How To Choose The Right Video Production Company

So, you’re looking for a video production partner to launch a new content marketing campaign?
 

Whether you’ve never produced a video before or you’re looking for an new video production service, you want to find the perfect fit for your timelines, creative goals and of course your budget. You want a production company to be your long-term marketing partner; to prove the strongest possible return on investment—whatever that “return” means to you based on your desired outcomes (views, sales, conversions, etc.). You want to ensure that the time and money you invest into your video will show tangible results. But how do you find that “perfect” video production partner? What should you be looking for in a video marketing “soul mate”?

What to Ask when Hiring a Video Production Company

First off, budget should not be the most important aspect of choosing a video production company.   That’s right!  If you are going to put money into a video, make the amount of money worth it. A low-quality or poorly-executed video can actually do more damage to your reputation (and wallet) than no video at all.

Instead, you want to choose a production company based on a package of offerings and culture fit.

Here are the best questions to ask when considering a production company.
 

1. What is your experience?

How experienced is this team? This doesn’t necessarily mean number of years in business. “Experience” relates to the amount of work they’ve accomplished, the quality of work, and the clients they’ve served.

 

Often, with this question you can request samples of previous work. Most production companies will have an online portfolio of their videos to demonstrate some of their experience. Viewing their samples can show you the level of quality and professionalism that they put into their videos.

 

This is a great way to see how they put videos together in terms of lighting, resolution, setting, etc, but also how they build the content itself. Are their videos engaging and relevant? Do they use the four building blocks of storytelling and selling?

 

This is also an opportunity to ask if they have any client testimonials or case studies to further demonstrate their competence.

 

Follow up question: What video are you most proud of in your portfolio?

 

2. What is your niche?

 

What does this company do better than everyone else? Where do they stand out? This could be a highly-specific niche like “filming cats for marketing videos” or a niche with regards to their production skills. For example, a company could be highly proficient in drone aerial shots, or they’re knowledgeable about broadcasting live videos, or they’re best at filming client testimonials. What skills and competencies do they have that sets them apart?

For example, True Film Production has a diverse portfolio spanning across industries, forms, and shots. Our unique “niche” is that we focus on the storyboard above all else. We are marketers first and a production crew second, so we use marketing tactics to build a narrative with each and every video we create.

 

Follow up question: Do you have experience in the industry in which my business operates?

 

3. What kinds of videos can you produce?

 

Are they able to create brand “about us” videos, tutorials, product videos, and/or live broadcasts? You may want a team that can do all of the above so you have a diverse production partner moving forward. Or you may want a production company highly specialized in one type of video if you’re running a specialized marketing campaign. Consider your video’s needs and conversion metrics to determine the types of video you’ll need from your production partner.

 

Follow up question: What is your capacity for growth alongside our company?

 

4. What is your company culture like?

 

Just as you want to make sure a new employee fits with your company culture, you want your production company to be a culture fit. You want to build a partnership based on the same values and successes. Finding an appropriate culture fit will ensure that the videos they create—and how they do business—will accurately represent your business’s culture as well.

 

Follow up question: Who is on your team? What does each team member bring in terms of value and skills?

 

 

5. How do you measure success?

This question sounds alot like a job interview, because that’s invariably what this is.

 

What metrics does the company use? How do they typically determine whether or not they’ve delivered a quality video? Understanding how they value success can help you determine whether your culture, goals, and objectives are aligned.

 

Follow up question: How do you respond to feedback?

 

6. What is your production process?

 

What does the process look like from start to end? This will give you a sense of the time, effort, and resources they will put into your video. Understanding their step-by-step process helps create clear communication and build strong video campaigns.

 

Follow up question: How will you communicate and collaborate with us?

7. What are your ideas for our video?

 

After talking to a production company about your goals and objectives, ask what they think—how would they approach your video strategy? Of course, they won’t give away all their secrets until you hire them, but a good company will be able to present some ideas that they would implement for you. Keep in mind that sometimes they will need additional days to gather their ideas together before pitching to you.

 

You want an innovative, distinctive company that will provide unique work. Asking for a snapshot of their ideas for your brand in particular can help you determine whether or not they’ll be a strong creative partner moving forward.

 

Follow up question: How do you use storyboards and scriptwriting to build a video message?

 

8. Let’s go over some logistics.

 

• When can you start the project?

• How long is your typical timeline for a project of this size?

• What would be the potential delays and how would you overcome them?

• Will you use stock or custom designs?

• Will you use specialty services like animations, 3D renderings, and/or live streams for this video?

• What kind of equipment do you have at your disposal?

• Is editing included? What does the editing process look like?

• Do you have a professional scriptwriter available?

• Which locations will you use for the settings? How many backdrop settings are included in production?

• How many voiceovers can you choose from? Do you provide actors?

• What will the music score sound like?

 

This is also where the logistical question of budget should come in. You should stick to your budget without sacrificing the quality of your video. Learn more about how much video content should cost here.

 

 

9. Do you have marketing experience?

 

Ultimately, you’re creating your video for a purpose. You want to use it to market your brand in some way—either in house, like a training video, or to customers, like a “how to” video. You don’t want a company that just produces a video and sends you on your way; you want a partner that will optimize that video for optimal marketing growth. You want a company that understands how to use video in an overall content strategy. Companies with a background in marketing know how to best create videos that convert.

 

Follow up question: Would you consider yourself a thought leader in the industry? Why?

 

The Bottom Line onf Video Production Companies

 

It’s always a good idea to shop around in order to find your video production soul mate. There is more to video than just cost. Consider the entire package together: quality, culture fit, production process, and marketing experience. How much will they deliver to you for the price that you can afford?

 

Start your shopping with True Film Production. We are a marketing team first and foremost, who use our production skills to create engaging, storytelling videos.

 

Request a quote now. We look forward to dazzling you with our answers to all of your above questions.