Five Questions to Consider Before Starting a Video Project
For many marketers, the first foray into video content can be a scary one. If you’re not prepared, wading into new territory can easily leave you frustrated, disoriented, and super stressed out. That’s why we’ve come up with a list of questions that every marketer should ask themselves before starting a video project.
1. Why do I want to make this video?
Maybe you want to drive traffic to your website. Perhaps you want to encourage people to pick up the phone, or make a purchase. Maybe you want to build excitement inside your organization.
Whatever your reasons for making a video might be, make sure you have a goal in mind, and make sure it’s specific.
There may be chances to repurpose your content later on, but knowing what outcome you want will ensure your video isn’t trying to serve two masters.
By relying less on audio to tell the story, this event video for Bucher + Suter’s Mobile Connect is designed to work just as well in a noisy, crowded trade-show booth as in a quiet office.
These kinds of questions will fundamentally change what kind of video you end up with, so it’s important to know your distribution channels when you’re first starting a video project.
3. Who is going to watch this video?
Always Consider Your Audience
There is nothing more important to successful video marketing than understanding and considering the person who will eventually be watching the content you produce.
Whether it’s an internal sales force, or an easily distracted web visitor, knowing your audience changes everything from duration, to visual style, to distribution.
4. What kind of budget do you need for this video to be successful?
Producing any video isn’t enough, you need to make sure your video fills its purpose (remember question #1).
If you already have a budget, make a list of what your expectations for the video are, and see if they line up. If you don’t, check out our guide for budgeting for video.
It can be hard to lock down a budget, especially when you’re first starting a video project, so don’t worry if you don’t have an exact number. Understanding your range, or having a general impression can really inform what kind of creative concept your production partner can realistically produce for you.
5. Do you have a deadline?
Making a video the right way takes time, so if you’ve got the luxury, try to set a deadline that is 6-8 weeks out before starting a video project.
If you’ve got a big event, and the video absolutely has to be turned around in a short time frame, be prepared to pay a little extra, or watch the quality suffer (see Good, Fast, Cheap). In any case, knowing if and when you have a hard deadline will ensure you get a realistic quote from your video production partner.
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