More and more companies are using video as a tool to get ahead in business. This is because the popularity of videos has moved them from a ‘nice to have’ to an absolute essential.
Producing some top-quality video can be a great way of differentiating your offerings above your competitors. There are lots of options for a corporate video production company to bring your products to life. This article takes you through some simple steps to choosing and onboarding a quality video production company to help your firm.
Whether you have a small starter budget or have ring-fenced a larger investment for video, putting some effort into your search is worth it to find the best partner for you.
Picking an animation video company
Finding the skills in-house to produce the right quality video is rare. Even if you have a dedicated marketing department, they are likely to have enough on their plate. And unless you already hired a video specialist, they probably lack the in-house skills to produce the quality of video you need to stand out on social media.
Hiring a video production company is a smart move. Not only does an external agency not come with the fixed costs of a permanent hire, but it also comes with lower risk. You also have more chance of recruiting an experienced professional by hiring externally.
You can still treat the recruitment process in the same manner you would with a new hire member of staff. In fact, doing so means you increase your chances of finding a new animated video company that will stick with you for the long-term.
Define your criteria.
Think about what you are looking to achieve with your videos. Bringing your products to life is obvious. But how will you stand out from an incredibly crowded competition on social media? You will need to apply everything you know about your potential buyers to create content that will be compelling to them.
Once you have done this, think about how you can pass this knowledge to your shortlisted agencies. Write them a brief, or even record them a short recording of you providing the detail. Send this to them and ask them to make some recommendations for how they would translate this knowledge into your videos.
Choose your agency.
Be very selective in your choice of agency. Invite them to send proposals and pricing in the same way that you would with traditional recruitment cycles. See which agencies put the most work into the proposal to see how hungry they are to win you business.
Then assess how successfully you believe each agency can translate your company’s goals, brand and style into short, animated video format. Check out their credentials with customer case studies published online. You can even check out their customers’ videos on social media in order to see how they convert and how many impressions they receive.
Tell your shortlisted agencies your budget. Be open about what you have to invest. By doing so, there will be no pretense or wasted time on either side. An animation video company that is willing to work with what you have to spend without trying to upsell you above your budget will likely be a trustworthy partner you can work with for a long time.
Measure your return on investment.
Measuring ROI comes from being clear about the objective for your video. Whether you are looking to create leads and sales or start a softer selling process, it is important your agency understands your goals for the video.
These objectives will also shape the format and style of the videos you produce. Short product videos designed for Facebook or Twitter can create conversions for impulsive sales. Slightly longer videos for LinkedIn or YouTube can be effective for brand awareness. Tailoring your content to fit your goals and the platform is essential to achieving success with your videos.
Be clear on your requirements.
Be open and upfront with your agency about what you are expecting from them. This includes everything from how often you will communicate and on what platforms.
Tell them you see them as a long-term partner and not a one-off supplier. For this, you will need to be able to trust and rely on them to represent your company in video format. It is important to know that you can work with people. While their skills are important, you need to be confident that you can work together as an extended team.
