Welcome to another blog post, this week’s blog post is going to be on the thorny issue of money and budgets when thinking about outsourcing your video marketing requirements.
A Race to the bottom…
Lately i have been talking with many professional creatives about the idea of “a race to the bottom”. This is an idea where the client hammers a quote down until you have gone so far down that the work is now only a portfolio piece, and isn’t going to help you maintain your business costs or pay the bills!
This idea works for graphic designers, web designers and of course video production.
We live in a time where money is tight and the global situation appears to be getting worse, which has its own effect on budgets. However, if you hammer your chosen creative down so much that they no longer want the job, is the person at the bottom of the barrel now your only option?
A race to the bottom: With regards to video marketing
With regards to video marketing you may want to think very carefully about trying to knock the price of the service down too much. A result of excessive haggling may influence the level of care and attention normally given to a production.
If, as an organisation, you were to put out a video/promotional film that had bad production values, what would that say to both your audience and client? Your audience would judge you on the quality of your videos’ production values, seriously I’m not joking. We live in a very judgemental world, a camera shake or an out of focus shot will be remembered, I guarantee you that.
Copywriting, photography, graphic design, web design, illustration, marketing….
Who are Creatives?
First of all, the people who do these jobs are in it for a reason, they have a love of the ‘thing’ they do, they went to universities, they watched countless hours of foreign films and discussed visual aesthetics drinking cheap red wine at the students union.
After this, they dared to enter one of the most saturated and sort after industries on the planet, the creative industry.
I’m sure you now see the point I’m trying to make for any creative content and not just video production.
If they are able to make a name for themselves in the creative industry, generate a long list of achievements and a portfolio that shines, then maybe change the mallet to a toffee hammer and tap away at a quote, not smash at it hoping to get a bargain. If their work speaks for itself, then pay them what they’re worth.
Everyone likes a deal and there’s usually a little wriggle room with most companies, however, if the price seems so low that it must be too good to be true….then it usually is. There are hidden gems out there, and new starters will charge less to attract attention, but make sure you ask the right questions before signing on that dotted line and always ask to see previous work and references….
And finally…
If things continue like this, a mothership will descend and take all the creatives away to a far away planet never to be seen again…
If you want to have a chat with us about your video marketing requirements or simply just ask questions of us about what you should be looking for in a video production company then please do!
Even if we don’t get the job we are more than happy to advise you on what to look out for when approaching a video marketing company. I love coffee (decaf) and talking to new people, so if you are in Birmingham and need advice on your video marketing strategy then drop me a line.
Thanks Nic
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