Videos are a key component especially for businesses that are launching their marketing strategies. In this digital age, customers who do not want to read would rather watch video reviews and advertisements to find out about a certain product. Here, the video serves as the bridge that builds awareness and helps customers make a decision whether to buy or otherwise.
However, since the video will be playing a crucial role in converting more leads into sales, for a lot of business to business (b2b) entrepreneurs, it is vital to use video production companies to maximum advantage.
Video production is a job that requires skills and expertise. Now, if you are based in Toronto and you need to partner with a good Toronto video production company for your wedding or other special family events, live events, school projects, online tutorials, e-commerce business, or other else career or business-related, then you might want to allot some time evaluating every company in your options list. That is if you want to end up with a team that can truly deliver your video marketing needs and you want your investment’s best return.
How to Partner with the Right Toronto Video Production Company
As the client, you also have a role in finding the right Toronto video production company and to achieve project success. So how should you partner with a Toronto video production company to come up with a video you will both be happy with? Below are some steps:
- Layout a Project Brief. There are a few things to prepare in finding the right video production company to partner with but one of the most important ones is the project brief. This project brief is like a synopsis of the video project’s scope. If this is well defined, then you will be able to think clearly about how you want your video to go about.
Your project brief should cover these components:
- Budget
- Company Overview
- Project Objective
- Target Audience
- Timeline
BUDGET. The industry is already flooded with video production companies, all claiming that they can produce a life-changing video for business. But as they significantly vary in terms of price, one of the ways to curb your options is to set your budget firsthand. This will help you simplify your options and determine the vendor types you will likely be partnering with in the future.
COMPANY OVERVIEW. This component, on the other one, will help ensure that you and your future partner are on the same page when it comes to identifying your brand position and your overall company’s distinction from the competition.
PROJECT OBJECTIVE. Before you start looking for a video production company, also make sure that you already made clear project objectives. Without this, you will unlikely be able to conduct a meaningful briefing with your future video production team.
Now, if you are having a hard time setting your project objectives, it will help if you go over your video’s supposed purpose, i.e. is it to improve an existing campaign, is it to improve your website? Is it to enhance brand awareness? Or is it to generate traffic? These questions are good starter points to help you define what you really want to be produced.
TARGET AUDIENCE. It is also important for the video production company to be familiar with what kind of audience your videos will have. So, your task here is to also create an audience profile. In this profile, areas like how the audience segments interact, how the audience should perceive the company, what communication platforms will suit them most, etc. have to be clearly defined to ensure that the video will be able to reach them and build that connection.
TIMELINE. Another thing you should communicate to your prospective Toronto video production company first before you seal the deal is your preferred project timeframe. It is vital to be upfront with the team to also help them gauge their bandwidth. However, your preferred timeframe should be realistic if you want to find a team that will share the same goal with you, for your business or other related needs.
- Start listing your options. If and when the project brief is already prepared, that means you are finally set to discuss things with your prospective partners. That means you are also set to get to know your company options.
In finalizing your list, also take into account who each of the companies has worked with in the past and focus on how they did it instead of focusing more on their reels. Gauging their portfolio will give you a near-to-accurate estimate of the video production company’s skills and capabilities.
- Get in touch with each of them as much as possible to have all your queries answered. Either you set up a virtual meeting or you visit each of the companies’ office. This will help ensure that the team you will be working with reflects or goes in line with the ideals and values of your company. Although exchange of emails is okay, it is quite discouraged as it can hinder a clear conversation.
Each visit does not have to be thorough and long for as long as the main details are discussed. On that note, if you have concerns, make sure to raise all of them so that you know where the company stands. If you have none, below are some guide questions from the experts you can follow:
– How many members are there in your team?
– How is each of them? Can you describe their roles?
– Do you do all parts of the project in-house? If no, which ones do you outsource?
– What recent projects did you have whose requirements and attributes are almost the same as mine?
– How do you manage revisions?
– Who will be our primary contact point and how often are we going to be in touch?
– How soon can you accomplish the project based on the discussed scope?
– How much is your quote for it?
- Gather proposals. Challenge the top 3 production companies on your list by asking them about their proposals for your project. This step will help you screen the company that has the best capability to realize your vision. The proposal should be detailed, covering a precise cost structure, timeline, and contingency plan in case inevitable interruptions take place.
- Assess each proposal you received accordingly.
This should be done based on your criteria. Ideally, you should choose the one that best fits your requirements.
