You’ve decided you need a video for your organization. You do your research, check out production companies and decide to call Heartwood for an estimate (good decision!)
Before we create an estimate and a plan for your video, we need some information from you. These five questions will help us to create an estimate (and ultimately, a video) that fits within your budget, meets your goals and your schedule.
Why are you doing a video now?
Why is your company investing in a video at this point in time? Your competition may be doing video, you have a new product, an upcoming tradeshow or event – there is an endless list of reasons to do video. Knowing your timeframe and the reasons for doing the video will help us budget and schedule accurately.
What are you trying to accomplish with this video?
Making a successful video starts with figuring out what you’re trying to accomplish.
Are you trying to increase sales? Explain a complicated subject? Promote a new product or service? Some clients are trying to reach out to employees or the general public. Some are looking for volunteers or to rally people to a cause. What’s your end goal with this video and what do you want the viewer to do after they’ve watched the video?
Who do you expect will be interested in watching this video? What do you know about them?
Ah yes, the “audience” question. In general, clients respond “everyone.” In reality, when we remind them of their answers to questions one and two, the answer to this questions gains a little more clarity.
If it’s an HR recruitment video, who do you want to recruit and what are their characteristics? If your video promotes your latest and greatest product, who are you trying to sell to? Put yourself in the audience’s shoes – how can we create a video that speaks to them? A targeted video will be more successful than a video targeted at “everyone.”
Do you have examples of videos you like? Have you seen something that inspired you to do a video for your company or organization?
If you’ve seen a video that captures the spirit of what you’re trying to accomplish we would love to see it. It helps us understand how you envision your video and what it might look and sound like. This is a great opportunity for us to get on the same page regarding your likes and dislikes.
Do you have a budget in mind?
There are many avenues we can take to produce a video. Most everyone would love a Hollywood blockbuster about their business, but few of our clients have $250 million burning a hole in their pocket. If you can give us a rough ballpark figure, we’ll choose an approach to your video that accomplishes your goals at a budget that you can afford.
Sometimes clients don’t know the answer to some of these questions (some can’t answer any). Don’t worry –it’s the job of a good production company to ask the right questions and explore different ways to meet your goals. Think through these 5 questions, then give us a call.
