What Should Buyers Look for in a Video Production Company?

So, you’re ready to show the world what your business has to offer, and you want to share it with an eye-catching, modern, and professional video. With all the various types of video production companies out there, it may feel like an overwhelming task to determine which would be your perfect match.  You might wonder: Which company will help us bring our vision to life, while also helping us stick to our budget and our timeline?  What should we look for when deciding who to partner with on our video venture?  How do we know who the perfect video production partner is?

There are four main qualities you should look for in your video production partner.  You want to find a company that will communicate with you frequently, invite you to collaborate throughout the process, has several years of experience under their belt, and is transparent about everything from budgets to timelines.

Why are these four qualities so important?  Read on to find out.

#1:  Frequent and Open Communication

Open and frequent two-way communication is key to finding success in your partnership with a video production company.  The video production company should make it their priority to keep you updated and informed of progress. If you must ask where you stand with budget or when you can expect your first draft, they are not the perfect partner for you.

 A best-in-class video production company will have custom protocols, workflows, and the latest software to keep them in constant communication with clients.  They will have interactive steps in their process allowing the best ideas to surface and executing on those ideas quickly, keeping production on time and on budget.

Tip: Make sure you know how and how often you’ll hear from a video production company before choosing them as your partner.

#2:  Collaboration

Collaboration is an essential part of any creative services project. Video production companies should work with you to explore your vision and ideas, and then develop messaging and design that helps bring them to life. This will take frequent conversations between you and the company at every step of the process to ensure success.

From the scripting and storyboarding phase at the beginning, all the way through animations and the final video delivery, you should be openly included in every step of the process, adding your creative input and most valuable ideas as you’d like. You know your product and your vision, and the video production company knows how to communicate to your potential clients by clearly presenting your concept in a compelling way. They know how to keep your viewer’s attention using animation and/or live-action videos. By working in collaboration with you, your video partner will efficiently and effectively produce a successful final product.

Tip: Be wary of production companies who don’t want to include you or seek your input at each step of the process. If they simply take your script, bullet points, and messaging at the beginning, and then don’t contact you again until the product is complete, you may be in for a big surprise, and not in a good way.

#3: Experience

When looking for a video production company that will be your perfect partner, you want to make sure that you find a company that has years of experience. They will know which marketing and production approaches are valuable and won’t waste your time while they experiment with new methods. New and shiny can initially look attractive but years of industry specific experience is what counts the most when needing a video that effectively captures your messaging in a compelling enough way to actually stand out.

Tip: Be sure to ask a company about their experience and years in the business, examples of videos in your industry they’ve produced, as well as references from previous clients.

#4:  Transparency and Clear Communication

Your perfect video production partner will be a company that knows how to prioritize resources throughout the process in order to ensure that they stick to the budget and timeline you agreed upon initially.  Throughout the production process, your video production partner should review specific dates that have been set in the timeline and work to complete steps by then, if not sooner.  Regarding your budget, your perfect partner will be completely transparent, sticking to an agreed-upon amount the entire time, unless they communicate with you directly about a need for a change and get your direct approval.

Tip:  Transparency and direct, upfront communication are key regarding the timeline and budget for a video production project.

Evaluating your options...

The thought of finding a video production company that possess all the qualities above may sound daunting. Here are a few recommendations on evaluating new vendors. Do your due diligence during the sales process - ask for references that will speak to you on the phone, see what the vendor can offer to help reduce the risk for your company of working with someone new, make sure the exploratory calls go deep enough -do they really understand your product or service? Are they asking the right types of questions? Don’t move forward unless they check all the boxes. Video has become an integral part of many companies digital marketing efforts, it’s important that you choose a partner that can work with you over the long-term and be a trusted extension of your team when needs arise.

We hope these tips are helpful in guiding your decision with choosing your perfect video production company to partner with.

If you’d like to read more about the client experience of working with Levitate Media please check out our reviews at Clutch:

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