A great video can transform how your brand connects with customers — driving awareness, boosting engagement, and even closing sales. But here’s the secret that many marketers overlook: a successful video doesn’t start on set, or even in the edit suite. It starts with the brief.
The quality of your brief determines the quality of your video. A clear, well-thought-out brief sets your agency up for success, giving them the insight, direction, and objectives they need to deliver something that truly works for your brand. On the flip side, a vague or incomplete brief can derail a project before the cameras even start rolling.
At Small Films, we’ve worked with hundreds of businesses — from startups to global brands — and we’ve seen the difference a strong brief can make. To help you get it right, here are the five most common mistakes businesses make when briefing a video agency, and how you can avoid them.
1. Being Vague About Objectives
The mistake: Many briefs start with “we need a video” — but stop short of explaining why. Without clear objectives, your agency is left guessing what success looks like. Is the goal to raise awareness, educate, generate leads, or drive direct sales? Each of these outcomes requires a very different approach.
Why it’s a problem: If your agency doesn’t know your real objective, they might produce a video that looks great but doesn’t deliver results. For example, a high-production-value brand film might impress internally, but won’t necessarily convert viewers into customers if lead generation was the goal.
How to avoid it:
- Be specific about what you want the video to achieve.
- Tie the brief to measurable outcomes (e.g., “increase web traffic by 25%” or “generate 500 qualified leads”).
- Share context on your wider campaign so the video can align with it.
At Small Films, we always ask: What’s the single most important thing you want this video to achieve? That’s our north star throughout the project.
2. Not Defining the Audience Clearly
The mistake: “Our video is for everyone.”
This is one of the fastest ways to dilute the effectiveness of your content. If your agency doesn’t know exactly who you’re trying to reach, they can’t tailor the creative, messaging, or distribution strategy to resonate with the right people.
Why it’s a problem: A one-size-fits-all video often ends up speaking to no one in particular. The tone might be too broad, the style too generic, and the messaging too vague to make an impact.
How to avoid it:
- Clearly define your primary audience segment (age, job role, interests, pain points, motivations).
- Share insights you have from customer research, buyer personas, or analytics.
- If you have multiple audiences, consider creating multiple assets rather than stretching one video too thin.
The tighter the target, the stronger the creative. Whether you’re speaking to time-poor CEOs on LinkedIn or Gen Z trend-seekers on TikTok, your agency needs to know.
3. Skipping the Distribution Plan
The mistake: Treating the video as a standalone piece without thinking about where it will live.
We often see briefs that stop at the creative idea, without considering the platforms, formats, or campaign integration. But distribution is half the battle.
Why it’s a problem: A cinematic two-minute brand film might shine at an event, but won’t perform well on TikTok. Likewise, a vertical short designed for Instagram won’t translate to YouTube pre-rolls. Without a plan, you risk creating the wrong format for your audience.
How to avoid it:
- Decide where the video will be distributed before production begins.
- Share details of each platform so your agency can tailor aspect ratios, lengths, and calls-to-action.
- Think beyond organic: will you be running paid ads, email campaigns, or using the video in sales presentations?
At Small Films, we always design content with distribution in mind — often creating multiple cut-downs and versions from a single shoot to maximise ROI.
4. Ignoring Brand Guidelines (or Over-Restricting Them)
The mistake: Some brands hand over no brand guidelines, while others hand over a 200-page rulebook that leaves little room for creativity. Both extremes are unhelpful.
Why it’s a problem:
- Without guidelines, your video risks feeling off-brand or inconsistent with your other marketing.
- With overly restrictive rules, the creative might feel stale or cookie-cutter, limiting impact.
How to avoid it:
- Provide your agency with key brand assets (logos, colour palette, tone of voice, fonts) and any mandatory do’s/don’ts.
- Allow room for creativity within the brand framework. A great agency knows how to innovate while staying true to your identity.
- Share examples of past content you love (and don’t love). This gives your agency a sense of direction without boxing them in.
The sweet spot is collaboration: your brand voice + your agency’s creativity.
5. Setting Unrealistic Budgets or Timelines
The mistake: Expecting champagne results on a lemonade budget, or a three-week turnaround for a three-month project.
Why it’s a problem: Unrealistic expectations can lead to disappointment, rushed work, and compromised quality. It can also damage trust between brand and agency.
How to avoid it:
- Be upfront about your budget from the start — this allows your agency to propose realistic, creative solutions within your means.
- Discuss timelines honestly. Remember, video production includes scripting, pre-production, filming, editing, revisions, and distribution planning.
- Build in buffer time for approvals and feedback loops.
At Small Films, we pride ourselves on being transparent. We’ll always show you what’s possible at different budget levels, and flag if a timeline won’t do your project justice.
Final Thoughts
A strong video brief is the foundation of a successful campaign. By avoiding these common mistakes — unclear objectives, undefined audiences, weak distribution planning, mismanaged brand guidelines, and unrealistic expectations — you set your agency up to create work that not only looks great, but also delivers measurable business results.
Remember: briefing is a partnership. The more clarity and collaboration you bring, the more your agency can channel its creativity and expertise into helping your brand shine.
At Small Films, we don’t just make videos — we craft strategies that drive growth. If you’re planning your next video project and want to ensure it hits the mark, we’d love to chat.
👉 Get in touch with us today to discuss your brief and see how we can bring your vision to life.
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