But when it comes time to showcase your services, train employees in new behaviors or inform and educate your end-users, are you sure you want an amateur video to be the face of your business? Amateur videos are akin to sweatpants: super comfortable and fun for hanging out and watching football at home, but not appropriate for, say, a job interview. And a high-end job interview is exactly what a professionally produced and directed video or TV commercial is for your company.
Not all content marketing is the same. Can you spot the differences in these two short videos: one produced by an amateur and the other by a professional production team?
Wake up and smell the coffee.
A professional video will help you introduce your information (via TV or the web for example) in an appealing way to both existing and potential clients. Starting with a strategic concept followed by skilled copy writing, photography (featuring the best in audio and lighting), graphic design and editing, the look, feel and tone you choose to set will reflect the importance you and your company place on the topic at hand.
When you hire a team to create a professional video for your business, you are communicating that your company expects and delivers a high quality product. What can you expect from a professional video?
Mama was Right: You Get What You Pay For
Let’s just put all the cards out on the table. If you request quotes (as you should) from a few different vendors, and one comes in significantly lower than the rest, alarm bells should go off in your head. The old adage about getting what you pay for is never more appropriate than with video production. “Carl” who lives in his parents’ basement may quote you $500 for a “high-quality” video, but you would probably be better off using your iPhone and a karaoke machine. Professional content marketing videos involve producer time, director time, crew members and post-production. Full insurance coverage is also included in a professional production budget to address any possible liability issues. Amateur Carl’s lack of insurance puts both you and him at risk. In the end, you get what you pay for.
Pre-Production: the Roadmap to Success
The planning, or Pre-Production, phase is the most important to ensure a smooth production experience. After quotes are exchanged and you have chosen your production team, the real fun begins. At Contrast Creative, for example, we work in collaboration with our clients to coordinate planning meetings and concept development. Pre-Production also involves script development, script writing and script review. As a client, you will have the chance to give input and make revisions based on your company’s goals. A professional production company will audition and hire actors; assemble a talented and experienced production crew; and devise a well-organized and detailed production schedule to act as our roadmap to successful project completion.
Production: Choreographed Perfection
By the time the production day or days roll around, the legwork is complete. Producers make sure your project is running on time, without a hitch. While clients enjoy the fun hustle and bustle of a production day, your producers are handling minor glitches, answering questions, keeping your project on time and on budget and communicating with all members of the project. The director and crew are capturing the look and feel promised during Pre-Production. We provide all video production equipment, crew and manage all talent details, including obtaining all necessary release forms from the actors. All speaking parts require microphones and constant sound monitoring, and each part of the scene is lit to perfection. More than one camera often captures the scene, making your end product top-notch. Everything is shot in HD or higher quality.
Post Production: Making Your Project Sing
With your production days a mere memory, your project still has a long way to go before it’s complete. During the Post-Production process, a professional production company’s editing team will seamlessly blend interview comments and/or acting scenes, graphics and a library or custom music score into customized videos or commercials. Editing will take beautiful videography and make it sparkle. Verbal flubs, loud trucks or clattering A/C systems that may have been a problem on-set never see the light of day in the editing suite. You, as a client, are given two review rounds to approve the offline edits and make comments. Your completed project highlights all of the best moments, and the sophisticated video that you hope current and potential clients will associate with your company comes alive with editing magic.
Rave Reviews and ROI Await You
High-resolution, well-produced videos have the ability to span platforms. While lower-quality, or amateur, videos may look fine on Vine for a short period of time, you can share your professional content marketing video in any application, from professional trade shows to YouTube to TV to your own website. When you take the time and invest in the best, the end result will leave a lasting impression on your viewers (customers, employees, alumni, donors…and so forth). So keep playing and having fun with six-second videos. But when you’re ready for a high-production-quality commercial or video, research your options. Get involved in the production process. And celebrate the ROI you’ll gain when you choose strategy, quality and professionalism over singing cats and dogs.