote in this production?
- What do you feel is the most important message for your viewers to take away? What is the call to action (CTA)?
- Consider your main competitors. Are they using video to promote their businesses?
- What separates you from your competitors?
- Describe your target audience in demographic terms and also what motivates them, what keeps them up at night, and what barriers or ”pain points” are they facing that could lead them to need your product or service.
- How would your brand make your customers’ lives better? How do you address the above mentioned barriers/“pain points”, especially in comparison to other offerings out there?
- Are there any “DOs and DON’Ts” in terms of the video (i.e., tone to use or avoid, buzzwords to use or avoid)?
- Are there any videos or styles that you would like to emulate in this production?
- Distribution media – how are you going to deliver this video (TV, Direct Marketing DVDs, Online Viral Video Marketing, Website Video Conventions or Tradeshows etc.)?
- Do you already have a script?
- Do you want to use a host, just voice-over (narration) or just music and graphics?
- Do you have any raw video footage/b-roll, available?
- How do you visualize your products/services being featured in this production?
- Do you need another language version besides English?
- When do you need this project to be completed?
- Do you have a certain budget for this project?
We hope you find our checklist helpful and if you decide to go with professional video production, we’d be happy to discuss your project with you. We provide video production services to businesses in the Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Langley, Surrey and great Fraser Valley areas of BC.
In the meantime, we invite you to visit our portfolio to see some of the video we have produced. Give us a call at 778.298.1966 to book a consultation.
