Here’s something peculiar I have noticed about B2B businesses.
For them, time is an asset and a luxury, both in equal terms.
And when B2B video marketing is concerned, this is even more obvious.
As time becomes the constraint that holds B2Bs back from getting the most out of their video production efforts.
The best way forward in this situation? Hiring a video production company so you can make your precious time count.
But how do you guarantee that you pick the right agency for your video marketing needs?
In this article, I’ll be taking you through a 6-point checklist to aid in your decision making process.
We’ll walk you through essential considerations such as evaluating experience, reviewing portfolios, and understanding the questions you should ask before making a decision.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have all the insights you need to make an informed choice for your B2B video marketing strategy.
Hiring an external agency doesn’t guarantee that things will magically work out.
Especially if you choose an agency without proper planning and consideration.
To prevent that, we’ll take a look at this 6-point checklist to make your job more effective:
Every video agency at your disposal obviously has experience in video production.
But not all of them have the experience you’re looking for, which is B2B video production.
I’m assuming at this point, you have made a list of potential video production companies. If you haven’t already, this is your cue to make one.
Now, using that list as a reference, check out the websites of each agency and mark the ones that have a track record of working with B2B clients.
This will help you make your initial list shorter and get you one step closer in your search for the right agency.
Once you have a list of B2B-centric video agencies, it’s time to dig deeper.
Begin by thoroughly researching their client portfolio to clearly determine proof of work and gauge quality.
A glimpse at our client portfolio (Source)
Look at the client names and the videos that the agency has produced for them.
A list of some of our prominent clients we have made videos for over the years (Source)
This will help you align your expectations and see if the agency’s previous work matches the level of professionalism you’re looking for.
But to make your review even more fruitful, check the types of videos an agency is making for their B2B clients based on the types of video marketing campaign requirements..
Those types can include: explainer videos, corporate videos, brand videos, social media videos, etc.
Check out their service pages to get a better understanding.
A quick overview of all the types of animated videos we make for our clients (Source)
Finally, go through client success stories (if an agency provides them) and see the impact the agency’s video production efforts made on their client’s business success.
This step helps you build a credible outlook on the kind of video agency you’re looking for and will set your standards for what you’re trying to achieve with your explainer videos.
Once you’ve established that the agencies of your choice are well equipped for your B2B explainer video needs, it’s time to get more customer-centric.
Thoroughly check if the explainer video production company you’re considering really understands:
As a B2B business, it’s crucial that the video production company you pick:
Whether it’s SaaS, healthcare, or fintech, or any other industry your B2B is prevalent in, ensure that the production company can tailor their approach to meet the unique needs of your sector and engage your target audience with precision.
Creativity isn’t exactly a straight road. It has its fair share of ups and downs.
From an explainer video production standpoint, this culminates into multiple revisions, creating storyboards and explainer video scripts, and production procedures based on client feedback.
But the video production company that has a proper track record of incorporating seamless feedback, collaboration, and video production flexibility is what you should pick for your videos.
The right agency will prioritize collaboration over completion.
They understand that your ambitious vision is what drives their creative competence to produce an explainer video that takes your business to the next level.
Enquire about feedback systems that the video production companies of your choice have set in place.
Note their ease of use and flexibility in a real-time video production scenario.
Most importantly, get an accurate grip on the flexibility that an agency will provide.
You want a partner who can bring your vision to life without compromising on the frequency of edits, quality, and shifts in deadlines.
Your explainer videos aren’t just a testament to visual design that grabs attention.
From a business standpoint, they are a substantial investment of the highest order.
Making an investment worthwhile requires taking strategic steps, which involves honoring the financial aspect of your videos too.
Reach out to the video production companies of your choice and get information on their approach to explainer video budgets.
Many companies have a dedicated pricing page on their website which you can check for more information.
For other agencies, you have to essentially contact the video production company and request a custom quotation based on your explainer video needs.
But make sure the agency you choose is transparent about costs upfront and gives you detailed quotations so you can make an informed decision.
It’s also helpful if the video production company can offer flexible packages or custom solutions that fit within your budget while still delivering high-quality results.
The final piece of this puzzle is determining how your video production company of choice handles deliverables.
Take note of how they tackle post-production workflows, both internally and when they collaborate with you regarding additional feedback.
Also, check how a particular agency takes into account last-minute revisions and edits based on client feedback.
This will help you gauge your expectations with your explainer videos when it’s time to deliver the end product.
If you’re following a video marketing checklist for your campaign, discuss it with the agency you’re reaching out to and check if their video production workflow is flexible enough to accommodate your needs, present and future.
Once you have all the information after following these six checkpoints, I believe you’ll have the necessary insights needed to pick the right video production company for your videos.
While this checklist can turn your search more proactive in the present moment, you also need to play the long game.
In our current discussion, it boils down to three important questions. Let’s discuss those next.
Hiring a video production company is dependent on the use case and immediate needs.
But as a B2B business in competitive markets, it’s necessary to play the long game.
Which also means questioning the feasibility of external agencies for your explainer videos.
Let’s look at the bigger picture by answering these three important questions.
A comprehensive survey by Wipster found that only 7% of businesses relied on in-house video production.
On the other hand, the latest numbers from Fiverr found that 21% of businesses actually outsourced their videos to external agencies.
These video marketing trends beg a question: Is outsourcing your explainer videos somehow superior to in-house production?
Not really.
It ultimately depends on:
If budget isn’t a constraint, hiring an in-house team can be feasible in the long run.
But if you have a tight budget with a specific deadline in mind, employing an external video production company is a much better option.
In case you’re making your explainer videos in-house, I suggest you check out next: “How To Make an Explainer Video: 11 Steps to Visual Excellence”
But ultimately it depends on the three factors I mentioned above.
Sure, there are limitations.
For starters, you do not have direct control over how your explainer videos will turn out after the video production company is done with it.
But If you hire an experienced agency, this challenge can be tackled effectively.
The feedback process can become time-consuming as the back and forth between your organization and the agency can be extensive.
Which often leads to extended timelines way beyond what you had originally intended.
But, like I said before, if you hire a professional agency based on the checklist provided, these limitations can be handled without hindering your explainer video production.
The simple answer is yes! Let me explain.
Most B2Bs, such as yourself, are already dealing with making and maintaining a name for yourself in a dynamic market that rewards value.
To do that requires a substantial investment of time and money into making your USP as desirable as possible.
Your explainer videos should be able to aid in your expansion, not work against it.
So hiring an external agency ensures your explainer videos are produced professionally, while not burning a hole into your time and marketing budget.
While also freeing up resources that you can then use to take your business to new heights as you navigate your target market.
In that way, partnering up with a video production company will actually make your investment worthwhile and retain its significance over a longer time horizon.
In this article, we covered a 6-point checklist to help your B2B business choose the right video production company and some important questions you need to ask before going all in.
Our discussion made one thing absolutely clear.
Hiring a professional video production company can bring significant advantages, such as access to experienced teams, specialized equipment, and creative expertise, all of which can elevate your B2B video marketing efforts while not being time or resource heavy.
But hiring an external agency is ultimately about unlocking strategic growth by entrusting the technical aspects of explainer video production to the experts.
Taking the time to evaluate potential partners using this checklist can lead to impactful, high-quality video content that resonates with your audience and drives long-term success.
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