Video marketing is good for your bottom line. It’s the most sought-after content on the internet – and the kind most likely to drive buyer behavior.
But you’re not a videographer, a director, or an actor. You’re a business leader.
The shortest path to making video marketing work for you isn’t “DIY.” It’s a video marketing agency. The key word here is video.
There are tons of marketing agencies (and people working from Starbucks claiming to be a marketing agency) but there are very few, truly full-service marketing agencies that do video. That’s one reason why it can be tough to find the right one for you, even if you have a clear idea of what you want.
Paper Jacket is here to make things easier.
Even if you don’t decide to work with us, you deserve to make an informed choice. Nothing peeves us off more than fake video marketing, including the old bait and switch:
“We COULD do all your video marketing for you – or we could teach you to do it yourself.”
If you didn’t want to do it all yourself in the first place, why take that deal? You shouldn’t.
Here are five questions you can ask to know that a video marketing company is right for you:
1. “Where are you located?”
Video isn’t like other forms of digital marketing. It needs to be done on location or it just doesn’t work.
Usually, only video marketers near you are serious about giving you the high quality of work you deserve. Most that are more than a hundred miles away will give you the “DIY” runaround (with some very rare exceptions.)
A good video marketing company knows how to manage travel – and won’t break the bank to do it. Like costing a project and developing a timeline, travel is just one more input to make the job successful. If they can’t figure it out, you’re better off going with a team that can.
Paper Jacket is located in Tampa but we shoot where we’re needed. Thanks to years of experience, we’re one of the few truly nationwide video marketing agencies. We can and do travel across the country on a regular basis. If you use an out-of-state marketing company, make sure they can meet you where you are.
2. “Are you insured?”
What’s the worst that could happen without insurance? A lot.
If you’re looking for a service like video production, you probably have what they call a “brick and mortar” location.
Your video marketing team will be in and out of your facility. They’ll be setting up lights, camera, and the rest. They might even be climbing up on ladders. You don’t want to be on the hook later if somebody slips and falls.
Just like your roofer, your landscaper, and anyone else who does work around your house, contractors doing a project at your place of business should have insurance:
- General liability
- Professional liability
- Proper endorsements
- Workers’ compensation
If something goes wrong, your video marketing partner’s insurance is your first line of defense – not only for your people, but also for your customers, facility, and equipment. Paper Jacket has it all, with the proper evidence ready to go. Plus, everyone on our team has a current background check and always wears visible identification.
3. “How long will it take?”
Post-production varies based on how complex your project is, but a good video marketer shouldn’t keep you waiting.
If you work with Paper Jacket, you’ll usually see your finished product within 2-3 weeks of shooting. If we expect your work to take longer, we’ll let you know so you understand exactly what your timeframe is.
Lots of companies promise ultra-fast turnaround. The problem is, you’re already in too deep to back out when you discover they’re not actually going to keep those high promises. And if they do, it often means that they’ll cut the quality in favor of speed. It takes experience to deliver both – and to do it consistently every time.
4. “What kind of equipment will you bring?”
The best answer is always: “Whatever the scope requires.”
If you’ve been reading about video marketing for any length of time, you’ve heard SOMEONE say “smartphone video is good enough.” They’ve probably told you that a grainy video is more relatable or “behind the scenes.”
You know, because it’s “authentic”.
Professional video marketers take a different approach. We know that the quality of your footage (and more importantly, your lighting and audio) is a reflection of your brand. Your customers want a brand that bolsters confidence – not creates questions about your ability to do the job.
When Paper Jacket’s production vans roll in, it’s game on.
The company you hire should come equipped and prepared for almost all contingencies. We hit the scene with equipment for just about every circumstance: lighting, cabling, audio, batteries, and all the rest. We’re ready to execute on the scope and handle last-minute adjustments that might come up during the process, too.
5. “How much will this cost?”
We’ve said it before: The price of video marketing should be easy to understand.
The harder it is to understand a service offering, the easier it becomes to end up paying for something you don’t want or need. Media production is complex, so if the company you want to hire can’t provide easy-to-understand pricing based on a clearly communicated scope of work … run.
Paper Jacket prides itself on clarity, transparency, and pricing you can wrap your head around. Our lists of pre-built scopes make ideation and scoping faster. We account for everything upfront so you don’t have to sweat the details later: That includes, for example, every penny of travel costs for projects that require it.
When the Only Surprises You Want Are Good Ones, Choose Paper Jacket
Video marketing is complicated. That doesn’t mean what you get from it should be a surprise. Paper Jacket takes the mystery out of it and leaves you with exactly what works.
As the video marketing team who gets you, it’s our job to proactively bring your vision to life. We are artists at heart, but uncharacteristically pragmatic – and we make sure your media assets are optimized for success.
Hey, you don’t have to choose us for your video but if you don’t, make sure you get darn good answers to these five questions. When you do, you’re much more likely to have a successful engagement that gets you closer to your goals. And if nothing quite fits, you can always use the team with the proven record – Paper Jacket.
Contact us to set up a consultation.
