4 ways to bring your brand to life through video
Our seasoned video producer shares tips and tricks on producing videos with any budget
I have been working in video production for over 20 years. I have seen firsthand how compelling video can elevate telling your story — whether it’s used solely to tell your story or as a component of telling your story. In this current age of quick-bite content consumption and a culture of scrolling, video is king for a reason. It’s a platform that can tell your story in 15 seconds or 2 hours. You’re likely aware, a short clip shot on an iPhone and posted on social media goes a long way towards furthering your reach.
If you want to use video, the first step is determining exactly what it is you want to sell, say or promote. It is also important to know who it is you want to reach with your video’s message. Video production can be extremely expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are four examples of varying levels of video production along with some tips and resources for hiring the right person to create what you need or making a video for yourself!
1: Use Influencers to tell your story
When I worked on a project for a boutique guitar pedal company based in Italy, the goal was to establish a presence in the United States. The guitar pedals are handmade and not produced on a scale appropriate for some of the larger music gear outlets. The company wanted potential customers to have the opportunity to see and hear professional musicians using the pedals. To achieve this, they offered a select group of professional musicians—who had a solid social media presence—a pedal and a small amount of compensation to create videos showcasing the product.
This Instagram Reel (0:56) for Surfy Industries used a simple iPhone setup and black-and-white film effect for a one-shot video of a saxophone being played through the client’s product to demonstrate its capabilities. Instagram: @surfyindustries
The videos were posted across various platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Because these musicians already had a following, they were able to reach thousands of potential customers. While many were not professional video producers, they were accustomed to creating video content for social media. They knew to use simple tools like a phone tripod, a small, well-placed light, and, very importantly, microphones to obtain excellent sound quality.
The budget for this project was relatively small—a pedal and a few hundred dollars for each musician—but the yield was incredible. Thousands of potential buyers watched video demos of our product from trusted sources. This small investment quickly translated into a significant increase in sales.
2: Hire an in-house videographer to grow awareness and engagement
A non-profit had a two fold mission to create an arts organization to support artists in their community and then also to conduct a feasibility study around the re-development of a very large, empty and derelict building. If the redevelopment project could get off the ground, the arts organization would move into the newly renovated building. The non-profit knew they needed to engage the community, communicate what their goals were and also document the process to both show current donors their progress and solicit new donors.
This Vimeo video (1:06) for Crosstown Arts was made over the course of seven years, capturing both the programming for an arts non-profit as well as simultaneously the re-development project they managed.
In this instance, the non-profit evaluated the cost of hiring a professional video production company to capture weekly programming and then produce a full length documentary versus hiring a seasoned video producer to come onto staff full time. They found that hiring a full time video producer who could also help them with other needs (film programming and acting as a liaison to the local film and video community) was way more cost-efficient than hiring a production company that could only offer a limited amount of video capturing.
For the cost of a salary and the outlay for a basic camera kit, the non-profit hired me as a full time videographer and documentary filmmaker to create video content on a weekly basis, build a library of footage and capture interviews that became a full length documentary that was screened on the day the ultimately successfully renovated building was opened to the public.
3: Use a filmmaker to document your journey
A start-up charter school was founded on the cornerstone of trying out new ideas in education. The charter school knew they wanted to document their innovations in education and they wanted a high-level documentary to be produced to share with other educators, enter film festivals and potentially have a home on streaming platforms. In this instance, the school needed to hire filmmakers with a proven track record in creating award-winning documentaries. After researching national production companies and looking for local talent, the school coordinated a joint production team. They found a New York based production company - who had success in creating documentaries about education reform - and a group of talented local filmmakers whose work they admired. The production team put together a potential budget for the project which totaled six figures (a not unheard of number for professional documentary film productions). The school understood their goals, knew the type of project they wanted produced and did the research to secure a team that could produce that product. They were committed to the project and able to write the budget for the documentary into several grants and ultimately obtain the funding. The filmmaking team followed the school's first four years of existence and the finished film went on to win several prestigious film festivals. This success helped bring attention to the school and its work and gave their novel education project expanded credibility.
4: Use a creative agency to grow your brand
A women’s clinic wanted to let people know about their services, as well as engage their community by lifting up younger women and offering a platform for them to tell stories about their relationship with their health. The clinic is based in Oxford, Miss. home to the University of Mississippi. The clinic hired our team to help them with this video project.
This Facebook video (0:60) for Oxford Clinic for Women was a campaign featuring female athletes from Ole Miss on the importance of maintaining their health. I wanted each video to have the same look and feel, so I went with a simple white backdrop and a two-camera setup. Facebook: @oxfordclinicforwomen
With our existing relationship with the university and understanding of NIL rules (Name, Image and Likeness: The NCAA now allows, with limitations, student-athletes to be compensated for appearing in commercials, public service announcements, etc.). We created a video campaign where female athletes participated in short video interviews talking about their history in their sport and why maintaining healthy habits and regular doctor’s visits are so important. The brilliance of this project was that the clinic was able to both raise awareness of their brand and also convey a very important message.
So, that’s a few examples that employ different levels of resources and tools. The question is, what and who do you need to create YOUR great video? I hope I can offer some help!
WORKING WITH A PROFESSIONAL VIDEO PRODUCER
Budgets for professional video production vary widely. For instance, a freelance video producer who does all of their own work (producing, shooting and editing) might charge $1,000 for a 3 minute brand video to tell the story of your family owned floral shop. A production company might charge up to $10,000 to produce the same video. Sometimes there is a world of difference in the quality of those two possible videos and then sometimes it might be that the less expensive video is just as good - if not better - than the more expensive one.
So, how do you decide whom to hire?
This goes back to making sure you determine what kind of video you need to make and who the audience is. Once you know that, look for video professionals who do the kind of video work that suits your needs and will affect your audience. Any video professional should have a highlight reel and several examples of finished video pieces for you to review. If you are going to spend thousands of dollars on something, go with a team that has a proven track record of making exactly the kind of videos you are looking to create.
Our 2024 highlight reel for Red Window gives potential clients a perspective on the range of our video production work, so that they can see how we can bring their vision to life.
Know on the front end what the final deliverables are that you are asking the video production company to execute. Do you need one commercial? A brand video? A long version of a brand video and then 2 shorter versions for social media? Make sure you know what you need and that it is clearly explained at the beginning of the project to the video vendor. Include the types of videos, the places and platforms you will use the videos along with the lengths you're looking for.
Lastly, make sure that you develop an open dialogue between the video producer and yourself or your team. From the beginning, be clear about the creative direction you are imagining and keep that conversation active for the duration of the project. You may not know exactly what you want, but any direction you can offer the video producer is helpful.
Music is a key component of a successful video campaign. Your company or organization might be a little bit country or a little bit rock and roll - let your video production vendor know which one you are so they can make music choices that best represent what you envision. If there is a video that has inspired you, make sure you convey that to the video producer. It will help guide them as they consider how to produce and elevate your goals and vision. The more information, inspiration and context you can offload to the people making your video, the better.
So what if you do all your homework and then decide that your budget is still too small to hire a professional team or you want to add some affordable equipment to your toolkit? Head over to part two as I am going to talk through some ways you can level up on creating your own video content.
