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Creating an Explainer Video? 9 Questions to Ask Your Production Company

      If your startup company needs to deliver a message in an exciting, engaging way, an explainer video can be one of the most effective ways to target an audience. Explainer videos are short (typically between 1 to 3 minutes in duration, more on why below) and simplified, and are designed to explain your business, products or services to customers with exciting audiovisual content instead of trying to get your message across with boring text.

      One of the key benefits of a well-produced explainer video lies in its power to convert. Recent reports claim that anywhere from 64% to 85% of website visitors are more likely to buy a product on a retail site after viewing a video. Without question, explainer videos increase sales and leads, and startup businesses that incorporate video marketing into their marketing strategy see higher click-through rates, higher engagement rates, and higher conversion.

      Another benefit of startup videos are that they’re highly shareable across a wide range of platforms. 68% of video viewers share them, so going viral is more likely with explainer videos. When producing your explainer videos, keep in mind that videos that are 15 seconds or shorter are shared almost 40% more often than videos that last 30 seconds or longer.

      With all this in consideration, it’s important that you choose the right production company to produce your explainer videos, especially if you’re a startup. Below are some key questions that you should ask prospective production companies which will help you make the right decisions:

Pricing vs. Value

      How much of the explainer video production process will the production company actually handle? A complete explainer video project entails project research, script writing, storyboarding, voice-over recording, video production, sound design, and marketing. If you want the production company to spearhead all facets of the process, than they need to be highly skilled in each area. If the production company is expected to handle only some of the above-mentioned areas, then their cost should reflect that. The cost of a startup video can range from several hundred dollars to several thousand, so it’s important to know what’s included in the price.

Experience in Getting Messages Across Effectively And Quickly

      How much experience does the production company have in reaching your target audience? According to recent research, 20% of video viewers will click away from a video within the first 10 seconds. One third of those viewers will click away by the 30 second mark, and 45% of them will be gone within a minute. Explainer videos need to be able to grab the attention of viewers quickly, and hold onto their attention spans for as long as possible. Your production company has to have experience in the fine art of delivering the goods quickly.

Script Writing Skills

      Many video production companies are very skilled in producing animation, but the real heart and art of a successful startup video lies with the script. How skilled is the production video company with developing engaging, attention-grabbing text?

Specific Experience Producing Startup Videos

      How many videos has the production company created, and even more relevantly, how many startup videos has the production company produced? You’ll want to work with a production company that already has hundreds of explainer videos under its belt.

Global Reach

      Does the production company have experience with producing explainer videos for large, global brands? Ideally, the production company that you choose should be globally known.

Portfolio

      Look over the production company’s portfolio carefully. Does the production company have a track record of producing entertaining startup videos that get to the point and are commercially successful? Ask the production company to show you its most successful video marketing campaigns, and explain why they were successful.

Stats, Please

      One of the great things about explainer videos is the wealth of information that detailed video analytics will give you. Those analytics can tell you how many people are loading the video, how many people are actually watching the video, at what point viewers click away, engagement rate information, and more. With this information, you’ll be able to fine-tune your message so that it targets your audience more precisely. So, ask video production companies for hard and fast facts about their explainer videos’ play rate, number of loads, number of visitors, engagement rate, and conversion rate.

Get References

      Ask if the production company would be willing to let you contact their previous clients for additional feedback. A solid production company shouldn’t have a problem with full transparency.

Any Questions?

      Finally, ask the production company what questions they have for you. This last question is particularly important. If the video production company is simply asking you how fast you need an explainer video, or how much of a budget you have to spend, you may want to move on. A truly engaged video production company will want to find out about your company and its desired message. The production company should be asking you who your customers are, what their misconceptions about your company might be, and what you hope you’ll be able to achieve with your explainer video in terms of marketing share and conversion rate.

      By posing the right questions – and getting the right answers – you’re bound to find a production company that will be able to create an exciting and effective explainer video that can get your startup company’s message across to your current customers and attract new ones.