Helpful hint: If you are mainly focusing on their reel, you are wrong.
Right now (and for the foreseeable future), video is it. I rarely have a conversation anymore about whether a business needs video. They do and they already know it. Business owners, marketing directors, and producers across the world are clamoring to get videos created. Of course, they are reaching out to video producing companies to get them done.
It seems logical enough, but there is a problem. Most businesses are focusing on the wrong criteria when choosing a video production company. I call it the Spray and Pray method.
Typically, it goes something like this:
1. Read an article or blog posts talking about how important video is to your marketing efforts.
2. Jump on Google, Yahoo or Bing (who are we kidding, you jump on Google) and do a quick search for “video producing companies in my area” or something similar.
3. Open tabs for the top 5-10 search results.
4. Look at their demo reels.
5. Choose the top 2 or 3 based on their visuals and/or the brands they can name drop.
6. Reach out to them, have some calls and pick the one you can afford.
Does that sound about right? Does that sound familiar maybe? In my experience, this is how it happens most of the time and it’s a good way to throw money out the window while getting little to no results.
In this post, I’ll give you tips on how to choose video producing companies that can meet your business where it is, get you the best results for your budget and guide you through the process.
Don't create a video!
Huh?
The first thing you need to do is get out of the mindset that you, “have to start making videos.” What you actually need to do is start creating more effective marketing assets that also happen to be videos.
This seems like a very small distinction, but I run across this all the time. A company will contact me just knowing that they need to make videos but have no idea what those videos should be and no plan for what to do with them.
To get you in the right mindset, I suggest thinking of your videos not as videos, but as marketing assets just like you would think of ad copy or imagery. It’s the same thing and should have the same considerations. You need to know the target audience, when and how you are reaching them, what you are saying to them and so on. The same rules apply.
Now that you are in this mindset can you start to see why the “Spray and Pray” method of video production might not be the most effective way to go?
Thinking of your videos as marketing assets will help you evaluate where you are at and find video producing companies that can meet you there.
Video Production or Video Marketing?
Know Who You Need
Now that you know you aren’t making videos, who should you get to help you?
In general, there are 3 categories you should be looking at.
Video Production Companies/Videographers
The strengths of video production companies are generally in telling stories and providing great visuals, and if that’s all you need, this is your stop. These are usually gals and guys that have gone to some sort of film school or grew up with the love of film, decide to make a go of it and are now making great videos for all kinds of businesses and people.
And that is awesome! I love these gals and guys; I love working with them and I hire them all the time to help us out.
So, what’s the problem? The problem is that they make great videos. You don’t need a video. You need a marketing asset.
I have some rather disturbing news for you. Marketing isn’t taught in film school. They don’t teach advertising. In fact, they don’t teach you much of anything that will help you make a living in the world as a filmmaker beyond the technical know-how and theory of film, but that’s another article.
Most of the time, their marketing experience is going to be limited to marketing and advertising their own company. So, if you don’t have the marketing knowledge on your end this might not be the best way to go.
Marketing Agencies
On the other end of the spectrum, you have the guys with the marketing know-how. At least you’d hope they have the marketing know-how. I’ve sat in several meetings that have made me question it, but for the most part, it will be the case that these guys know the marketing side of things.
As video has been heating up, a number of agencies have been adding internal video teams as well and I think that’s great. It will only help their clients.
So, what’s the downside of going with a marketing agency?
Well, it tends to cost more for one. A lot more.
Secondly, at least in my experience of having worked for one and having worked with many others, I’d say marketing agencies are a bit of a minefield. There are “good” and “bad” companies with “good” and “bad” people working for them. In this case, I’m not meaning “bad” as untalented or uneducated. I mean bad as in, “We might hit a home run for you, we might not. In either case, we are going to suck as much money as we can out of you before you go.” This could be said for any of the categories I’m sure, but it just seems to happen a lot more when dealing with marketing agencies.
For Example...
As an example, here’s another actual conversation (paraphrased):
Me: “I’m comfortable with a budget of $22,000 for this project.”
Head of the Agency: “You could have told me $40,000 and I would have been fine with that. So let’s just call it $25,000. We are going to charge them at least 3 times that much for the shoot.”
Mind you, this was only for the video production. This client was already paying for the other services that the agency was to provide. In other words, he was charging 3x the video production costs for the service of finding a video production company.
Apparently he thought I’d be ok with the knowledge that they are fleecing their client because he was willing to give me more than I asked. I wasn’t and we didn’t do that project.
Not A Hater...
I don’t want to come off as a marketing agency hater either. There are a lot of really good agencies and really good people within them. I just have to say that people like the head of this agency just seem to pop up more often in this environment. By the way, that agency in the example is a very prominent agency. They are huge! Which means they are ripping off a lot of people. Not an agency I’ll work with and certainly not the type of agency I want you to deal with either.
However, even if you have a very honest agency, you are still probably paying more for your video assets than you would with a video production company. Which you should. The knowledge of knowing what to do with those assets is very valuable indeed.
Again, not a hater. The “bad” just seem to show up more when you are dealing with these bigger agencies. Educate yourself going in and tread lightly.
Video Marketing Agencies
By my definition, a video marketing agency is an agency that has both marketing knowledge and film knowledge to run video marketing campaigns.
Is it the best of both worlds?
Obviously, I’m biased, but I think it can be. A good video marketing company will have people that know both sides of the coin very well and you have essentially cut out any middlemen that generally drive up the costs. I also find that it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than hiring your own marketing and video teams. But again, I’m biased.
There is a downside though.
With the other two categories, you generally know what to expect. With this relatively “new” (it’s not new at all, but we can save that for another time) category it might not be as clear.
When companies advertise as a “video marketing agency” the level of service could vary wildly. It could be anything from your video being wrapped with a PDF that shares helpful hints and tricks on how to implement your video, all the way to full-service video asset creation along with the running of your video marketing campaigns for you. That .pdf file will probably have little more value than a web search to you. But the full-service campaigns could hold tremendous value over a typical video production. Know what you’re getting.
Lately, I have also seen more and more marketing agencies shift focus to really push video almost to exclusivity. They still do other things, but they have hired an internal video crew. However, I think these types of video marketing agencies share the same cautions as mentioned in the marketing agency section. Tread lightly.
Know What You Need.
Know Your Budget.
Share it.
The tell-tale sign that somebody has not educated themselves on their video needs is the “Guess Your Budget” Game.
You know the game.
Me: “What’s your budget?”
Potential Client: “Well how much does it cost?”
Me: “Probably about a quarter million.”
(Yes, this was an actual conversation too.)
Let me tell you how much I love playing the “Guess Your Budget” game.
NOT.
AT.
ALL.
I mean I get it. The fear is that if you say a number the person on the other end of the phone is going to try to figure out how to charge you that number. It’s a legitimate fear but what is it really saying about you?
You are uneducated and afraid.
(BTW…I do this all the time with things I’m uneducated about as well. Hi, Pot. I’m Kettle.)
It’s a good thing to know about yourself because it is so easy to rectify. Without education, you aren’t looking for somebody to create video marketing assets. You are looking for somebody who you can trust not to screw you over. That’s a dramatically different search.
Which is easier?
- Having a conversation with somebody you know nothing about. Talking with them about a subject you know nothing about. Then trying to figure out if they are trying to help you or screw you.
- Educating yourself. Having informed conversations with people that can provide you with options based on your parameters.
With Option 1 you are going to be relying almost solely on your gut. With Option 2 you’ll be informed enough to know, not guess if they are trying to help you or screw you. That’s a much better place to be and, as the guy on the other end of the phone, a conversation I’d much rather have.
Get educated and there will be no need for the fear.
When you are having conversations with a video marketing company you should not be worried about the budget. You should already know it. Maybe not exactly, but you should have a pretty good idea of what it can be done for. Then you can have the conversation about more productive things knowing that your budget is legitimate and fair.
Know What You Need
Do you need them to write scripts, draw storyboards, provide locations and talent? Want it shot on DSLRs or RED cameras? Do you want a couple of videographers or an entire crew? Want limos to pick your bosses up at the airport and carry them to set?
The point is you should have at least some idea of what the difference is and be able figure out which production company you are talking to. Then you can erase the fear, share your budget in confidence and be able to know if they are trying to take advantage or there are legitimate concerns.
If you are not forthcoming with your needs and your budget it is very hard for the person on the other end to really know how to help you. Here’s another actual conversation I had (again paraphrased):
Me: “What’s your budget?”
Potential Client:” We have allotted $40,000 for this project.”
Me: “Well, from what you have described, we would be able to make a really killer video with that budget, but if it were me I think a better strategy might be to produce multiple videos at lower costs over the next few months. The visual difference between doing a $10,000 video and a $40,000 dollar video will not likely be noticeable to your audience and having the 4 assets instead of one will be far more beneficial to the overall campaign.”
Potential Client: “What just happened?”
Ok, he didn’t say that last line, but he was probably thinking it.
What did just happen?
This client was not educated on the budget. He was guessing what he should pay. Probably based on what some other business owner told him they paid. Luckily for him, he was talking to me. I took the time to understand his needs, his audience, his service and his marketing plan and he was forthcoming with all that information. Then when he told me his video production budget, I was able to give him an option that would be a far better use of his money than what he had planned. From there he could decide if he’d rather have the limos or better campaign results.
However, not being educated could have cost him. I could have just said yes to doing the $40,000 video production and made one killer video marketing asset, but I like being able to sleep at night. I need my sleep.
The moral to the story is, if you are afraid to share your budget then it’s a sign that you need to do more research. Do it until you are confident enough to be able to share your budget, without fear, and know that you can make an informed decision from there.
Video Producing Companies Conclusion
I know this has probably not been what you were expecting when you read the title. If you do a search for “how to hire video producing companies” you will get a lot of articles that will all say the exact same thing: look at their reels, see who you click with, “Spray and Pray”.
I’m confident that if you follow the advice above and adopt this mindset you will be making a good decision.
If you find yourself unsure while hiring for your video production needs, I am happy to help. We offer complimentary consults to anybody who needs it. Regardless of whether you are a potential client or not, everybody that schedules a call gets help. It a resource I’m happy to provide and I’d love for you to take advantage of it.
FAQ
Video is no longer a piece of an overall marketing strategy. It is now the central concentration of online marketing efforts. Especially online social strategies. Four of the top six channels consumers utilize for video are social channels. Among a host of other benefits video increases traffic, increases understanding of products and services, increases sales and reduces support calls. If you aren’t using video effectively, you are falling behind.
In a word, “Yes!” The stats around video marketing have been increasing every year and they just keep getting better and better. Check out the most recent stats here, and you will see why.
As with so many questions like this the answer is, “It depends.” There are many many variables to consider. I am working on an article to help you navigate the process of pricing your video marketing efforts, but in the meantime feel free to contact us and we will help you through the process. Whether you are a potential client of ours or not, I am happy to provide this service to anybody willing to reach out to us.
