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Before the Internet, businesses would reach their potential customers through advertising.
And while that’s still the case, the Internet changed a lot of that.
Content became the way you connected with your future customers, alongside traditional marketing and advertising.
The bridge became more of a funnel, with multiple diverse paths to your storefront.
And the nature of content itself has changed. It’s no longer just banner ads, social media, and blogs.
But video has overtaken text as the de facto language of the internet, whether humble startups or Fortune 500 companies.
And this shouldn’t be a surprise if you’ve taken a moment to notice the sheer dominance of video across the internet, social media, and basically anything that has a screen.
So what does that mean for your marketing?
It means you better have a solid video marketing strategy.
And that in turn means hiring a video production agency that can help bring those goals to reality.
But how do you pick the right one?
Don’t fret, we’re here to help! Let’s dive in.
Unfortunately, this isn’t as simple as merely hiring the first corporate video production agency you find and kicking back to relax.
You wouldn’t ask a venture capitalist or investment banker for a car loan, even though they all fall under the broad umbrella of the financial industry.
When getting started with video creation, you'll find that there’s a wide variety of top video production agencies that specialize in specific styles, types of video creation, and use cases.
It’s important to find the right video content agency for the specific kind of video that your marketing needs. It’s important to hire a video production company that can address your needs best.
So to prevent that, we’ll take a look at this 6-point video production checklist to make your search for the right business video production company 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 a variety of 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 business video production services, it’s time to dig deeper.
When you’re looking to hire a new employee, you first look at their resumes.
Similarly, with creative industries like video and animation, you look at their portfolio; that is, their body of past work on video production projects.
This tells you two things:
A movie studio and an advertising agency both create film and video content.
But they create them for vastly different use cases. One creates entire TV shows and movies that can run hours in length and take months or years to film; while the other creates tiny videos running under a minute long, and take weeks rather than years.
So for B2B / B2C purposes, start by narrowing down video creation agencies that are already experienced and familiar with that specific kind of content.
Then, research their client portfolio and examine what kind of work this creative team usually does.
A glimpse at our client portfolio.
Also, check out the client names and the videos that the business video production company has produced for them. If these past clients are also in your industry, you’re getting closer.
A list of some of our prominent clients we have made videos for over the years.
This will help you align your expectations and see if the video creation agency has previous work that 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 video solutions, corporate videos, video ads, brand videos, social media video production, and various creative video content.
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.
Finally, go through client success stories (if an agency provides them) of the video producer 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 top 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 best video production company of your choice is well equipped for your B2B explainer video production needs, it’s time to get more customer-centric.
Thoroughly check if the creative team you’re considering really understands:
As a B2B business, it’s crucial that the video professionals you pick:
Whether it’s SaaS, healthcare, fintech, or any other industry your B2B is prevalent in, ensure that the production company can tailor their full-service video production to meet the unique needs of your sector and engage your target audience with precision with the final video.
Creativity isn’t exactly a straight road. It has its fair share of ups and downs.
Looking at the entire video production process standpoint, this culminates into multiple revisions, creating storyboards and 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 best video production agencies will prioritize collaboration over completion.
It’s more art than science, both literally and figuratively. There’s no one magic formula for creating the perfect video project every single time.
There’s going to be experimentation and a healthy back-and-forth with the production team as your vision takes shape through the production and post-production of a solid professional video.
They understand that your ambitious vision is what drives their creative competence to produce a quality 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, through end-to-end production.
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.
Quality doesn’t come cheap; but that said, it doesn’t mean you have to break the bank, either.
Reach out to the video production companies of your choice and get information on their approach to explainer video costs.
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 video production house 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 marketing agency 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 good video content creation 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.
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 to hire a video production 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.
Delighting your customers with some awe-inspiring video content is no piece of cake. If you don’t plan each move, the outcome may not be as pleasing.
The actual work would in-fact begin after you have chosen the right agency. You must work with them closely. Provide them with the necessary inputs and team support so they can deliver as desired.
It’s critical to brief the team on the expectations from the video - the key takeaway for the audience, creative references etc.
You need to share with them the required raw material such as brand guidelines, the logo, and any technical details (Screenshots, process details, product specifications, etc.) pertaining to the product/service.
For technical subjects, you need to give the right inputs to the agency and make sure they have everything before they start working on the script.
At Broadcast2World, we produce animated videos in the following eight stages:
For each of the stages, we expect the client to give clear and consolidated feedback. There are times when we are doing the voice-over and the client feels we need to make changes to the script.
In such a scenario we have to go back, and make changes in the script as well as the storyboard and the voice-over. Similarly, if the client tells us to make changes in the VO after the animation has been done, then everything is for a toss.
If you follow a process and give timely feedback, it’ll save you time, effort, and cost. It will save the agency a lot of undesirable confusion and improve the final outcome.
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.
If you hire video production services, it 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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