Jeff HiltyIf you’re looking to maximize your marketing ROI, there’s no doubt that brand video production is one of the best investments you can make today. And yet, some marketing teams are still wary of video production and worry that it will eat too much of their budget. They may think that video production is by default expensive and requires huge production teams on big sets.
But the truth is, it’s not the budget that will determine the success of your video. The most important success factor in video marketing is the creative concept. The idea. Partnering with an innovative and creative video production company, and daring to let them make something that stands out and gets noticed, is the best way to get some serious bang for your bucks.
In this article, we’ll look at some things to keep in mind in order to get the most out of your video budget. By focusing on the right things as you plan your brand video production and start reaching out to production companies, you can keep your costs low and still create something truly inspiring and impactful.
Related reading: Why Bids From Video Production Companies Vary So Much
Story Is The Most Important Element In Video Marketing
Sure, large productions and cool effects are fun, but that’s not what will make your video attract your audience’s attention. Before you even start thinking about budgets or production styles, you need to get clear on what story you want to tell – and to whom. To make your story resonate with your audience, you need to understand who they are, but what challenges they face and what they aspire to.
Human beings respond to stories. Stories are how we relate to the world around us, how we understand it and relate to it. By telling your story, you will help people connect with, understand, and remember your brand. To keep your costs down, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re clear on what message you’re looking to convey before bringing in video production agencies. That way, you’ll be able to provide a good brief and increase the agency’s chances of presenting something brilliant based on that brief.
Related reading: Why Your Story Matters–And How To Tell It In A Brand Video
Invest In Your Creative Concept
A common mistake when teams are trying to save money is to simply look at the competition and create something along the same lines as them. But that will only have you end up with videos that are bleak copies, with no substantial impact. Do seek inspiration in other people’s work; but it’s far better to get your ideas from other industries or contexts than your own. And hiring a good creative video production agency is crucial.
Many marketing teams make the mistake of overspending on production and underspending on creativity or thinking they can just do the creative themselves. But video creation is an art form and requires skill and experience. And while many marketers are great writers, many also underestimate how specialized a skill script writing is. And the same goes for coming up with the visual concept. Writing a video script is a very different type of writing compared to, for example, blog posts or web copy. It requires different thinking, and as with any craft, it takes a specialized person to do it well.
Related reading: How To Come Up With Great Ideas For Video Marketing
Everything Starts With The Creative Idea
The magic is in the story, or rather in the idea that the story conveys, So while the marketing team’s job is to tell the creative video agency what story they want to tell, it’s the agency’s job to bring the idea. Don’t make the mistake of putting all your resources into the production and none into the ideation. Because then you’ll just end up with something that’s well-produced but that doesn’t interest anyone. Many marketers go for high-fidelity recordings of low-fidelity ideas when the opposite would have been a million times better. The value is in the idea, whereas the role of the words and the visuals is to bring that to life. But without a good idea, there’s nothing to bring to life.
One Great Idea Can Transform Your Business
The Dollar Shave Club launch video is a perfect example of how creativity outweighs polished production any time of the day. This video used no fancy effects, no actors, and no big production team. It was just a great idea, executed in a brilliantly creative way. It only cost $4,500 and only took one day to shoot, but it immediately went viral and was watched by millions within the first few days. Today, the video has been viewed more than 22 million times and was recently acquired by Unilever for $1 billion. And it all started with one creative video idea.
Related reading: The Real Value Of Investing In Video Marketing
Partner With An Award-Winning Video Production Agency
Covalent is an award-winning video marketing agency specializing in innovative and original brand videos and corporate videos. We excel at creating everything from authentic, docu-style videos to explainer videos and commercial ads. We’re experienced video marketers and can assist in every step of the process – from ideation to finished product.
Get in touch to learn how we can help you make your story come alive with video.