Our Blog

Case Study: Hiring a Video Production Partner? Here are 10 Questions to Ask

March 17, 2016 in Marketing

If video marketing is part of your business’s marketing strategy, it can be challenging to choose a video production partner that best suits your company’s needs and goals. Video is a huge investment and there are hundreds of video producers to choose from. Finding the perfect one can take up a lot of time and energy!

By choosing the right video production company, you have the opportunity to create great visual work that puts your business in the right light. The most popular way to narrow down your choice is by taking a good look at the prospective partner’s video portfolio. However, there are many other factors to think about such as communication, experience, creativity, culture, and worth ethic. These factors can can determine whether or not that video company is the right fit.

With several factors to consider, we’ve come up with a list of questions to ask yourself when choosing a video production partner.

1. What is the video company’s core expertise?
Many video companies will usually specialize in one genre of video, it’s important to take a look at the example videos on the company’s website or YouTube and Vimeo channels. If you already have a video idea in mind, finding a company that excels at creating that type of video can be your best bet.

2. Do they have experience in your industry?
This question will help you measure how much experience and competence a company has in your industry. The longer they have worked in a given industry, the more experience they are likely to have working with similar clients and projects.

3. Can they provide you with a cost estimate for your video project(s)?
While it’s difficult to calculate exactly how much a specific video project will cost until the details become finalized, a video marketing company should be able to give you a pretty close estimate on the costs as well as a few creative ways to maximize your budget if you have one.

4. Are they creative?
Oftentimes, many video companies will take a passive stance in the creative process. They focus on creating the video in exactly the way the client requests without suggesting their own ideas in the process.

If your potential video production partner can help you story board and suggest great ideas that highlight your brand’s best features, you are most likely to create not only a video that is very fitting for your company, but one that will make an impression on your audience.

5. What’s the video production quality like?
Not all video companies can guarantee great quality of work, so it’s important to note the production value. Does the company take the time to provide all the answers to your questions and accommodate any additional needs you have? The initial meeting should not be short or feel rushed. If it does feel rushed, then you need to re-think this partnership.

In addition to this, taking a look at the company’s portfolio will give you an idea of the level of attentiveness and professionalism on screen.

6. How fast can they deliver? A good video production partner will understand that you have deadlines and provide you with accurate turnaround times. The most time-consuming aspects of video production is in pre-production (scripting, coordinating, shooting) and post-production (editing, polishing, revising). Make sure to ask for a final delivery date so that both parties are on the same page.

7. Can they suggest ways for your to repurpose and redistribute your video?
Videos can have more than one use. First of all, you can feature them on your website. Also, you can share them across social media sites, in emails, newsletters, presentations, landing pages, and blog posts. Using your video across multiple channels ensures you’re reaching a wider audience.

An experienced video company can should have lots of knowledge about videos and should be able to recommend several ways to share your video across the web.

8. Do they provide revisions?
No work is perfect the first time and most likely, revisions are necessary for your video project. Video is very subjective and there are many diffrent animations, voice overs, and soundtracks to choose from. One important factor to consider is if the the video company offers a process where you can see the progress of your video from start to finish. Also, you should be able to make changes if needed. Being left in the dark until the project reaches the end can keep your team from suggesting small changes along the way. Effective communication is key.

9. Do you like the company?
Just like an interview with a job candidate, you will want to know if you like the video production company before you hire them. Being in front of the camera can be uncomfortable for most. Your team will want to work with a video production partner that knows how to communicate effectively. If you don’t get along with your video team, it can be difficult to get a production you like and you enjoyed creating.

10. What can they tell you about video marketing?
No matter how good a video is, if it’s not positioned on the web, it loses its potential. The potential to reach a wider audience and gain maximum exposure. A good video production company should not only be able to create quality work, but be able to provide suggestions on how to promote the video and improve its performance.

Interested in a video production partner for your business? Learn more about video marketing in our blog. We update our blog with new topics every week!

top