7 Things to Consider Before Purchasing a Video
No matter how old you are, there’s a good chance that the word “homework” sends a shiver down your spine.
It’s OK if it does – we understand. We still get anxious when we hear the ‘Antiques Roadshow’ theme tune, as the memories of leaving our trigonometry assignment and English essay till that time on a Sunday evening come flooding back.
For all of us here at Stone’s Throw our school days are a long way behind us now*, but the subject of “homework” hasn’t entirely left us as we’ve moved into working life.
In this blog entry, we wanted to put the boot on the other foot, and set some non-scary “homework” of our own, for those of you lovely people thinking of working with us on a video production in the future.
So, without any further ado, here it is:
7 things to consider before purchasing a video
If you’ve never utilised video productions for your business before, well, we’re absolutely disgusted.
In all seriousness, we know that purchasing a video for the first time from us (or any other video production company, of course) can be a daunting prospect.
You know you want one, and that it will be of benefit, but how do you get the absolute most out of it and the most “bang for your buck”?
Well, this is where our little piece of homework can seriously help you out.
“Fail to prepare, prepare to fail” goes the old mantra, but considering these 7 things pre-purchase will make sure that you are as prepared as possible regarding how your video will work and what it will achieve.
So, what are these 7 things?
TYPE OF VIDEO
Let’s start with the basics! Do you have a preference regarding the nature of your video?
Maybe it’s an animation you’re looking for to help explain a difficult concept, or maybe you have an aerial video in mind to show off the exterior of your organisation’s premises.
We’re not one trick ponies – we can turn our hand to all manner of different video types. Why not have a look at our Services pages for proof?
LENGTH OF VIDEO
Once you’ve settled on the video format, do take a moment to think about the best length of your video.
If you need help with this – we have some good news! We’ve already penned a blog for you on this very topic!
SOLVING PROBLEMS
This is a big one. Why are video productions so important for organisations? It’s because they help to solve problems.
If you’re paying good money for a video, it shouldn’t just be because you think it will look cool.
Primarily, your video production needs to serve a purpose and it needs to tackle a problem you’ve identified as one you want getting rid of e.g. To provide an overview of an event interested parties couldn’t attend on the day, or to promote a course and showcase its benefits to prospective students.
TONE AND STYLE
You probably already know how your company perceives itself and its standard tone of voice. It’s really important that any video production of yours reflects this!
Thinking about the tone and style of your video doesn’t take long, but it can be absolutely crucial in determining its success. Don’t talk in the wrong language to your target audience!
BUDGET
As we’re British, we hate talking about money, but at this point we feel we need to.
Thinking about the budget you have to play with should be prominent in your mind throughout this whole process. It’s OK to dream it – but can you fulfil it?! (That isn’t a recognised mantra, we just made it up)
Don’t worry – we can cater for different budget levels and we think all our video productions are certainly value for money, but it’s just common sense to be realistic when considering what video to ask us to make for you.
Thinking about this now saves time for us, too! Asking our Matt to quote up a 10 minute long whiteboard animation only for him to then find out that your budget is a Mars bar and the 67p you’ve found down the side of the sofa is going to make him furious.
TARGET AUDIENCE
We touched on this earlier, but it’s certainly worth thinking about a bit more.
Who is your target audience, and what kind of video would they want to see? This may not be applicable to your organisation of course – a company selling toilet rolls markets to…well….everyone.
If you do have a niche market however, think about them. Make sure your video works as effectively as possible for your business. Otherwise, what’s the point?
PREVIOUS EXAMPLES
Finally, consider whether there are any existing videos out there (either created by us or others) that you’d like your video to emulate.
This may not seem as important a consideration as the others, but finding an existing video which you love can really help you to understand what your video will consist of and how it will play out.
So, there’s our homework for you – 7 things to consider before you purchase a video production with us. Once you’ve done that, and ‘Antiques Roadshow’ has ended, why not drop us a line?
Visit our Contact Us page to do so right now!
* Except for Oli, the youngster of the office (although we’re unsure whether he actually went to school or not)
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