Don’t hire a “video guy” for your next Chicago video production

Congratulations! Your company has just decided to hire video professionals for your next video project. Jan from Sales refers a friend she calls a “video guy”. Hmmm…

What the heck is a “video guy” anyway? We feel the need to raise some red flags here. The guy with the camera isn’t actually making your videos. He’s just recording footage. Sure, Jan from Sales’ friend offered to “shoot” the video for a low, low price, and he really wants to be your “video production Chicago guy”. But does he understand what you’re trying to accomplish by creating and using video as part of your marketing plan? Maybe you’re trying to keep costs down so that your boss won’t cringe at the mention of this video project. And you’re probably thinking that if you save money on the shoot, the editing can make up for any flaws in the footage.

Your graphic designer, Amy has a little experience with editing home videos in iMovie. You turn the footage over to her. But when the she gets the footage from the video guy, she is overwhelmed by the task at hand.

Remember the game “telephone”, where everyone sits in a circle and one person starts the game by whispering something into the next person’s ear, and the “message” gets sent all the way around the circle? Some, usually bizarre, transformation takes place as the message travels from ear to ear. You start off with, “Our team is the best!” and it turns into “I got my teeth pulled.”

By the time the video works it’s way back to you, it has become something …unexpected. It looks like it could be entered into a student experimental film contest. It’s full of gritty gray images of the factory with crazed jump cuts of overcaffeinated Dan repeating the word, “sales”. Now that the video is “done”, the video’s been shared on YouTube and embedded on your website. The thumbnail looks a little strange and when the video is over, it links to competitor’s videos.

Ugh. This isn’t what you had in mind.

Here’s an alternate scenario: imagine, working with a Chicago video production and video marketing team that ensures all your video is part of a larger video marketing strategy. This way, from scripting to shooting to editing, your strategic needs are addressed every step of the way. Appointments were made with Dan in advance. He was on-script. He got a good night’s sleep and he is his usually personable self. The B-roll is clear and full of images of the product with sharp details. This shoot will directly meet the needs of your planned video message. Post-production wasn’t full of ugly surprises of unusable audio or footage that didn’t work with wildly creative attempts to make it work.

And, there is a clear plan on how this video will be delivered to your intended audience because you’re now using a business-focused video hosting service (with a player customized to your brand that won’t drive viewers over to your competitor’s websites or videos).

This is why we suggest a big-picture view of video. Instead of handing off the project to “video guys”, we think it makes sense to start with a video marketing strategy to guide your project from conception to completion. Imagine your boss when she sees this video: the message is clear, the images memorable, and it fits perfectly into the more recent marketing strategy that she approved. Creating a strategy first, then a series of messages, AND then a video means your video creation makes sense to everyone: your marketing team, your CEO, and most importantly your customers. You have a blueprint to follow. And if the message is, “You’ll love our team”, then the video will clearly be about how you help your customers with no mention of dental work.