How to Choose a Video Production Company [With Checklist]

Many business owners and marketers hold videos in such high regard, and it’s for good reason. Videos bring plenty of advantages and can be used in a variety of ways.

For instance, video testimonies can be used by businesses to showcase how satisfied their clients are with their services. Educational or explainer videos can help brands drive more awareness for their products. Video marketing can be leveraged to drive sales and engage with potential customers.

As important as videos are, establishing an in-house video production team isn’t the most practical route for businesses with limited resources, especially for those who only need videos occasionally.

Video production companies are the experts when it comes to delivering high-quality videos. These professionals can handle every stage of the video production process — pre-production, production, and post-production.

Since there are many types of videos, each video production company has its own core expertise and focus.  Some may offer a vast range of services and some may dedicate themselves to certain kinds of videos.

Regardless, the success of your video project hinges on the partner you go with. The right video production company will understand your vision and turn it into a good video.

Continue reading this step-by-step piece and we’ll dive into all the factors you need to consider when choosing the right video production provider.

1. Define Your Objectives

Videos have different purposes for every business. Before you go on and explore different video production companies, it’s important to fully comprehend your business needs.

Here are some questions to answer when defining your objectives:

• What will you use the video for?
• What type of video do you need?
• What type of video production services do you need? (e.g. do you need them to handle the entire production process?)
• How many videos do you need?

Sit down with your team to plan your priority list. You can differentiate each item by labeling them as low, medium, or high-level priority to make your search easier.

Defining your goals and creating a priority list will help you prepare a proper budget, identify the right service provider, and communicate your requirements effectively with potential service providers.

It will be tempting to immediately contact a service provider, especially if you’ve recently seen their ads online. However, it’s a must that you accomplish these initial steps so you can avoid any risks and misunderstandings when trying to discuss your plans with a potential partner. 

2. Set A Budget

Video production projects aren’t cheap. As business owners, it’s important to be prepared when planning to hire a partner to get the most return on investment (ROI).

Budgeting in video production is important as it determines many aspects of the final product. The steps, equipment, and location are just some areas that it will directly impact.

After you’ve determined your main objective, it’s time to research the average costs of similar projects as yours. The information you’ve gathered will help you prepare a fitting budget for your needs.

One of the most important factors to consider when creating a budget is how much are you willing to spend for your video. It doesn’t have to be an exact figure, what matters is that you have a ballpark budget to go off of.

In addition to that, don’t forget to consider the timeline of your project. Will you need a long-term video production partnership or do you only have a one-time project? The timeline is always a big variable.

Read up on video production budgets here: “How to Create a Video Production Budget [with Template]”

3. Vet Potential Partners

Now that you have your priority list and budget prepared, the third stage is to go through different resources such as Clutch and The Manifest to find potential partners.

Clutch is a B2B reviews and ratings website that has extensive rankings of the leading video production companies. The platform allows potential corporate clients to filter the lists efficiently by location, production team size, and budget.

Typically, business owners vet the potential agencies on four main factors:

• Services offered: Do they offer related services such as casting, scriptwriting, and even VFX?
• Expertise in specific types of videos: Do they have experience or expertise in the type of video that you need? e.g. testimonial videos, animated videos, or social media videos
• Cost: Do their rates align with your budget?
• Company size: Do you need an extensive team or will a small team do?

Aside from those, you should also assess potential partners by their soft skills like responsiveness and timeliness when considering them.

4. Shortlist the Best Providers

The fourth step of the entire process is to shortlist the top service providers that meet your criteria. When doing this, reading more about a video production company’s profiles, client reviews, and case studies on Clutch is a huge benefit.

Reading through in-depth reviews is great to help you gauge the service provider’s skills and projects from their prior client’s perspective. This ensures that you avoid biased stories from the vendor.

Moreover, case studies or portfolios will give you more context and details regarding their partnerships. Generally, these portfolios map out how they handled the partnership, met the goals of their client, and delivered the final output.

As you build your shortlist, don’t forget that your priorities and budget should be its main foundations. Keep your shortlist close and don’t go beyond six firms so you don’t waste time interviewing many different vendors.

5. Conduct Interviews 

Once you’ve compiled a shortlist of potential partners, it’s time to reach out to them to ask for a Request For Proposal (RFP) and schedule an interview.

An RFP is a document that details a vendor’s services and is a formal bid for a project or partnership. If HR recruiters use resumes as their basis when interviewing a potential new employee, the RFP will serve as your guide when you consult with the vendor.

Even if you’re the interviewer, don’t come in unprepared. Do your research before the schedule and note down all potential questions to ask the video production agency.

Here is a set of questions that you can ask:

• What types of clients have they worked with?
• Are my video ideas practical? If not, what do you suggest we change or tweak?
• Are my budget and expected timeline realistic for my project?
• How do we balance creative control?
• How many revision provisions do you offer?
• What filming equipment and editing tools does your team use?
• How do you plan your storyboard?
• Can you share with us a win or a highlight from your recent projects?

Give the vendor the chance to clarify whatever concerns you may have and make sure to ask everything on top of your mind when you meet with them.

Lastly, the perfect service provider will provide answers that give you confidence. If you don’t feel sold with them during the interview, then maybe they’re not the right fit for you.

Get ready to conduct interviews and read more here: “B2B Partnerships: Questions to Ask Potential Business Partners”

6. Narrow Down the Options

The answers they provided during the interviews and the data you’ve gathered will ultimately help you narrow down your options to determine which firm to hire.

Of course, you can gather your co-owners and even your marketing heads to discuss which service provider is the best fit for your project.

Think hard about the decision. Did you feel like they understood your project? Did they give you the reassurance that they can execute your ideas? Be sure you weigh in all the factors that matter most to you.

This part can be overwhelming for some but if you stay aligned with your objectives and priorities, you’ll see that it’s not a complicated choice. 

7. Hire the Ideal Video Production Company

The last step is to officially hire the partner you feel the most comfortable and confident with. After you and your team decide which service provider to go with, reach out to let them know about your choice and formally request a Service Level Agreement (SLA) or a Video Production Agreement (VPA).

An SLA or VPA is a legal contract between a video production company and a client. The document should include crucial details such as the deliverables, responsibilities of both parties, revision provisions, and payment terms.

Before signing an SLA or VPA, make sure you read everything carefully to avoid unnecessary risks on your end. Contract reviews are essential to know whether you’ll need to negotiate a few terms. 

How to Choose a Video Production Company [Checklist]

Make sure every box is checked here in this checklist when you’re exploring for a potential video production partner.

Download our video production checklist to help with your search. 

Produce Great Videos with a Great Partner

Because of the internet, videos have become more essential to businesses. On a daily basis, the average individual watches 1 hour and 40 minutes of video content. Many experts believe that the figure will continue to increase in the coming years as consumer behavior constantly shifts.

Choosing the right video production company is a crucial decision that can greatly impact the success of your investment and goals.

Work with a partner that jives with your culture, understands your vision, and gives you more confidence. Start your search by going through the best video production companies on Clutch.