There are thousands of video production companies worldwide, so choosing the right one to make your company’s explainer video is no easy task. Your search can be narrowed when you start to see other videos you like and find what company made them or when you ask for referrals. Most likely you’ll end up filtering your search down to 4-5 companies that will send proposals, and then you must decide who will make your company’s video.
In addition to the pro and con list you make for each, the internal company chats, and the referrals you read, there are important questions you must ask each video production company before you sign anything — questionsother than budget and timing. These questions are a bit uncommon and will tell you much more about the company’s process and how you will be treated throughout the production process.
How Many Videos Do You Make Per Month?
According to the 2014 Online Video Production Trends Report, a large number of video production companies produce 10 or more videos per month, but the majority of companies produce 2-10 videos monthly.
Why is this important? The big video production houses that pump out 100 or more videos per month might not have as close customer service as a smaller shop that produces 2 to 10 videos per month. Knowing how many videos they are producing monthly (aka how many other clients they are dealing with at the same time as you) can give you insight into how the production process will move along. While the fact that they produce so many means they definitely are experts, you may be constrained on time or editing. It’s a good idea to talk as a team to see which type of production house suits your company better.
Who is Your Ideal Client?
In addition to asking about previous clients, ask the video production company what type of clients they prefer to work with. This will give you insight into many things, such as:
- Is this a good fit culture-wise: Are they laid back or uptight? Do they seem really creative and open to change?
- How they feel about edits/changes: Do they prefer clients that don’t have any feedback or do they like working collectively? Do they want a client that approves each color choice or do they take a creative leap first?
- How they will treat you: Are they fine with after-hours calls or do they shut down at 5pm? Do they seem irritated by demanding clients?
Hearing about what clients they prefer to work with will give your company a good idea if you fit into their ideal clientele or not.
Is Your Production Team Made up of Employees or Contractors?
A video production agency with a full-time staff works together day in and day out on videos. They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, how to best deal with each other under stressful situations, and how to create a great product. With contractors, the entire process can be seamless, or it can become jagged if a contractor gets a better offer and quits (or is not fully committed to the job) or if too many people are working on one video, which can cause it to lose its continuity. While this may not always be the case, it’s important to know who exactly will have a hand in your video production.
How Do You Measure the Success of a Video?
The last thing you want is a production company that will pump out your video and send it off without following back up. You want a company that will care about the success of the video. First and foremost, your team should discuss ‘what makes a successful video’ and then see if your answer matches up with the video production team’s answer. According to the 2014 Online Video Production Trends Report, most companies measure by sales, but if your video is not sales oriented, then you should ensure the production company knows this and values your video goals.
Talk to your team about why you’re making this video and what makes a ‘successful video’. Make sure the video production team is on board with your goals and willing to work hard to achieve them.
What Happens When the Video is Done?
When everyone is happy and the product is completed. what happens next? If the production company tells you that they simply send you the video, this is a giant red flag.
Once the video is done, there is so much work to be done, so when you ask this question, the video production agency should then tell you about:
- Video Hosting
- Video SEO
- Measuring your Video’s ROI
- Video Analytics
The company should offer post-production services and explain what is included in the overall cost, and what you have to pay for additionally. If the video production company doesn’t mention any of these services, they may not have a vested interest in the success of your video.
Of course when selecting a production company, cost and process have a lot to do with the final decision. However, it’s important to ask these uncommon questions so you can get a sense of how you’ll work with this company before, during, and after production, to achieve your video goals.
This post originally appeared on Revolution Productions’ blog.
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