David wanted to create a brand video for his company. It seemed like a great way to promote his business and share his vision with many people. He hired a friend to bring a camera to his office, and he started rambling about everything he thought people would want to know about his brand.

After several attempts and a lot of frustration, David realized creating a video wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be. David could have saved a lot of precious time by putting a plan in place and taking the time to answer ten big questions.

10 Questions to Ask Before You Create Your Video

1. Why are you creating this video?

When you’re planning your video, every decision you make should point back to your video's purpose and what action you'd like your audience to complete after watching it.

• Do you want to increase brand awareness?
• Sell more tickets?
• Launch a new product?

2. Who's your target audience?

Dig deeper than just identifying a segment of people. Create an audience persona.

• How does your audience talk, dress, and think?
• Where do they live?
• Are they predominately male or female?

3. Who should be in your video?

There are typically a lot of players involved in making a video. Keep the video experts behind the camera, and put your best people in front of it.

• Who communicates well?
• Who feels passionate about your brand?
• Who has an incredible testimony?
• Will you hire talent or use people in your organization?

4. Where is your video going to live?

There should be a strategy behind where people find your video and how they get there.

• Will your video be housed on your website?
• Will you use it as a lead generator and send it in an email?
• Will it live behind a landing page form?
• What social channels will you use to host it?

5. When is your video due?

Take a reverse-engineering approach to create a timeline. Start with your launch date and work backward.

• When do you need to launch the video?
• How long will it take to edit and approve?
• When should the shoot date be scheduled?
• How far before the shoot date do you need the script?
• When should you invite your talent to be involved?

6. What's your budget?

Videos can be expensive, but they don’t have to be. A video that you have a few months to produce will have a different budget and creative scope than a video you need to turn around in a few days. Do some research and set realistic parameters, especially before you answer the following question.

7. What is the creative scope of your video?

With your budget, skills, and resources in mind, think about how creative you want to get.

• Do you have a storyboard or outline of the shots you need to acquire?
• Do you have the filming and editing skills your vision requires?
• Do you need a designer to create lower third graphics?
• Are you going to create an animated video or a live-action video?
• What roadblocks could potentially arise?

8. Where will you shoot your video?

You may decide you need only one location to highlight your brand opportunities, or going to multiple locations may tell a better story.

• Do you need permission to shoot at that location?
• Will you shoot drone shots?
• Will you need props?

9. Who will create your video script?

It’s always best to have a plan in place when it comes to what you’re going to say.

• Do you need to hire a scriptwriter to communicate your message?
• Will you prepare lines for each person involved?
• How long will your video be, and does your script fit into that time limit?

10. How would you define the success of your video?

Choose several key performance indicators (KPI’s) that correspond with your video goals. These should be S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-sensitive). Does success look like:

• A specific number of emails captured?
• A certain amount of sales?
• Clicks to your website?
• New subscribers?

You Can Alleviate the Pressure

The video production process can seem daunting at first glance. There are a lot of steps involved in the planning—from the initial brainstorming to writing a script, securing locations, and all the technicalities of production and editing.

One benefit of working with a video company is that we already have all the processes in place. We are very familiar with the costs and timeframes associated with each component of production, and we know how to set accurate expectations—and stick to them.

If you hire a production company, make sure they:

• Understand your marketing goals
• Capture your vision for the creative concept
• Know your budget and timeline
• Have all the other criteria needed to make the video of your dreams. 

Production companies are a one-stop-shop that can save your company time and money in the long run. You’ll get updates throughout the process without being bogged down by every detail the way you would if you were managing the production yourself.

Finally, working with a video production company means fostering a relationship. If you end up needing new content at any point in the future, your production company should already understand your preferences and how your 

business works. Working with someone who understands your passion and vision is invaluable, which is why many businesses select one video production company to handle all their video content exclusively. The unique relationship you develop allows your video content to grow and innovate in a way that aligns with your brand. 

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