With the rise in popularity of social media, especially YouTube and Facebook, viewers have come to accept lower production values using this medium. In some cases the perceived ‘authenticity’ of this approach can trump high production values.

So a short, fun self-made video clip that demonstrates the culture of your company or provides an insight into the inner-workings of your business can have a positive effect.

On the other hand, a video production that will appear on the home page of your website, shown at a product launch or distributed on DVD may undermine the professionalism of your organisation if it’s not created by a professional. If your corporate ID is professional, and you have invested in a professional website, it is important to retain that same level of professionalism for all elements of your visual communication.

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Viewers have ever-diminishing attention spans. There are a range of distractions competing for their focus. It’s more effective to hold the attention of a viewer with your video production for a short period of time and have them watch the whole video, than it is to hold their attention for a long time, only to see them turn off half way.

By viewers watching your full video production you will take them on a journey. You can raise issues in the earlier part of the video production, and then sum up and provide answers in the second half.

So the key when deciding on the length of a video is, wherever possible, to keep it short. But not so short that you would not be able to include all of the required information.

Another factor determining length of the video is high motivated the viewer is to watch it. The perceived benefit in the mind of the viewer of continuing to watch the video must outweigh the attraction of turning off the video to take part in another activity.

Viewers may have more patience in persisting with a longer video if it contains information they’ve sought out that is not readily available elsewhere e.g. a lecture event video from an expert.

Test your video using a sample that represents your target audience and note their feedback. It will be a good indication as to whether your video production is the correct length.

When you are planning a communication piece, it is important to choose the most effective medium.

There are many: a .pdf, a newsletter, an audio file, image, video etc.

Choosing the right medium will help you to more effectively communicate the message.

For example, a very detailed or technical explanation may be communicated best through a document with diagrams.

So when should you choose video production to communicate your message?:

When you want to communicate something visually
Being a visual medium, video production is ideally suited to showing how something works, or what it looks like, for people who are not able to physically be there.

When you want to cause an emotional reaction
Through combining music, images, and text, as well as working with the pace of a video, it can affect the audience on an emotional level e.g. provoke excitement, curiosity, happiness. This type of approach helps to retain viewer interest, and may be used for a corporate or web video.

When you want to communicate something in a short period of time
Corporate video production is well suited to communicating short 2-3 minute messages. By using a visual shorthand, something that may take a reader 10 minutes to read in a document can be condensed to 2-3 minutes by visual communication.

When you want to show your personality and communicate personally
By creating a short web video in which you address your potential customers direct to camera in an authentic and engaging way, people can get a sense of your personality, and how it will be to work with you.

By matching the right communication medium to your communication message, you will connect with your audience more effectively.

So you’ve taken the first step, going to Google, and having a look at some websites of video production companies. But, especially If this is your first time getting a video production made, the process can be quite daunting. There are so many companies out there to choose from.

Choosing a video production company is a big decision: You’re not buying a commodity off the shelf. You’re entering into a relationship with a company for a process which, depending on the scope of the project, could take weeks, or even months, to complete. So you want to give yourself the best chance of choosing a company that will be great to work with, and will help you ensure success. But where do you start? And what do you ask?

In this post I’m going to reveal 7 vital questions you should be asking yourself during this decision making process. I hope this video will guide you through the process, and give you the knowledge to make the most informed decision.

- When you check out the website of a video production company, ask yourself how well they represent themselves visually? How good is their branding, and marketing material? This should be your first indication regarding how good the visual material that they create for you is going to be.

- Have a look at some examples of their videos. Forgot about how wizz-bang the effects are. Ask yourself how well do the videos communicate the core message. How persuasive is the argument? How clear is it to you?

- Does the company have any experience in your niche? Have they worked for other companies in your industry? How have they used video to solve challenges for companies in a similar situation to yours? It’s really important that you work with a company that has an understanding of your industry, and what makes it unique.

-What sort of social proof, endorsement, testimonials, case studies are there on the website? This is a good first indication of the calibre of companies they’ve worked for, and how they’ve been able to help.

-What sense of the people behind the business are you getting? You want to work with people you know, like and trust.  Have a look at the about us page on the website. It’s amazing how many companies give you little or no background about the people you’ll we working with. You’re not buying an off the shelf commodity. You will be building a relationship with a service provider over an extended period of time.

- What happens if problems arise? In a perfect world everything flows smoothly. But in the real worked, it’s the people who are prepared for problems, minimise their risk, and know how to solve them fast, that you want to work with. Do they have Public liability insurance ? What sort of Guarantee do they offer. How do they backup and safeguard your work?

-Speak to the productiom company. How carefully do they listen to you? You are not buying a commodity. You are buying a service in which the company needs to build a strong understanding of your product or service in order to communicate the subtleties of your message. When you speak to the production company, are they more concerned with making a sales presentation to you, rr do they really take the time to listen to you and ask question?. Get an understanding of you goals. Are they more focused on their own interests, or do they seem genuinely focused on how best they van serve you, and help you achieve your goals?

You’re not just looking for a technician, or  a service provider. Your looking for an expert who can guide and advise you about the best solution for your achieve your goals or communicate your message.

If you’d like to learn more about the video production process and start a conversation about your video, contact us to get in touch.

The structure of a testimonial video should follow a before-during-after structure:

Before

• • - What were things like for your client before they began working with you?
  • - What problems or challenges were they experiencing?
  • - What impact was this problem having on their business?
  • - What methods were they using, and why were those methods no longer working well enough?
  • .

During

• - What was it like for the client to work with you?
• - What problems were you able to solve?
• - What impact did the work that you do have on the client’s business?
• - What were the things that you did that the client found most beneficial?

After

• - How is your client’s business functioning now compared to before they started working with you?
• - What main changes has your client noticed?
• - What benefits has your client noticed?
• - What systems or ongoing processes have you put in place for your client?
• - Would they recommend you and, if so, why?
• .

Combine the responses to the above questions into a 2-3 minute video production. Add still images, video footage, and titles. The result is a powerful case study that demonstrates the value that you deliver to your clients.

This is because the web has become less static, and more conversational. A web strategy used to be mainly based around the website itself. it now includes multiple platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. There are far more opportunities to share content and interact.

There has also been a growing emphasis on establishing expertise in your market by sharing information and advice about your industry. Businesses are using web video to create content that is helpful to users. It helps the businesses build their brand, and be top-of-mind when people are making purchasing descisions.

It’s important to consider how you can build conversations with your customers through video production. Videos such as ‘how-to’ videos, client testimonial videos, industry updates, and product or service profile videos are all powerful ways to generate streams of content that you can distribute through video to your followers on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

How are you sharing the story of your product or service?

While in most cases you will get the best results by bringing in a professional video production company, there are some occasions when you want to create something quick and simple, and for a low budget.

If you do choose to produce your own web video content, here are a few simple tips that will help you to achieve more professional looking results:

1. Pay attention to lighting

Ensure that you make the most of the available lighting in the room. This may mean making sure that all of the lights in the room are switched on. If the room in which you are filming has large windows, try to sit facing the window. Avoid sitting behind a bright light source: if your camera is set to auto exposure you will appear very dark in the frame.

2. Frame the presenter correctly

A common mistake is to frame the presenter with too much head room. As a rule of thumb, ensure that the eyes of the presenter are about two thirds of the way up the frame. If you have too much dead space above the head of the presenter it looks poorly composed, and psychologically diminishes the perceived authority of the presenter.

3. Bring the microphone as close to the sound source as possible

A common mistake is to record sound through the on-camera microphone, and for the presenter to stand far from the camera. This will result in poor quality sound. Move the presenter closer to the camera if you are recording sound through the on-camera microphone. Even better – use a lapel microphone that plugs into the camera and clips onto your shirt. This will dramatically improve the sound quality. Reducing background noise by filming in a quiet spot, turning off electrical equipment, or closing windows may also reduce ambient noise.

4. Be natural

Speak naturally, conversationally, and from the heart – just as if you would if you were sitting with a client. Avoid the temptation to copy the inflection and mannerisms of TV presenters – it will come across as contrived. You will be more engaging if you are authentic.

Further Reading – If you are going to be interviewed on camera, check out these 7 tips on being interviewed.

Work out a budget. Establish a budget range that you want to devote to the video production project. Not sure where to start? Contact us and we will be happy to show you a range of video production projects, and their associated budgets.

Meet with all of the relevant stakeholders in your organisation. Ensure that you are all on the same page as to what you want to achieve.

Gather all relevant resources i.e. marketing resources, brochures, pdf’s, style guides, previous videos etc – Already existing assets that may inform the production of your video.

Arrange to meet with a video production company. Here are some important questions that will help you to evaluate if what they have to offer is right for you.

Ask the production company to present examples of video production projects they have completed in a range of budgets. This will help you to set the budget for your video production.

View examples of work that may be similar to what you want to create. Note what works and doesn’t work, and share your ideas with the video production company.

Like to learn more about the video production process? Require some advice for your video production process. Get in touch today.

View the video production showreel of the production company to see a range of their work, but also ask to view segments or whole videos of productions they have completed of a similar topic and budget range to yours. This will give you the best idea of their capabilities. Do they appear to have the creative abilities to communicate your message?

Establish the credentials of the organisation by asking who else they have worked for. If you wish, don’t hesitate to ask for references and contact details of previous or current clients.

Visit the production company. This will give you a stronger sense of the type of organisation you are dealing with.

Notice whether the video producer is keen to answer your questions, and eager to learn about you and your organisation. Do they understand your organisation and what makes it unique?

Ensure that the personal rapport between you and the video production team is good. You will be working closely with them, so satisfy yourself that you will be able to pursue a positive working relationship.

Ready to discuss your video production project? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us today.