In 2024, we have seen a drastic shift in social media. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram used to be dominated by memes and static image posts but now they have shifted to small videos. The change was started by TikToks and now every social media platform has their own version of these short format videos. It is called Reels on Instagram, Shorts on Youtube, and so on. If you are not producing video content in 2024, then your business is likely to suffer. That is why you should hire a video production company to ensure your brand moves forward with the trend.
What is a video production company?
A video production company understands your brand’s persona and content strategy then creates video content which is aligned with your content strategy. This includes online ads, product showcases, corporate videos, and employee training videos.
The agency has a team of professionals who are experts in producing video content. They have all the necessary skills and equipment like cameras to capture premium quality video content. A good agency offers a complete solution including creative concept production to delivering the video content. The difference between a film production company and a video production company is that the latter produces videos for marketing purposes.
What does a video production company do?
Let’s look at all the tasks you can expect a video production company to perform.
1. Research: One of the primary tasks that a video production company performs is conducting product research. This gives them insight into how the audience will like to view the product in video format and which type of shoot will result in more clicks. Every video production project starts with research that provides the agency a deep insight into your business, consumer behaviour, and target audience.
2. Communication: Once the video production company is able to conduct their research, they will reach out to you to let you know about their thoughts. A good company will have dedicated client solutions executives who will be talking to you throughout the entire process.
It is important to understand the audience, context, and goal of the video that your video production agency will be creating. Businesses need to understand that they can only communicate one message at a time with one video. Your video can either be brand oriented or it can be product oriented. Playing on both the fronts gets most brands stuck. A good company will be open about these aspects of the project.
3. Hiring actors: A video will only be as good as the actors that are playing a part in it. The agency you hire will be responsible for hiring actors, helping them rehearse, giving them props, and ensuring that they give their 100%.
4. Film & Create: Now the script has been written, research has been done, and actors have been hired. The production team will take over from here and record the video as it needs to be recorded.
5. Add audio tracks: The agency will finalize the audio tracks, voiceover, and music that needs to be added to the video recording. This is one of their main responsibilities after the shoot.
6. Adding animation & motion graphics: A poorly edited video will not do well and that is why most companies edit the recorded video by adding motion graphics and cool animations to the original video. Excellent video production companies keep their animation experts in the storyboarding team so that they can give their output in the beginning of the process.
7. Broadcasting the video: A holistic video production company also takes the responsibility of broadcasting the video. It depends on your contract but some agencies also monitor the video’s analytics to check the performance.
Factors to consider while hiring a video production company
If this is your first time hiring a video production company, you should consider the following factors to make the right choice.
1. Note down your goals: It is crucial to understand what you wish to achieve with the video. This doesn’t mean that you should have the entire storyboard of the video ready but you should know what you wish to communicate.
Maybe you want an expert to come in and audit your existing content to provide a solution. The most common communication goals are increasing general brand awareness, promoting a particular product or service, displaying brand values, gathering support for a cause, establishing thought leadership, education, and more.
2. Your budget: Before you start looking at production companies, you should have a good idea of your budget. Create a range of budgets. How much can you pay comfortably? What will be over the budget for you? Most companies allocate 25% of their marketing budget to content creation. Having a clear budget in mind will help you shortlist the options.
Remember that hiring the cheapest option may not always be the best choice as it may cost you in the long run. The agencies that charge the least either provide low quality output or they end up charging you more in the process of completing the video. Bargain hunting shouldn’t be your priority. You should choose a production company that fits your budget and will be able to provide high quality video content in return.
3. Review the company’s case studies, portfolios, and testimonials: Once you have a few video production companies in mind, do check their past work in their portfolio. This will give you a brief idea of the company’s production capabilities and the technology they use.
Your goal is to review that they have the capability of handling your project by checking their portfolio. You should also check for case studies and testimonials. The reason that case studies have become relevant is because testimonials can be fake. Also ask the company for a few contacts where you can get honest feedback.
4. The production process: Once you choose a video development company, you will be working with them for quite some time and that is why you should take your time to learn about their production process before making a decision.
You should have a clear understanding of what input is expected from your side and if you will be able to provide the same. It is important for you to know when you will be able to view the finished video after shooting. How much time does it take for them to write a script, finish shooting, make edits, and then handover the video? Learn about their entire production process before finalizing a contract. Make sure that they let you know about all the details.
5. Value: It is a common term that you pay for the value that a company is generating through their product or service.
A lot of production companies can shoot and edit high quality videos for your Instagram reels but what value is that generating apart from a few likes? Most video production companies do not have the expertise to understand your marketing needs or monitor analytics. You should work with one that has the experience of creating content for a specific purpose and knows how to target the right audience with their videos.
Why Hire the IAM Group of Companies?
IAM Group of Companies is one of the best video production companies in India because we don’t just end our job when a video is posted. We also ensure that the video we created brings results by monitoring the analytics and performing research.
We are experienced in working with the marketing teams of various big brands and also perform in house marketing campaigns. Our video production company is equipped with high tech equipment and software to ensure that only high cut videos make it to our clients.