Commercial films give your brand an unrivaled way to deliver your message and leave a strong impression with key viewers. By combining audio and visuals, brand films let you build upon your message using the magic of motion pictures. Plus, if you format and distribute everything well, you can meet your audience exactly where they're at.
Professional video production services can strengthen your perceived brand quality and help you establish consistency across campaigns. That doesn't mean it's right for every project, though. Choosing between in-house and professional video production requires you to consider several key factors, including your creative vision, production budget, and desired content quality.
Let's break down everything you need to know when considering professional video production services.
Today, almost everyone has the tools to produce a video using readily available technology — but not everyone has the skills, knowledge, or equipment needed for professional video production. Unlike amateur producers, professional video production companies have the time, experience, and resources to produce consistently high-quality videos. These outcomes can elevate your brand's perceived quality and craft.
The quality of your brand storytelling directly impacts the success of your marketing and branding campaigns. Successful campaigns center on creating high-caliber videos. These campaigns must also maintain consistent focus on the overarching video marketing strategies, branding goals, company values, and current trends. Losing focus on any of these elements can lead to lower production quality and undermine your marketing goals.
If you aren't seeing the results you expected when you integrated video into your marketing campaign, it may be because of the quality of your videos. Professional video production companies can help you achieve your intended results by assessing your current video strategy and identifying what works best for your unique audience.
Because video is their main focus, professional video marketing companies are better equipped to bring your marketing to the next level — while allowing you to step back and focus on other aspects of your marketing strategy and business.
Professional video production services for commercials can seriously elevate your campaign, but they aren't ideal for every project. Smaller businesses or companies just getting into video marketing might be better off using a DIY approach for a while.
In-house video production has some notable advantages:
Some brands avoid professional video production services entirely due to budget concerns. However, outsourcing your video production can actually save your production money. Hiring associates, purchasing equipment, and losing time to the learning curve is an expense not everyone can afford. Plus, higher production quality and professional distribution strategies can boost your film's potential impact and return on investment.
There's no one right answer when choosing between DIY and professional video services, so consider all of your options.
Your films will serve as the face of your brand identity, stressing the need for high production value. Commercial videos hinge on craft, consistency, and time, which experienced production companies can provide. When you hire professionals, you'll see an increased caliber of videos, greater consistency across all your content, and time saved compared to producing videos in-house.
If you aren't seeing the desired results or simply want to boost your brand awareness, it may be time to bring in external support for your video development.
Look out for the following signs you need professional video production services.
You want to feel proud of the films you're putting out there, and the content should accurately represent your brand. Low-quality visuals or incoherent narratives won't just cause viewers to swipe away — they'll leave a sour taste for your brand and potentially polarize key audiences. In contrast, professional films can better engage viewers and help you build authority and trust for long-term brand equity.
Subpar commercial videos may have these characteristics:
While some DIY videos are highly successful, poor quality is generally a losing proposition for marketing videos. Struggling with any of these elements of video production will shortchange your success and limit your branding potential. Maintaining a high level of quality throughout all of your content is essential.
Professional commercial video production services can also help you hone in on your brand goals across your campaign. Balancing your film's distinct vision with your broader brand image can sometimes be challenging, requiring you to consider multiple priorities and goals at once. For instance, if you're working with a short video runtime, you may need to decide whether to focus on your solutions, your brand, or a specific story. A creative production team can help you hone in on your most important goals or even develop ways to meet all your goals at once.
High-quality film production can seriously elevate your brand identity and clearly communicate your message to the right audience. However, these projects take a lot of time and, ideally, several sets of hands. Time spent on producing corporate videos is time taken away from running or growing your business.
By delegating this work to an external company, you'll still make high-quality films that meet your brand goals while freeing up your own time to focus on your business and customers. This sets you up for success in both your marketing strategy and overarching business goals.
A professional production company is better positioned to give your project the time and focus it deserves. The best video production partners meet with you early in the process to fully gauge your project's needs and goals. They'll then handle most of the logistical legwork while communicating key decisions and updates along the way, keeping you involved in the creative process while minimizing the work needed from you.
Ultimately, the purpose of commercial videos is to support your brand and marketing goals. These goals can vary depending on where your target market falls in the sales funnel. Underperforming videos can waste your business's resources, leave a negative impression, and limit your social media success.
One or two films underperforming over a short period of time may not indicate much. Consistent underperformance suggests a professional touch is needed. Don't waste your time and money on videos that don't lead to results. Make an investment that will lead to increased views, engagement, and, ultimately, stronger branding.
From concept to distribution, commercial film production takes a great deal of time and effort, especially if you want results. In business, work hours can get costly, especially as they add up.
Before you even touch the camera, you'll need to focus on writing a script, storyboarding shots, scouting locations, lining up talent, and planning for every aspect of production. Filming requires all hands on deck, with multiple departments to cover camera, audio, and art. Post-production can also take hours of labor across editing, color grading, sound design, and motion graphics.
If your production crew is already on your payroll, video production could take them from their normal responsibilities. Hiring new employees specifically for video marketing only adds to your payroll expenses.
Spending too much time or money on video production can negate the benefits, ultimately leaving you with a net loss. Partnering with a professional production agency can help you mitigate these costs, set an approachable budget, and maximize every dollar spent.
If you're unsure about your next steps after completing a video, seek professional guidance to make the most of film branding. A professional partner can guide you from concept to delivery and help you focus on core production essentials:
Video marketing must be intentional and consistent to pay off. Creative decisions driven by your narrative and message can make each film feel more cohesive, with every detail painting the same, clear picture. Likewise, consistency and intentionality across campaigns drive stronger recall and enable each message to build off the last.
Intentionality in commercial films requires a deep understanding of film production, helping you gauge the nuance of every camera and color choice. Professional agencies ensure you don't need to be an expert to see the results of an impactful brand film campaign. If you don't know where to start, or what actions to take after you've done some video marketing yourself, professional commercial video production services can really benefit you.
Commercial video production can elevate your brand voice and help you deliver your message with clarity and authority. However, producing videos in-house can do more harm than good if you don't have the necessary skills or resources. Fortunately, successful video marketing isn't limited to brands with in-house production teams.
At Charter, our years of experience enable us to approach the craft of film production with a careful eye for detail. This allows us to capture high-quality cinematic moments while balancing your production and brand goals.
Regardless of which aspect of video production you need support with, Charter is here to help. Charter is a full-service creative production house specializing in balancing branding and storytelling. With a history of successful commercial and original productions, we have the expertise and experience to allow you to achieve results through effective film branding.
Ready to get started? Let's talk!