8 Questions To Help Find The Perfect Strategic Partner For Your Video Campaigns

The right strategic business partner can completely transform your organization and bring your success to new heights. But the wrong partner can lead you to some heavy-hitting losses—and you can’t take that risk.

The same holds true for your video partner. The video production company you choose to work with is equally as important as any other business partnership. Your video partner can (and should) become one of your biggest marketing assets as you grow your company.

It’s about so much more than just making a video. If it were just about the nuts and bolts, you could pick up some equipment and do it yourself or hire a one-and-done freelancer. It’s more than editing and equipment; you’re looking to inspire, to empower, and to tell a story about your brand through your video marketing.

A video partner will ensure that you’re telling a visual story that makes a difference, that is aligned with your goals, and that will show real results. They’re going to be a partner in your success, and they’ll be eager to grow alongside you.

The right video production partner means mutual triumph and an explosion of organizational progress.

How do you find this video strategic partner?

It starts by asking the right questions.

8 questions to consider about your strategic partner

1. What are their values?

This is the most vital and foundational part of any strategic partnership. Do your companies align on the same values and mission? Do you believe in the same goals? Does the story of their founding or current operations inspire you or hit home with you?

If you have the same core values, working together will be a breeze. Vision, communication, and general strategy will mesh together effortlessly. But a mismatch in values can make it a lot harder for your video partner to work with you and bring your vision to life—and it could lead to a loss of money, time, and resoures.

Here’s a very basic example, but the sentiment applies for micro examples as well. Let’s say you have a cruelty-free skincare company. You want to work with a video production company that goes the extra mile to ensure the safety and comfort of any animals they use on-set during the filming of their videos. Your brand rests on the foundation of not hurting animals—so you don’t want to work with a strategic partner that’s going to have a bad reputation of not withholding the same core value for animal safety.

Another basic example. If your business values transparency, you want to work with a partner who also prioritizes honesty and openness. If your partner doesn’t have the same value of transparency, communication will completely breakdown.

Don’t be afraid to ask for the company’s values to make sure it will align with a long-term partnership.

Check out True Film’s values here.

2. How will they implement your vision?

A lot of people make a mistake with the way they word this question. They’ll ask if their partner understands their vision. But you don’t want just an understanding. You want to know how this company is going to understand and then implement what you’ve expressed as the vision of your video and marketing campaigns.

This is also where you can evaluate if the company’s long-term objectives are aligned with yours. How they repeat your vision back to you can tell you a lot about how the partnership will work in the long-term.

(Tip: Help your video partner get an idea of your creative vision by showing them reference videos.)

3. Do they have complementary skillsets?

If you already have a marketing and/or media team, what will this video partnership do to complement your existing team?

A lot of organizations we work with already have an established marketing team. We’re not there to take over. We’re there to complement your existing skillset and bring new ideas and resources to the table. Our goal is to be an expansion of your team.

Make sure experience, skillsets, and ideas will be variable enough to create a comprehensive team—that together can accomplish incredible things that your team alone wouldn’t necessarily be able to on its own.

4. What is their reputation?

Ask the potential video partner for customer testimonials and case studies. (See if they have a customer testimonial video that shows off their video skills and their experience and reputation.)

Customer testimonials are awesome. But they’re handpicked and tailored. So don’t be afraid to ask around in the industry or from other people and organizations to find out about the reputation of this potential partner.

You don’t want to start working with a strategic partner that has a bad rep—and then that bad reputation spills over to taint your business as well. Take hearsay with a grain of salt, but remember that your organization’s values and future are on the line with every strategic partnership you form.

5. How do they communicate?

The basis of every good relationship is communication, and it’s no different for your strategic partnerships.

You want to work with a team that prioritizes and values communication. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to get in touch with your partner… as the deadline is approaching… and you haven’t heard back in weeks or months.

In your initial consultations, don’t be afraid to ask the video company some questions regarding communication:

• How often do you stay in touch?
• Will we have standing calls or meetings each week or month?
• What platforms (email, text, phone, in-person) do you typically use to get in contact?
• How will we approach critiques, feedback, and difficult conversations?
• What are your communication values?

6. What does their strategy look like?

The process of creating a video is long, complicated, and intricate. You want to work with a team that has a set system in place for ensuring all of the elements are completed effectively and in a timely manner.

But you also don’t want a partner that does the exact same thing for every client. Your needs are unique, so you want a partner that caters to you specifically.

You want a team with a set system for processes… and an open strategy for creativity and design. Before you begin work with a strategic partner, it’s okay to ask them to define their game plan as it pertains to your video marketing campaigns and strategy.

7. Do they care about growing with you?

The right strategic partner is someone who wants to grow with you. A long-term vision for your relationship can lead to mutual success and growth.

You want to avoid working with production companies that are just looking to make a quick buck with your video. They won’t care about the results of your video, because they don’t have a stake on it. Basically, does your video company actually want to create a strategic partnership with you as well?

Mutual goals = reciprocal success = massive growth.

8. Do you like them?

Do you feel like you can be open and honest with this team? Can you share your vision and ideas openly without being shut down? Do you feel like this is a meeting of the minds and an open dialogue?

You’d be surprised just how many video companies aren’t willing to stay open. They make the exact same video every time, no matter who the client is or what they’re about.

You’re going to be working with your strategic partner hopefully for years to come—so make sure they’re a team with whom you can get along, grow and flourish, and have some fun!

Bonus: What do you need to know before hiring a video production company?

Contact your video strategic partner

I’m pretty confident that you’ll want to work with our team after our initial consultation. According to Wimgo, we are one of the Top Video Production Companies in San Francisco.

We believe in cultivating strategic partnerships that go the distance. We want to create a long-term vision with you. We want to be a part of your story of success.

Reach out to us to start asking these questions and see if True Film Production is the right strategic partner for your video marketing campaigns!