Video Production – Guiding your clients through it

1. Video Production – Guiding your clients through it We all need video, for business, for promotion, for donations, for campaigns, even for our personal lives. Granted, technology has evolved to such an extent that now pretty anyone can afford the equipment it takes to make great video. So the limit is not so much in the gear anymore; it’s in how to use it. Busy people, who have a million other things to do at work, don’t have time to learn that, even if their communications department can afford the right stuff. So they outsource, and with everyone doing it, video companies have been popping up around the world to meet demand. Smart Cuts Video & Animation, based in Geneva and Lausanne, Production de vidéo à Lausanne, Switzerland, is among them, and what we’ve noticed over the years is that clients are not just looking for good video; they’re also looking for good advice and guidance. Ordering and piloting video production can be daunting for people in marketing and communications for whom this is, often, a side project. Your job, as a video production company, is to make it as easy as possible for them to play their part. Trouble is, they must play a part, and they’re sometimes reticent to do so. Let’s look at why. First of all, time. They’re swamped and what they secretly wish is that you will read their minds and miraculously come up with the video they dream of making, without their having had to give you any input. How often does that happen? Never. The fact is, your clients have to give you a minimum to go on. That often starts as a brief, but depending on the budget, it may need to be much more than that. Why? Because the less they tell you, the more you have to dive into their world to understand what it is they need to be saying, so that you can say it for them in video. So if they’re not willing to take the time, they must be willing to put in the money for your to do a lot more preproduction work. Trouble is, they often don’t realize this. You need to politely but clearly point this out. Second, intimidation. Some clients feel they have no creative juice whatsoever, and they’re afraid to chip in. Others simply don’t know where to start in ordering video production. Again, you need to educate them politely. Part of educating your clients starts on your website, of course. You can have the steps of a production laid out and explained so that they know what to expect when they contact you. You can also make videos to highlight the key points of each phase. You also then want to start making things clear in your communications by email when a client contacts you. Make sure they understand the balance between money and time: i.e. if they want you to do everything, they’ll need to pay more. If they can and want to be involved in such critical steps as scriptwriting and selecting cuts from interviews, then they save money because they spare you work. It’s important to point out to them that this sort of involvement has a double benefit. Not only do they save money, but they also have better control over the content. Always point out to them the following: Who better than they to decide what they must say? They know their stuff; they know their need for communication and so, logically, they will be the most efficient at identifying what must be said. How to say it is more your turf, as a Communication agency in Lausanne or Video production in Lausanne. Approaching your clients this way when they approach you will instill confidence and kick off a relationship, you’ll find rewarding, no doubt, in the long term. Good luck and happy shooting!