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Welcome to our digital marketing blog. Here you will find free advice discussing all the tips and tricks you need to make and promote the very best online content.

From practicalities on set to the latest digital marketing trends, we’ve learned—sometimes the hard way—what does and doesn’t work. Here we hope to impart the methods and techniques we’ve come to know and love.

Corporate Video Advice – Video Production Pricing 

By Corporate Video Production

A Guide to Video Production Pricing

We get asked this question quite often and it’s a question that it’s almost always impossible to give an accurate initial answer to. For most businesses who are planning on producing a film for either promotional and training purposes budget will be a key factor. We all want to ensure we get value for money and that we’re presented with realistic cost options upfront.

The main problem with film and video production is that there isn’t really an off the shelf cost that we can hand to new enquiries and to be honest you should be wary of anyone who does offer an upfront “package cost” for film production. There are so many variables marketing with video production pricing that need identifying and these have a huge influence on costs.

One of the most flattering things a client has ever said to me was “when we first saw your work we thought we couldn’t afford you”. I took this as a compliment but it really does illustrate how people’s perception varies as to how much video production costs. The truth is simple, film and video can be produced for ANY budget, but the production quality will directly reflect how much budget has been allocated to produce the project.

The Image below illustrates this well. The image quality increases from left to right in in line with the increased production budget.

video production pricing 

The quality and production levels of a £1500 project will be ideal for some customers and brands, whereas other companies will require a level of production that requires a budget nearer the £20K mark. At the far end of this scale we have clients and projects that require that “Hollywood look” and long periods of production with very large crews which only come with 6 figure budgets.

Video Production Pricing

So how should you go about establishing video production pricing that incorporates all your video production needs. Well after the initial discussion with your film production company (get quotes from several) you should expect them to do a location visit to see exactly what needs filming and how it should be done. What is physically required to be filmed is a key part of the cost. For example: a series of talking heads shots with a simple lighting setup is significantly cheaper than producing an elevated dynamic sweeping crane shots of a building, landmark or land area.

video production pricing

The location visit should be done on a non-obligation basis and used to really nail down the type of film you need. Once this is done you should expect the production company to produce a full breakdown of your video production pricing and a detailed quote. This should be provided along with a basic production script document that gives you a summary of what the final film will include both picture and sound wise. This will now allow you to get a good overview of what you’ll get for your money and offer options of areas where tweaks can be made.

If you decide to proceed engage the production company who should then start the pre-production in full and develop the skeleton shooting script into a fuller document for you to review prior to shooting.

To find out more about us and our services, please click here.

Why is a video marketing strategy so important?

By Digital Marketing

The Key to a Successful Video Marketing Strategy

Whether you like it or not, when people encounter your company (in whatever form) they make conscious and sub conscious judgments straight away that affect their feelings towards you as a company. This judgment will have at its core a basic emotion which is strong enough to influence the customer in both positive and negative ways. For instance the second a customer sees your logo for the first time they may form any one of countless sub-conscious opinions. For example:

“This company is fun”
“This company values quality”
“This company is forward thinking”
“This company is a trendsetter”
etc…

Think about the amount of time major companies spend developing logos. Most companies invest a great deal of time and money into creating a logo that encapsulates their brand and communicates to the customer exactly what their values and strengths are. This a also certainly true of websites, social media content, printed materials and pretty much any form of marketing or comms material you care to mention. If someone hands you a hand written business card you may question how well they would look after the output quality of any goods or services you might buy from them.

The Judgements People Make Based on Film

In the case of film and you video marketing strategy output these instant judgments that the customer is making are even stronger as the delivery medium (film) is one that is not only emotionally powerful, but it’s also a medium that they choose and are very much at home with. Customers absorb information via moving image and film constantly and as such their expertise in forming snap judgments based on watching such material should not be underestimated.

video marketing strategy

When we are approached to produce a video marketing strategy one of the first things we need to establish is where the customers brand needs to sit in terms of their existing and new customers expectations of their quality, values and output.

For example: if you sell luxury cars then your video marketing strategy output should reflect the quality, style and ultimately customer that you are trying to appeal to. This sounds very obvious in this example but it’s something that can easily be lost when discussing production budgets.

So be realistic about how the video you produce will be interpreted by the viewer. Try to imagine they have never encountered your brand before and anticipate what their initial reaction will be. Ultimately, treat your promotional film and video production as you would your company logo and invest time, money and thought into it to get the best possible results and create a positive impression.

To find out more about us and our services, please click here.

Online video explained – What is Pre-Production?

By Video Production Explained

Guide to Pre-Production of your Online Video

I often say that all the hard work should be done by the time you shoot your first few seconds of footage. Filming can be an expensive business if you fail to pre-plan exactly how each element of the shoot will pan out. When you receive a quote for producing a corporate film or promotional video you may be wondering exactly what the amount shown in “Pre-production” is spent on. Hopefully you’ll be working with a production company who have broken the Pre-production fee down and explained it clearly prior to the quote arriving. However, if this is not the case let’s try and throw a little light on the subject so you know exactly what your paying for and how valuable it actually is.

Online Video Production

Whether your production company is charging you for 1 day or 1 month of pre-production time will reflect the complexity of the shooting required. For example the work required to plan a simple talking head or vox pop shoot is minimal compared to a location based larger shoot with specific shot requirements. Although however large or small the project one thing is certain and that is that once filming commences even small things that have been overlooked in pre-production can take huge chunks out of your budget.

Online Video

For any small to medium sized corporate film or online video the following elements should be provided by your production company as part of their Pre-production fees:

Scripting/Storyboarding

We usually develop and agree with our clients with a script/storyboard that gives them a very accurate idea of how the film will pan out and what script/dialogue/voice over/action footage etc will be featured.

Location logistics

All access, safety and filming clearances should be confirmed in writing prior to filming.

Scheduling

Each shoot day should be already planned out very tightly with each element of shooting timed to include setup and re-takes.

Direction

The last thing you want to see your budget being spent on is the crew turning up on shoot day 1 and spending hours messing around trying to find the best angles to shoot from. The production company should have performed a site recce to establish this and also to check that the light and camera provision is correct.

Casting

It goes without saying that any actors appearing in a corporate online video will need casting before hand. However, If you’re using a voice over in the final edit you should also expect the production company to also send you a shortlist of suitable voices so that this element can be signed off prior to shooting to save time in post/editing.

There will also be other (sometimes surprising) elements depending on the nature of the online video being produced that will need thought and planning at this stage also. Without good pre-production you open yourself up to a wide range of unexpected risk factors which ultimately will cost you money and time. So when you’re production company presents you with a quote with Pre-production detailed you know exactly how they are spending their time and your money.

In fact the time to start worrying is when you are presented with a project quote with NO pre-production factored in!

To find out more about us and our services, please click here.

How do you create the best corporate video?

By Corporate Video Production

We share our 10 essential things to remember if your brief is to produce the best corporate video for your company.

Embarking on a video production project can be a daunting experience. There will be lots of factors that you will want to get right and so much that you could include within the film. It’s really easy to loose sight of the basics and we’ve been sent countless briefs from marketing departments that seemed like trouble even before a single frame of footage had been shot. The worst examples of which occur when we receive a brief that has clearly been developed by committee and is essentially every single idea submitted cobbled into one big mess!

There are however, some basic elements that-in most cases-should always be included in your film regardless of what else you wish to shoehorn in there. Some of these elements have their roots in basic salesmanship and have not really changed since the dawn of time (no matter what you’re SEO expert tells you). So here’s our short guide to producing the best corporate video possible.

1 – Start with who and what you are

Whether you use a voice over, interview extract or graphic, set your stall out right from the get go and communicate what you do and who you are. Don’t assume that just because the viewer clicked play that they already know you.

2 – Shiny happy people

A promo film full of miserable looking people wont make me warm to you or your product. If you are filming real people make sure someone interacts with them to provoke smiles for the camera. Remember they are not actors and very few people walk around wearing a constant grin so a little encouragement goes a long way.

3 – Make sure that you film’s storyline is basically NOT one long list!

Remember you are selling here. One of the oldest rules in the book is to highlight benefits NOT just the features. By simply banging on about what you offer tells the customer nothing about how your product/service can enhance their life!

best corporate video

4 – Ensure any staff that appear in your film are clean and presentable

This sounds like a no-brainer but you’d be amazed video how many shoots we’ve been on where staff have turned up looking like they’ve been on a night out with the grinch! Modern HD film will show up every little spec (so make sure fingernails are clean and scrubbed also)!

5 – Include a customer in your film

As a viewer I’m naturally suspicious if the entire cast of any promotional film have an obvious vested interest in telling me that they can turn water into wine! Therefore having one(or more) of your customers on screen telling me about why they love your company will add some authenticity and validation to your film.

6 – Future proof your film

You don’t want to go to the time and effort of producing the best corporate video you can only to realize that half the products/services featured are being updated next month. Re-editing can be costly so plan to produce and release your film to get the maximum usage within your product cycles.

7 – Look busy!

If you deal with the public and plan to have shots of exteriors/interiors where you customers will be then try to schedule filming for a day that is busy. Filming on busy days can be challenging but it’s usually worthwhile as it generates great feelgood shots and demonstrates your established popularity.

best corporate video

8 – Include a reference to your website.

Ideally you should bring the URL up as a graphic at some point but if not make sure you mention your site within the film.

9 – Ensure that your production agency archives all the footage.

You may wish to re-visit your film a few years down the line and create an updated version so when agreeing your initial budget with your production agency ensure they include full archiving of all footage and files.

10 – Close your film with something exciting!

Make sure your film doesn’t just peter out and lose impact. Include a strong CTA at the end. Maybe think about including an exclusive offer at the end of your film which will not only add punch but will also give you an excellent way to track the films effectiveness.

We hope you find the above useful and that it helps you produce the best corporate video possible for your brand or organisation. However if you have any further questions then please do not hesitate to contact us on the link below.

To find out more about us and our services, please click here.

Why video marketing works

By Corporate Video Production

6 Reasons Why Video Marketing Is Such a Powerful Tool For Businesses

You can’t budge on twitter these days without someone telling you how vital video is for your business. Pages and pages have been posted about how video can increase traffic to your website and benefit SEO. However I think it’s important we don’t lose sight of the more basic and immediate benefits that video brings to the brand/customer relationship. So let’s cut to the chase and look at the real reasons why we love consuming information in this way. Here’s my 6 key reasons why we engage so much more effectively with film and therefore why every business needs quality video content online.

It’s enjoyable!

Watching video (rather than reading pages and pages of copy) is essentially an enjoyable experience and one which can bring people and brands together. By being one part of this positive experience your brand gains instant “feelgood” factor from the other party (ie The viewer).

why video marketing

It’s Instant & Easy Communication

Video is very easily accessed whether the viewer is on a computer or mobile. Gone are the days of waiting 2 hours for 30 seconds of postage stamp sized video to stream to your computer! Online video is now slick, quickly accessed and presented in stunning HD. This is something that is all too often overlooked.

It’s Social

Video is effortlessly shared and people love to use social media platforms to discuss and comment on great films.

It’s Involving

Copy is fine but it simply doesn’t have the explosive power that combined sound and image can deliver. Film allows us to show and tell at the same time creating a richer, more emotional experience.

It Works

A well produced video can instantly change or re-enforce customers perception of your brand. It can change perception from stuffy and traditional to hi tech and forward thinking in a second. This alone makes it an incredibly powerful tool and is one of the key reasons why video marketing is so effective.

why video marketing 

Video can show an insight into the development process.

It’s Memorable

People don’t forget a great film so video is a great way to make a strong first impression. Your customers will instantly make a subconscious judgment about you when they experience your film and this should make you stand out from your competitors.

By focusing on these fundamental benefits you will produce film and video that informs and entertains the viewer and ultimately will help drive new customers towards your brand.

To find out more about us and our services, please click here.