Whether you’ve been using professionally produced video as a marketing tool for your business for years or this is your first time investing in a production partner, it’s important to know that how and where video content is consumed is a moving target. And as such, it’s a good idea to revisit your video strategy frequently to ensure that you’re best positioned to reach your target audience and achieve the desired outcome. So, before you start googling the best video production companies in your area, consider asking yourself these questions:
Who is my audience?
Hopefully this will be an easy one for you, but thinking about the demographic will help determine what style of content will resonate with them—Celebrity endorsements? Direct response? Dry humor? Animation?
Where do they hang out online?
Maybe your audience is the Snapchat and TikTok type. Maybe they watch a lot of long-from content on YouTube and you could benefit from serving them pre-roll ads. Or maybe they don’t hang out online at all, but they never miss Jeopardy on good ole cable television.
What do I want them to do after watching my video?
Do you want them to buy a product? Subscribe to a service? Sign up for your email newsletter?
What do I expect to spend on this project or campaign?
It’s okay if you don’t know the answer to this question immediately, but video production companies will likely have worked on projects that are $5,000 and projects that are $50,000, (maybe even $500,000!), and as you can imagine, production teams approach these projects very differently. Having some idea of budget (even a range, or the amount you don’t want to exceed), can be hugely helpful when evaluating relevant examples of work, and making sure that you get the best value for that budget.