Questions To Ask Yourself Before Starting A Video

Your business needs a video, but where do you to start? Before you hire a media agency or start interviewing videographers, ask yourself these 10 important questions to streamline your next project.

1.HOW QUICKLY DO YOU NEED THAT VIDEO?

Planning an ideal timeline will give you enough time to prepare for a video while keeping your expectations realistic. If you need a video to be shot, edited and approved by the end of the week, you will have to spend a lot of time researching and quoting videographers that can commit to such a restrictive deadline.

2. HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU SPEND?

By answering these first 2 questions you and your team will have a clear idea on how reasonable your expectations should be. We’ve written a whole article around the question of how much does a video costs and the factors that can influence the final price. In our blog, we explain how the length of a video and the urgency for a finished product can greatly alter its final price.  Give yourself enough time to plan and speak openly with your videographer on how your budget will be used most efficiently.

3. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO USE YOUR VIDEO?

Videos perform better when they are created with a purpose!  What are you trying to achieve with this video Will this be a single video for your website or a series in a social media marketing campaign? When creating a video, having a clear goal allows it to be optimized for all social platforms in your marketing strategy.

4. HOW WILL YOU MEASURE ROI?

Measuring video success isn’t a one size fits all answer. A video that is supposed to generate more leads can be measured by its click-through rate, while a 30-second comical video clip will be judged by a number of shares, comments, and likes. When you clearly define your goals BEFORE you start creating a video, you can accurately measure its ROI.

5. WHAT’S THE APPROVAL PROCESS?

In other words, who needs to approve) the project? This is a clear acknowledgment of who is involved in the production and how many levels of approval there will be. By having various phases of back and forth and revisions with other departments can extend a project by several weeks. So it’s important to have all team members on the same page to keep the momentum alive!

6. HOW LONG WILL YOUR VIDEO BE?

This question doesn’t necessarily need an answer right away. In fact, it may be better to not know and hear what your content strategist has to say. Digital media agencies should know that there is a direct correlation between the length of your video and the attention span of your customers, so they can advise you if your 20-minute video idea is the best direction for your social media campaign.

7. WHO IS THIS VIDEO TARGETING?

The success of video comes down to knowing and understanding your audience. The answer should go deeper than general labels like ‘mothers’, or ‘millennials’. Knowing ‘who’ your customers are will lead you to the why. Why do they need your products and services? How are you making their lives easier or beneficial? Business owners who understand the emotional connections at play hold the secret to a video’s (and their companies) success!

8. WHAT ARE YOUR ARTISTIC NEEDS?

Does your video need music? A script? Or even an idea? The more artistic input your video needs, the more creatives will be involved.  This not only increases the size of the production, but also the time spent planning and approving the process. Business profile videos generally require less creative work, usually consisting of uncopyrighted music, basic script and possibly a voice-over.

9. WHAT WORK IS SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE?

If you don’t know what you want, you probably have an idea of what you DON’T want. Answering either side of this question gives you a sense of the tone and direction to work with. Using references of what you really like can significantly help the tone of your video especially if you don’t know how to word it.

10. EVEN IF IT’S NOT A FULL CONCEPT, DO YOU HAVE AN IMAGE OR DETAIL THAT YOU WANT TO BE INCLUDED AND YOU FEEL IS WORTH MENTIONING?

I know the question is a mouth full but what's its importance to YOUR overall happiness with the video? Is there something (even if it's small) you’d want in the video that would make you really happy? Do you want your dog in the video? To only be shot from your left side? Or steer clear from cheesy questions? Those little details can really transform how you feel about your finished product. Even if ALL your ideas can’t be incorporated, it gives your videographer a better sense of your personality and transmits that into your video, making your business more relatable and trustworthy.

Video success starts with strategic and open communication. By asking yourself these fundamental questions you will have a better understanding of what your goals are before starting your next video.

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