Video marketing is one of the most powerful tools businesses have to promote their products and services. Most consumers (54%) prefer videos over text and images, and 43% claim information presented via video is more memorable than other types of marketing.
With those statistics in mind it’s not surprising that four out of five consumers admit to converting from a browser to a buyer after watching a marketing video. Video promotions are a powerful marketing medium every business should engage to maximize revenues.
But creating videos to accurately capture your brand’s story isn’t intuitive. Proper video production takes a great deal of time and expertise both backed by a rock-solid marketing strategy. Many marketers, whether they admit it or not, have video production questions, but few have the boldness to ask for answers. Until now.
The truth is, you should have questions. Creating a video is a huge investment and one you shouldn’t enter into lightly. A production company with the ability to help you reach your goals will start out with a video production client questionnaire. And they’ll use that questionnaire to drill down into the heart of your story and determine how best to convey your message to your target audience.
If you’re getting ready to start on a video. We at Explainly recommend you look over our client questionnaire to start asking some of the right questions. You can find that here.
Ask the right video production questions, and you’ll be well on your way to creating an effective, successful video. Here are a few to get you started.
Question #1. What’s the big picture?
Understanding the goal of your marketing campaign—and your business—is a key component to creating a high-impact video. The video production questions for clients should include information about your overall campaign, purpose and the key messages you want to communicate.
Marketing campaign
Is your video part of a larger marketing campaign or strategy? In most cases, the answer is yes. Align your video with every other piece of the campaign from large components like the spokesperson down to the font and colors in your graphics. Message and brand continuity is extremely important when the video is part of a larger marketing initiative.
Purpose
Why are you doing this video, anyway? If you can’t answer this question, you may want to reconsider your need for a video. Creating a video just because you think you need one isn’t a good enough reason.
Every minute, 500 minutes of video content are uploaded to YouTube, but only the most meaningful, well-thought-out videos actually get seen. With a clear purpose in mind, you have a better chance of standing out from the noise.
Key messages
Think about what you want viewers to take away from your video. What do you want them to learn or remember? Try to come up with three realistic key messages for your video. Write them down, and use them to guide the video production process.
Question #2. Is there a deadline or budget?
If you’re really lucky the answers to both of these questions will be no. But unfortunately, not having a timeline or budget is unrealistic.
When you’re going through the videography questionnaire, be prepared for this question, because you will be asked. Share your ideal turnaround time, even if you think the timeline is overly ambitious. The video production company will let you know if your expectations match their reality.
Then, think long and hard before setting a budget for this project. But give yourself a little bit of cushion in case some new ideas are inspired by the production process. Don’t forget the age-old adage: you get what you pay for!
Question #3. Who is the video for?
Audience is everything. If you don’t take the time to identify your customer and specifically create a video they will respond to, you’re wasting your time and money.
For example, if you’re trying to capture senior citizens, but decide to use a teenage Instagram influencer as your spokesperson, you’re going to have a very low ROI for your video. Especially considering how much those kids charge!
Question #4. What style video do you want?
There are countless types of videos including brand identification, explainer, product review, company culture and more. Each one serves a different purpose, so do some research to identify which type of video will best communicate your message.
If you aren’t sure, talk about this with your production company when going over your videography questionnaire. They’ll have valuable insights about which videos work well for specific purposes and will know what you need to shoot each type of video.
Question #5. What will you need to shoot?
So many things go into every video, many of which you probably haven’t even considered. When you’re going over video production questions, this should be an area you’ll discuss in great detail. Here are a few things to consider.
Visuals
This could include physical props, graphics, animations and more. What you’ll need depends on the style of video you choose.
People
Regardless of the type of video you’re doing, chances are you’ll need human representation to communicate your key messages. This could include a celebrity endorsement, spokesperson, actors, interviewees and more. Even if you don’t plan to have a person visually represented in your video, you’ll need a narrator or voiceover artist to deliver your message.
Location
Where do you need to shoot? Again, this depends on the type of video you plan to create. If your video will feature live-action, you have two choices: in-studio or on location. But you may need neither if your video is set to be all graphics or animations.
Question #6. How will the video be distributed?
Knowing how you’ll release your video to the world is an important consideration when reviewing video project questions. Do you plan to do a TV or digital media ad buy or simply upload to YouTube and promote via social channels? Whatever you choose, the way your video is edited will be informed by the distribution medium.
Question #7. How will you measure success?
You’ll need to identify a key performance indicator (KPI) to determine if your video is successful. KPI could be click rate, site visits or even time spent watching the video. Go back to the original goal of your video and select a KPI related to your purpose. Check your KPI regularly to gauge the success of your video.
According to 97% of marketers, video is crucial to increasing consumer understanding and brand awareness. Don’t let your video production questions prevent you from engaging this valuable promotional tool.
Now that you’re equipped with some of the right questions, come ask! Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.