Video content has totally blown up as essential for any marketing plan nowadays. With 93% of marketers saying video greatly helps in acquiring customers, selecting the right video production partner is crucial for creating high-quality, impactful videos tailored to your brand and audience. In this article, let’s explore 10 ways to choose your production partner.
When looking at potential partners, there are a bunch of big things to keep in mind during how you pick:
Getting Your Video’s Purpose and Audience
Clearly outlining your video goals and defining your target audience from the start allows a production company to align its creative style and skill set accordingly. Key items include:
- Messaging: What ideas or feelings do you wanna put out there to connect with your viewers?
- Call-to-Actions: Do you want to drive traffic, get more sales, and boost brand awareness?
- Viewer Personas: What are their demographics, interests, and viewing habits?
Sharing this information with potential partners allows them to present relevant examples from their previous video projects. It also sets clear expectations for making the video style and form match your target watchers.
Reviewing Production Quality and Portfolio
Video production companies have experience, the latest cameras/equipment, and have created videos before. They know how to properly light, film, and edit to create high-quality, impactful videos that achieve the intended goal. As opposed to an amateur trying to make a complex video alone. When seeking out a video production partner, I would recommend looking at the portfolios of video production company in Chicago.
An impressive portfolio showcases a video production company’s finest work, highlighting their expertise in areas such as cinematography, editing, graphic design, animation, and more. As you review the portfolio pieces of video production companies in Chicago, consider factors like the quality of the filming and lighting, the flow and pacing of the editing, the effectiveness of any motion graphics or visual effects, and how compelling the finished video is overall. Look for variety across the sample videos to showcase flexibility across genres, budgets, and client needs. The best portfolios will include compelling pieces across corporate, commercial, creative, and narrative styles. A production company’s portfolio shows off its best abilities and end results. Check out factors like:
- Creativity: Do their video ideas showcase originality tailored to each client?
- Production Value: Do their past videos feel high budget and pro quality?
- Relevance: Have any examples with a similar style, length, and goal as your planned video?
Ideally, maybe partners can also share stats on how well their old videos did, showing they can deliver videos that connect with audiences.
Budget Considerations and ROI Expectations
Be realistic about your budget and the expected return on investment (ROI). High-quality video production costs money. But it also brings back major rewards by growing brand awareness, website hits, and sales.
Explain your goals and dream budget, and possible partners can suggest solutions that balance production value and cost by:
- Scope optimization: Adjusting length, visuals, graphics amount etc.
- Format selection: Live action vs animated vs mixed media picks.
- Production timeline: More flexibility in timing often allows for better deals.
An experienced video producer can make videos that wow on every budget level.
Communication and Working Together
Constant communication and teamwork directly impact the final video quality and how it represents your brand. Look at each company’s project management style, feedback loops, review process, and number of revision rounds offered. Having clear communication ensures:
- Creative Alignment: Video matches brand style and messaging.
- Quick Feedback: Fast answers to questions and concerns.
- On-time Delivery: Milestones and deadlines get met.
The collaboration between the client and the video producer also encourages new ideas and innovation.
Technical Expertise and Equipment Quality
A top video company invests big in the latest tech gear and expert people. They keep up with the newest filming and editing techniques to make client videos shine. Check out their abilities with:
- Shooting: High-grade cameras, lenses, stabilizers, lighting, etc.
- Post-Production: Video editing programs, animation apps, graphics power
- Talent: Camera crews, directors, editors, designers, etc.
Investing in these aspects directly enhances the production value of your videos. Crisp HD resolution, smooth camerawork, strong visuals, clear audio and powerful editing show off technical skill.
Turnaround Times and Project Management
Sticking to timelines and budgets is so key when moving fast. Examine maybe partners’ workflow to evaluate stuff like:
- Structured Process: Do they have an organized video production system?
- Resource Allocation: Will your project have a dedicated producer and manager?
- Time Management: How do they ensure fast quality turnaround?
Tight project management keeps development on track to meet deal deadlines. It also allows for quick changes if the timeline or budget needs adjustment.
Branding Fit and Creative Matching
Your production partner has a big effect on your brand image through the video’s style and message. Take a look at:
- Values Alignment: Do they get and share your brand values?
- Creative Synergy: Can your teams collaborate strongly?
- Message Compatibility: Do their creative ideas fit your brand voice?
Picking a partner that aligns with your work culture and branding pushes better brainstorming. It gets you video concepts specially matched to highlight your brand essence.
Client Reviews and Industry Rep
Client testimonials provide real insight into working with a video production group. Look for stuff like:
- Client Retention: Do they have long-term clients who’ve worked on multiple videos?
- Testimonial Themes: What do clients say about the working relationship?
- Industry Presence: Thought leadership content, awards won, media features, etc.
Such social proof builds authority and trust in the production partner’s ability to deliver.
Innovation and Trend Expertise
Coming up with unique concepts that viewers love requires knowing the latest video trends. See if potential partners:
- Track Innovation: New formats, editing styles, and platforms.
- Bring Creativity: Suggest fresh narrative approaches.
- Fit Viewer Tastes: Blend trends with audience needs.
The right partner fuses innovation with consistency to best connect with audiences.
Post-Production Support
Launching your video is just step one. Look at the help offered beyond production too:
- Performance Tracking: Monitoring video views and conversion metrics.
- Marketing Integration: Working with internal teams.
- Continued Optimization: Feedback to improve future videos.
You should seek a partner committed to long-term content success, rather than focusing solely on initial video creation.
The Bottom Line
Picking the right video production crew requires looking at a ton of factors – creative vision, tech skills, clear communication, branding chemistry, and more. But taking the time to properly review partners pays off big by leading to video content that viewers love.
With the ultimate video dream team in your corner, you’ll be all set to thrill audiences and accelerate brand growth through targeted video content made to connect.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do you ensure the production partner gets our brand and message?
Share brand guidelines, example content, and messaging pillars. Have intro calls to align visions. Provide detailed creative briefs and keep open communication to collaborate.
- What shows a top-quality video production group?
A set production process, technical skills, innovative past video work, happy client reviews, shared cultural values, and commitment to an ongoing partnership.
- How can we measure video success after launch?
By tracking views, clicks, conversions, watch time, shares, viewer demographics, and more. The right partner will share easy-to-read reports to showcase results and plan future video wins.
