You’re on the hunt for a quality piece of video content. Maybe it’s an explainer video, maybe it’s just a one minute piece for your Facebook fans. Regardless of the scope of the project, you need to find a video production partner that exceeds your expectations…but how can you predict what working with someone will be like so early in the decision-making process?
We know how difficult shopping for agencies can be, so we pooled our knowledge of the industry and compiled seven of the top qualities we think you should look out for in a partner.
Traits That Make Video Production Agencies Stand Out
1. A Professional Portfolio
Before signing on with any agency, you should take a good look at their
portfolio. Remember: quality is more important than quantity, so don’t count younger agencies out just yet.
From what you can see, is their work detailed? Easy to understand? Does it match the vibe of your own company? Does any of their work reflect the tone of the piece you’re looking for? If not, do you feel confident that yours is a direction they can handle, creatively?
These questions are important early on in the agency decision process not only because they teach you about the agency, but they also expose you to a variety of styles that will help you later when fleshing out your own project.
2. Convincing Client Testimonials
Client testimonials are an essential aspect of any video production agency website (agency marketers reading this, we’re looking at you!). Typically found on portfolio or about pages, testimonials should provide more information than just, “The video looked great.”
Some of our favorite client testimonials include numerical data (like
this one from Kissmetrics) or heartwarming stories about the impact our video had on the client’s buyers. Either way, a shining testimonial is a surefire sign of credibility that you should look for before writing
any agency a check.
3. Timeliness
It’s hard to know before a project starts whether it will be delivered on time, but there are always indicators of punctuality to look for before you get going. Does your contact at the agency reply within a reasonable amount of time, or do they suddenly disappear for several days without notice? When you call, does anyone pick up? How long did it take for you to go from filling out a form to getting a sales rep on the phone?
From a business perspective, it’s just a plain good idea to be as effective with time as possible to get the maximum value from every client (and prevent losing them in the middle of the buyer journey). If an agency isn’t respectful of your time, it may be time to cross them off the list.
4. Clear Expectations
Before we get started on any video, we have a debriefing session with our client about their goals, expectations and conceptual input on the piece. When we’re early in the buying stage, we provide valuable resources to help define the type of artwork, storyline, length options available. These help us coach our client through their expectations, as well as demonstrate how committed we are to ours.
Any video production company worth their salt should be able to provide you with a detailed timeline of how long it takes to complete a project, as well as warmth and patience as you work out the details of what you need.
5. High Standards
Standards are important in every stage of life, but especially in a professional setting. No matter
why you’re in need of video content, one thing is for sure: it should be great.
There’s a whole lot to say about the
price triangle and the
benefits of paying more for a professional video, but no matter where you are on the spectrum you should be confident in the level of production you’re paying for. You can look for signs of an agency’s high standards by looking at their previous work, or even looking into the content they produce in-house. If a video production company is shooting their head shots in poor lighting with an iPhone, how good can their camerawork possibly be?
6. Creativity
These days, there are too way many explainer video companies to count. In a market as saturated as this one, you start to see the same styles and formats over and over again. When we say to look out for creativity, what we mean is to look out for videos that don’t fit the explainer video norm.
To an outsider from the industry, trends or art styles may not be as noticeable. But we all know when something looks good, right? Use that judgement when picking a video production company to work with, and we’ll all be in for better video content across the web.
7. Passion
Our art director Jarman
said it best: “The people that stick around are the ones that are really passionate about what they do.” In any creative industry, it takes a great deal of drive to continue to refine your craft. Animators, editors, video production experts: these people are driven by art, they require passion to keep their gears moving throughout the day.
It shouldn’t be too difficult to spot passion in an agency you’re looking to partner with. Do they seem genuinely interested in your project? Are they suggesting innovative ideas of how to tell your story? Do they have passion projects? Learning to notice these indicators will serve you in your decision-making process, and will ultimately provide you with a better piece of video.
Ultimately, you should feel comfortable with your video production partner and confident that your video is in the right hands. If you want to set up a call with Digital Brew (even if it’s just to chat!),
click here.