Getting started with video is a big step for any business. But once you have, the rewards will come thick and fast! Video enables you to generate leads from social networks – and to target buyers that fit your exact profile.
DIY videos can be tempting, but considering they are the first look at your company that many people will get, this is a risky approach. Instead, hiring an agency can help your firm stand out above your competition, and grow your bottom line quickly. It is also easy to measure ROI with video, and you can create calls to action to steer your potential buyers around your products and services according to their center of interest.
Corporate video is a buyers’ market
Setting about choosing a new agency to produce your animated videos is the first step in your new project. With almost countless options to choose from, you can take your pick based on the top criteria you are looking for.
Before you make any contact with companies that provide corporate video production services, put together a brief overview of your video campaign goals. Use this to send to some shortlisted agencies to avoid having to have the same conversation several times over – doing so will make your recruitment more efficient.
You can use this to provide an overview of your industry, business, your main products and services, and the target personas you are looking to sell to. Lastly, let them know your thoughts for your videos and what you are looking to achieve with them. This can be brand awareness, lead generation or instant purchases.
When you send this, also send the agencies some short questions such as how they would position your products and services. It will not be possible to explain everything through the form of written replies, but this will at least give you some basis to progress to a shortlisting stage.
Once you have some candidates you like, send your overview to them and ask them to respond to you with some ideas on how they would envisage bringing your content onto the small screen. This will let your shortlisted agencies know you are serious about moving forward, and that winning your business is worth putting a little effort into!
The finer details
When you have received and reviewed some replies from agencies, it is time to close in on your final decision. At this point you should ask your final stage candidates their billing models and how they approach revisions. You need to be happy with the final end product, so it is important to understand how many revisions you will get as part of the standard price.
Also understand how you are billed. Is it on an hourly basis, per project milestone, or on a retainer. You need to be comfortable with this and it needs to fit within your business cashflow. If you do not like the first model your favorite agency propose, discuss this with them and be open as to why. Going into the relationship with both parties on the same page will be good for the longevity and productivity.
Bringing your brand to life
Even for smaller firms, video can make you appear much bigger than the sum of your parts! You can look forward to getting started with your agency to bring your brand to life. The combination of your knowledge of your products and customers coupled with the agency’s skills in creating compelling video is a potent one for getting you success!
Armed with their detailed knowledge, look for the agency to come back with proposals on what your first videos will look like. It is a good idea to serialize your videos to maximize their effectiveness and put them in front of viewers on a regular basis.
Sit down and brainstorm the best calls to action to include at the end of each video. This will ensure you have the best possible chance to turn your viewers into website traffic or better! Consider using dedicated landing pages for each video so that you can test which ones are converting best from the different social media platforms.
Another key trick is to optimize your videos to appear in the feeds of each social network. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn all have different dimensions for videos that allow them to display correctly in viewers’ feeds. With social networks now being viewed mainly from apps, this has become even more important.
Above all, embrace your journey into video! You have made an important step in your firm’s marketing, so enjoy and optimize along the way.
