Category Archives: Big Tips

Across the past few years, there has been an explosion of gin brands in the UK. And it’s not stopping any time soon. Distilleries are popping up across the land, and we’re not only seeing new tasty spirits appearing but some awesome marketing to boot. Imaginative branding, purposeful collaborations and Instragrammable pop-ups are just a few of the activities going on, but which gin brands do the Small Films team think are truly nailing their marketing right now? Let’s check them out. 

58 Gin

row of gin bottles

58 Gin is a slick operation. Just one sniff around their website, and you can see they have been featured in GQ, won multiple awards and are running a highly successful gin school in Haggerston. Positioning themselves as an eco-conscious brand, they produce gins out of the apples too wonky to be sold in the supermarket and sloes that have been foraged for their seasonal sloe gin. They also market a ‘make your own gin’ offering – a great way to build brand advocates.  

 

Silent Pool

blue and orange gin and candles

With its instantly recognisable bottle, Silent Pool is a citrusy gin made in Surrey. They are absolutely nailing their email marketing strategy with engaging ways to build their email list (a downloadable cocktail book, plus offers and promotions). This gin brand knows how to put its name out there. Whether they’re creating a Silent Pool bar, virtual cocktail classes, tasting tours or pop-up gin bars at events – there’s a bit of something for everyone. 

One Gin

gin bottles in a row

One of the most beautiful bottle designs on the market, One Gin, is based in the leafy Richmond-upon-Thames. Set up by the team behind One Brand (known for One Water who fund clean water projects), One Gin is their first step into the world of spirits. Donating 10% of their profits to sustainable water programmes in poor communities, this is a brand with a great story and a bigger purpose. Their social feeds have a great mix of brand collaborations, cocktail recipe ideas and behind the scenes content (including a stint on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen), whilst also highlighting the importance of their clean water programmes. 

>> If you’re looking for a video production company in London who can support you with video content for your brand marketing, do get in touch

Jarrold’s Gin

gin against a purple background
Image via 365magazine.co.uk

Another gin which you’d almost buy just for the bottle, Jarrold’s, is a London dry gin distilled in West Sussex. Persian limes, which are a quintessential flavour of the Iranian kitchen, are a key component of this gin, giving it its citrusy punch without bitterness. Their social media does a great job of behind the scenes content, so you really understand that this is small-batch gin made with love. No large-scale faceless factory set-up here.  Their branding is on point, from the labels on their bottles, right through to their website design.  

>>  Looking for a food videographer? Here at Small Films, we’ve got you covered. Just drop us a line, we’d love to help. 

Twisted Nose

You know you’re onto a good thing when you land on the Twisted Nose website. Full of all the trust signals that this is a rocking gin (awards, customer reviews and an excellent return policy), you can’t help but want to buy a bottle (especially when it has a World’s Best Gin Design trophy). Their social media is an excellent mix of G&T snaps, cocktail recipes, competitions and discounts. Across the years they’ve also done some notable brand collaborations with the likes of Tunworth cheese, Coates & Seeley and luxury hotel, Lainston House. 

East London Gin

East London Gin has nailed their fun and cheeky tone of voice to a tee. Having gone through a rebrand in late 2020, they’ve taken their look from one which was fairly traditional, to one with packets of personality. Their recent collab with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a stroke of genius. Celebrating the botanicals and the bees that make this gin what it is, this is a collaboration with a story behind it. Head over to their Instagram and you’ll see a carefully curated grid, packed full of beautiful product photography and their brand’s personality shining through. 

Hayman’s Gin

This gin is steeped in tradition, with a story that goes back to 1863. Run by the Hayman family in Balham, the distillery is an impressive space, where you can take part in tours, masterclasses and, one that we’d love to attend, the ‘ginema’. Everything about how Hayman’s Gin positions its brand oozes quality and experience, from the beautifully laid out website to the perfectly thought out design of their bottle. The marketing of the gin flavour combos is excellent – who wouldn’t want to try a peach & rose gin slushie with pink lemonade!

We’re not just gin lovers at Small Films, we also make pretty cool films. We’ve shot videos for the likes of Aldi, Charlie Bigham’s and Lucky Saint beer and so we know a thing or two about what makes people salivate over your food or drink product. We’re always at the end of the phone so just give us a shout if you’d like us to help with your next food videography project.  

 

Animated explainer videos are an excellent way for a business to attract clients in a creative, eye-catching and informative way.  

What is an Explainer Video? 

Explainer videos are usually short videos that are used for marketing or selling a product or service. Explainer videos highlight the key features and benefits of these products/services to encourage why a customer should buy them, so they’re a great style of video to use if your product or service is complicated to understand. They are used in multiple ways, such as on an e-commerce site, in Facebook ads or by the new business team to help quicken the sales cycle.  

The Benefits of an Animated Explainer Video 

Not only are animated explainer videos a popular choice, but they don’t require extensive production or travel, making them easier to create and often more cost-effective. An animated explainer video doesn’t need pre-shot footage, so they’re a great way to bring any concept to life. 

  • They quickly explain complex ideas. 
  • They are cost-effective to create 
  • They support your SEO efforts 
  • They help to position your brand 
  • Video production is easier to manage 
  • They can boost conversion rates

At Small Films, we can provide all types of animated explainer videosGive us a bell to chat through your project. 

Animation is a great way to get creative with your video. It can be colourful, vibrant and unique – helping to make your brand stand out. With animated explainer videos, you also have access to various styles, from character animation to mixed media – allowing you to choose which best fits your brand. For example, a company like Innocent often uses illustrators for their animations to capture their playful personality, whilst Accenture uses 2D motion graphics to explain their services clearly.    

Animated explainer videos can come in a variety of styles and functions: 

2D Animated Character Videos
Animated videos are pretty easy on the eye, especially when you have a nice simple animated character telling you a story. It’s engaging and, if done right, will put the right message across. 

2D Motion Graphics
With 2D motion graphics, you don’t need an emotional/engaging story. Due to the graphics being the exciting part, you can just jump straight right into the relevant information required. 

Whiteboard Animation
This type is simple and can gain the attention of both a visual and text learner. If done right, it can be a real winner of an animated explainer video. 

3D Animation Video
3D animation is a more advanced style, where features can be made more realistic. However, this can be expensive to create compared to 2D animation but is definitely worth the money. 

Animated Explainer Video Best Practices 

As an experienced animation video companySmall Films has created countless animated videos for our clients, including Interactive Investor and Emily Crisps, so we know all the best practices for all styles of explainer videos. 

  • Keep them between 30-90 seconds in length.  
  • The videos should be kept simple, refined down to only 3-5 messages 
  • Start with a simple script and work your way from there.  
  • Let someone who doesn’t know the industry watch your video – this way, you can see if people will understand your messages and what you need to improve on.    

At Small Films, we can take your project and create something outstanding from just a seed of an idea. We’ll support you with everything, from writing the script, creating storyboards, animating and editing. Give us a bell if you’d like to chat your project through. 

Using a video production service can add another layer to your content and help get eyes focusing on your brand. With killer video production and top-notch editing, you can expect a slick video that hits all the right notes for your customers. But how do you know which video production services are well-suited to grow your business? This Small Films guide details the best video services available and how they can help your brand.  So if you’d like support from a video production company in London, then do give us a bell

Explainer videos

Explainer videos are a great way to tell people about your products and services. They often sit on your website homepage and surmise your business offering in just a couple of minutes. Explainer videos can also be helpful across other platforms, such as social media, blog posts and landing pages.

With people having an average attention span of just eight seconds, explainer videos are a great way to cut through the noise and keep viewers engaged. An
excellent explainer video script and sharply-shot video can make your video stand out from the crowd and get audiences to make a buying decision.

Customer testimonial Videos

A customer testimonial video with Infabode

There’s nothing better than a recommendation, especially when it comes from previous customers who have used your business and loved the results. Many companies have a testimonials page on their website but tend to use a quote from a customer with just a couple of sentences that don’t really delve into the experience. 

Read our blog on How to make a customer testimonial video to market your business


With a customer testimonial video, you can
market your business in a way that engages audiences and increases sales. Videos are more personable than reading text as you’re watching a live version of someone providing their opinion. You can implement a testimonial to showcase the value of your product or service in video review form, adding more vibrancy to the testimonial than if it were written text.   

Looking for support with testimonial video production? Get in contact with the Small Films team.


Branded content

Branded videos are sometimes referred to as corporate films or “company story videos”, and they help sell the idea of your brand. They typically last between one and three minutes and convey the culture and essence of your brand, helping people buy into the core ethos that your business stands for.

A well-shot branded video can help customers become more familiar with your business while condensing the company USP into an easily understandable message. The best-branded films often have excellent narration or tell a story using interviews. Regardless of the approach, the goal should always be the same: give your customers a clear snapshot of your business in the quickest, simplest and least confusing way possible.

How-to videos

If you think there might be confusion overusing your product or service, a how-to video can give customers the insight they need to get the most out of your offering. These videos are informational and focus on ensuring that customers are clear on using your services. 

A how-to video Small Films produced for Plenish

A food and beverage brand might use a how-to video to create recipes, while a software company could use them to show people how to open an account and use the service. While these videos are informational in their nature, they also do a good job from a marketing perspective. That’s because you’re giving customers free content while providing genuine value.    

Ecommerce videos

Any company that sells its product online needs great product videos. This type of content is for point-of-purchase designed to help people make faster buying decisions. They sell items while giving shoppers valuable information about a product.

A product video we shot for Aldi

A great eCommerce video tells the product’s story, targets the right audience, showcases a brand’s identity and taps into the buyer’s emotions. The best video production companies use all of these elements along with excellent story-telling techniques to drive sales with high-end e-commerce videos. 

Read our blog on 8 Tips for Creating a Killer eCommerce Product Video that Sells

Bonus: video marketing tips

A great video production service company goes one step further than creating excellent content. They also provide marketing tips, advising you on the best way to utilise the final product and get as much as possible out of the video. 

See our video marketing strategy services

They will be able to give you advice on how to market the video, from advertising on platforms like YouTube to how to break videos up into segments and use them on different platforms. Ultimately, a video production company will create top-notch content – but they’ll also have expertise in helping you make that content a success. 

Growing your business with video production

The best video production companies can film different types of content, offering you a range of services to grow your business in the process. All that’s left for you to do is find one that’s a good fit and get working on video content that will increase your bottom line. 

If you’re looking for video production services in London and more, get in touch with Small Films. We’ll help you realise your video ambitions for your business.

Video rules the roost when it comes to marketing, and it’s set to account for 82% of global internet traffic by 2022. Whether you’re a pro at using videos for your marketing efforts or still a newbie, there are many benefits a video production company can bring to the table. From expertise and know-how to high-quality results, going down the professional route can do wonders for your business. 

But you want to hire the right experts and ensure you don’t get ripped off in the process. Here at Small Films, we’re bringing you anything and everything you need to know about working with a professional video production company, so you’re not left thinking you got a bad deal. 

Don’t go for the cheapest option.

Sure, we all want to save money, and there are budget requirements that need meeting. But scrimping on your video production company hire shouldn’t be where you look to cut costs. That’s not to say you need to spend an arm and a leg but, more often than not, the cheapest solutions can leave you disappointed. 

There is no set price regarding how much you should pay (though a decent ballpark figure is between £2,5000 – £5,000). Really, it comes down to the previous work completed by the video company, how much they understand your project and the general vibe you get from conversations with them. 

One thing you should definitely do is stay away from automatic video tools, at least in the very beginning. They are available at minimal cost but churn out general videos that miss the core elements of your brand. 

See our video production services.

Disregarding video equipment

If you want high-quality video production, then the company hired needs to carry high-tech equipment. It’s true that technology is evolving, and you can do some pretty impressive things on an iPhone these days, but great marketing videos are filmed with excellent equipment. 

Knowing which equipment a video production company uses can be tricky if you don’t know about camera gear. That’s why you should ask them to give you the rundown on what they use when shooting and editing. You can always research the cameras after the initial chats and watch and read online reviews. 

The best video production companies use great equipment, but it’s still worth asking the question. After all, if they use high-level gear, they won’t have any issues giving you info on their equipment. 

Weigh up the pros and cons of local hires versus further away

Do you hire a local, London video production company or a team further away? There is no right or wrong answer here, but the closer they are, the easier it is to get in touch with them, plus everything generally runs more smoothly. 

If your business is located in a rural area, it might be harder to find nearby talent, and you’ll probably need to look towards the nearest city. For example, a Hertfordshire-based business may look for a video production company in London to create their videos.

Big-city companies tend to be more expensive, but many of the most sought-after ones are based in larger cities like London. Essentially, it comes down to doing the research and speaking to several video production companies before deciding.

Not checking credentials 

When looking for a video production company, it should go without saying that you check their credentials. Ask for case studies that back up the quality of their work and see if they have valid customer testimonials. 

Look at example work that matches your requirements, and check things like setup, team size and location. Don’t just fall for a snazzy sizzle reel, either. As good as they may look, it’s essentially a slickly edited highlight reel that provides a quick overview of a company’s work. That’s not to say you shouldn’t look at the sizzle reel – just make sure you get the other credentials to get a better overview of the company’s quality. 

Go deeper than the video.

Obviously, the most crucial aspect of a video production company is its ability to film great content. But it’s worth asking them about their knowledge of all things digital marketing. After all, if they’re a studio that creates content for brands, they should know a thing or two about how to market the final version. 

Look for companies who go big on marketing tips and offer advice on the best ways to maximise your content. Video production companies that can provide marketing suggestions show their knowledge and can offer support beyond video production areas.

Avoiding getting ripped off by a video production company

Being thorough and doing your research will reduce the chances of getting ripped off by a video production company and ending up with a video you’re not happy with. Take your time, and don’t hire anyone until you feel completely confident in any potential working relationship. Do that, and the chances of you working with a high-quality video production company that creates great content for you will be much higher. 

And if you’re looking for a results-driven video production company in London, why not come and say hello to us here at Small Films? 

 

When looking to promote your business, there are a wide variety of types of content that you can create that can work for your business or brand.   Product explainer videos are an amazing way to give and indepth view of your product, whilst a ‘how-to’ video is a great way to give your customers valuable content.  In this article we cover the different types of videos,  the benefits they can give your business and how they can be used to promote your brand.  If you are looking for a video production company for your next video project then do get in touch.

Brand Films

Lets start by talking about “Brand Films”. Another way to define these would be “Company Story Videos”, “Corporate Videos” or “Homepage Videos”. Generally speaking this is the company story film that communicates who you are and what you do in a nutshell.

Sock Shop Brand Film

Usually these films tend to be 1 – 3 minutes long. Depending on the nature of your business, the style can vary tremendously. If a large brand like Nike creates a brand film, its inevitably going to be highly ambitious, emotive and create a splash. Nike’s story is long and varied so their brand film will be a statement of where they are right now and their vision for the future. If you are a smaller business with a more modest budget, then a brand film can be a really great way to quickly explain your product or service.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUvEEVq4woU

Brand Films are probably one of the best projects to embark on before doing anything else. In the same way that most businesses focus on tarting up their shop windows by creating a compelling website, colourful social media channels and glossy print assets, so too does the Brand Film help potential customers understand the business better. Its also a great exercise in condensing your company’s USP into a simple to understand piece of comms. Unlike a website, where you can indulge yourself by including all the great things about your business and endless detail about the services you provide, a brand film forces you to strip out all the unnecessary detail to the point where you have the bare bones of what is most important to your customers.

Brand Films are often either narrated by a voice-over artist or tell a story using interviews with people. When you write a script that needs to be only 2 minutes long, you soon see how little information you can include. For customers, its the quickest, simplest and least confusing way to get a clear snapshot of your business. There is no hard and fast rule about the best way to structure a brand film but the best ones in my view, do more than just impart information. They make the viewer feel something. Think about how you can stir your viewers with your content.  This is your opportunity to absolutely nail your story.

Product Explainer Videos

Product explainer videos are used in a very similar way to a brand film but serve to unpack the benefits of a particular product. These types of films are gaining more and more traction as their popularity with customers increases. Product explainers will often sit on a company’s website but can also be used very effectively on e-commerce platforms like Amazon.

Aldi Product Explainer Video

Customer’s are becoming increasingly mistrustful of buying from brands online as fake customer reviews have skyrocketed in recent years. E-commerce is booming but people miss the opportunity to enter a store and see the item in person, to assess the quality and check it fits their expectations. Photos can be incredibly misleading and its hard to judge the look and feel of a product in a 2D world. When you create videos of that item, it suddenly brings it to life for the viewer and helps them to make an informed decision. This not only leads to more purchases but increased customer trust and less returns.

Product explainers, unsurprisingly are highly focused on the product itself so the story that’s being told is about how that product can help the customer. From a style perspective, they can be live action or animation depending on the type of product. A niche product from a SAAS company might be easier to explain using animation where a luxury chocolate would sell itself better using live action.

How-To Videos

This is a catch all for any piece of content that answers a customers problem. These are usually tips and tricks that help people out in their daily lives. Typically they are related to the product or service you offer but are not advertorial in nature. Your brand is included as part of the film but you aren’t shoving it down people’s throats.

Typical how-to videos include recipe videos that many food and drink brands will create that makes use of their product in an interesting way. For example, Baileys often create recipe content that shows on the “Tasty” Facebook channel. How-to videos can be highly practical like hardware store B&Q’s DIY series they run on YouTube that shows you how to do your own home improvements. In the B2B world, how-to videos could be webinars that educate about a particular discipline like sales, leadership or business finance. These kinds of videos do phenomenally well as a marketing tool because you are giving away content for free. You are providing value to people without asking for anything in return so it gets you on their radar and wins their appreciation.

B&Q ‘How-to’ videos

One of the best ways to discover what kind of how-to videos you could create for your brand is to simply look at search volumes on Google or YouTube. What answers are people looking for? There’s a great tool called www.answerthepublic.com which can help with ideas. Even just typing into Google “How do I [input activity]” and then scrolling down through the results until you find Google’s “People Also Asked” box will give you lots of other ideas and suggestions. Once you know what people are asking then you can create content around that question. As YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google, there’s a good chance of getting ranked highly with video content.

Case Study Videos

Case study videos are probably one of the most underused and most effective types of content a brand can create. They enable you to create the right narrative around your brand and help tremendously with customer trust. Its far too easy to set yourself up as a company these days with a simple website and a thin veneer of authenticity. There are so many “so called experts”, dodgy e-commerce sites and fake reviews that today’s customer is highly cynical of brand behaviour and also mistrustful of any promises made to them by businesses. Case studies work in two fantastic ways. There are probably more but I’ll focus on two for now. When you create a case study video featuring one of your customers talking about your business, it validates your product or service and provides the ultimate peer review. Everyone wants to be referred to a product or service by someone they trust and case study videos can do that. If you are a B2B business then put your customers on camera. Get them to talk about the problem you solved, how easy it was to work with you and the outcome you delivered.

You can put those videos on your website to validate your offering and your team can use them as part of their sales and marketing outreach. If you are a B2C business then use case studies via social media and as a means of advertising to new customers.

Secondly, use case studies to go deeper into the story of your company and to highlight aspects of what you do that you customers might not know about. For the food brands we work with, they know that origin and provenance is important to their customers. Where does their food come from? So creating case studies with the farmers in the field or the artisan food producers is a great way to enhance the perceived value of that food item. What have you done as a business that you are proud of? What parts of your offering might be interesting to your customers? Perhaps you have partnered with another organisation to do something noteworthy? Or your team have raised money for charity through a fun run? These sorts of vignettes help to highlight the purpose behind your brand and make customers feel aligned to your goals.

Adverts

I’ve talked a lot about the difficulty of reaching your customers when we’re all being bombarded by so many commercial messages every day. Advertising to your customers is an important part of any marketing strategy and its not a technique that will ever go away. In fact, with continuing advances in technology and processing big data, our ability to reach specific customers wherever they are is getting better and better. We can now be highly targeted to individuals and speak directly to them. This is no more evident than in election campaigns where thousands of advert variations are shown to different people across social media so the political party can create resonance with them. In the last general election, the Conservatives showed thousands of different adverts compared to Labour’s hundreds. But just remember that now that your customers are spending so much of their time online, they are starting to get frustrated with online advertising. The onslaught is increasing every day and for every well intentioned, well positioned advert that offers value to your customer, there’s a dozen bad quality, irrelevant adverts that are interrupting their viewing experience. There’s a reason that 50% of people in the UK admit to using some form of ad blocker.

Mackie’s Facebook Advert

Advertising works but creating resonance with your customers becomes all the more important. We’ve talked about understanding consumer behaviour and the different ways people absorb content. Try to ensure you don’t interrupt people’s online experience with annoying adverts that don’t offer any value to people. The best adverts are ones that are highly relevant for the viewer because they are the right demographic. Many of us don’t mind being advertised to provided its the right type of advert and we find it helpful.

>> Check out our blog on the 7 food and drink brands nailing TikTok right now. 

Thought-Leadership Video Content

Video content that establishes your brand or personal brand as a thought leader is a very effective way of creating brand awareness and authority in your space. Sometimes this can be about putting individuals on camera to talk about their expertise in a particular field, sometimes it can be about positioning your business as a thought leader through releasing content that delves into your industry or the service you offer.

CRM software platform Hubspot do an amazing job of releasing huge volumes of content that talks about sales and marketing. For anyone trying to educate themselves about this topic, they are likely to come across Hubspot’s advice and guidance. It then becomes a natural fit to sign up to their platform to implement what they’ve learned. Mindfulness app Headspace do a great job of providing lots of content around mental health which reinforces their position as a brand that understands the daily struggles we all go through. And business coaching brand Dent, produce quantities of video content where their leadership team talk about the typical mistakes people make in business. This helps establish themselves as experts in this field.

Video content can work wonders for your personal brand and establishing the individual as a thought leader. This is not only very important for your own journey but it helps to propel your business forward. Big brands are turning more and more to bringing out the personal brands of the individuals at the business as much as small brands are relying on their leaders to lift their voice above the others.

We care more and more about the purpose and personality of the brands we buy from and faceless corporations are losing out in favour of brands where we feel invested in their journey. Look no further than the disruption going on in the tech sector with the explosion of apps like Airbnb, Uber and Revolut that are taking market share away from the giants. We don’t feel invested enough in the big corporates to give them our loyalty so when a company with a better story comes along to disrupt them, we’re happy to jump ship.

PR Stunts

Stunt based content can be a great way to create lots of buzz around your brand. Burger King did a great job of this recently with their “mouldy burger” campaign that showed how quickly their burger went mouldy after they removed artificial preservatives. For better or worse, it caused a huge media frenzy. Greggs are also masters of this with their recent Vegan sausage roll that they showcased using a video that made it look like an Iphone being unboxed. If the idea of the PR stunt is solid, then creating a film around it can do wonders for your brand.

Burger King Mouldy Whopper

Influencer Content

Making use of influencers is a great way to supercharge the reach of your content. Although the word “Influencer” has sprung up in recent years, the concept is nothing new. Brands have often sponsored celebrities to endorse their products and leverage their audience to increase reach. Now that mini-celebrities are popping up everywhere through the wonders of social media, its easier than ever to find an influencer that matches your company’s profile and who has the ear of the audience you want to reach.

Influencer marketing is a discipline it its own right and can be extremely successful. But consider doing more with your influencer strategy than just asking them to put a photo of your product on their Instagram feed. If you cook up a great idea for some content that features the Influencer or multiple influencers, you will create something that is far more engaging for their followers and a lot more eye catching. Influencers live for the fame and notoriety they are achieving and the income that generates. They want to be in the spotlight more than anything else because that’s how they make a living. If you elevate them by making them the stars in a piece of content, it will not only help their own journey but create more traction for your brand.

Check out our blog ‘Who are the Top 10 Food and Drink Social Media Influencers’

Branded Content

This is a bit of catch all term that applies to any content that a brand puts out. But in this context, I’m using it to refer to content that is created purely for viewer pleasure. This is content that either entertains, educates or informs. Its really the ultimate step in taking a video content first approach to marketing and can pay dividends in the long-term. Brands like Red Bull, Patagonia, and Volvo have all nailed an amazing branded content strategy where their YouTube channels have become a go-to destination for people looking to gorge on high quality, engaging content. The type of branded content you can be putting out ranges from documentaries to reality shows, creative animations to interactive video.

The world is your oyster when it comes to creating branded content and there are no limits to where you can go with it. The purpose of branded content is to position your brand as more than just the product you sell. Red Bull isn’t an energy drink, its about living to the extreme. Patagonia isn’t a sports clothing brand, its a way of life.

Beyond the examples listed above, there are a number of other ways you can use video for your brand that can help to tell your story in the right way. Behind-The-Scenes videos and Vlogging has started to gain a lot of popularity as a way to let people get insider perspective on your business. There’s an influencer marketing agency called Goat who have done this to great effect with daily vlogs documenting the comings and goings of their agency.

On fashion photography shoots, its very common to get some behind the scenes footage to supplement the photography piece. Crowdfunding is another great place to use video content and can be the difference between having a successful investment raise or not.

Creating videos for your business for the express purpose of approaching investors is also a great tool for overcoming their objections and starting conversations. Creating videos for trade shows, conferences, point of sale displays and even the company reception area can deliver great results. Filming key mile-stones and events at your business can help paint a picture of what you are all about. Video can be used to introduce individuals at the company in “Meet the Founder” or “Meet the Team” films. You can send videos messages to people via Email or Direct message where you talk directly to them and give them the personalised treatment. You can use video to recruit talent and on-board new staff members. You can use video as an instruction manual for your product or as a teaching tool for new customers.

The list really is endless. If you want to save time and communicate more effectively then think about how video can do that.

If you are looking for a video production company to support you with your next video project, then do get in touch 

Explainer videos can be highly beneficial assets for your business, as they showcase exactly what you do and how you do it. But for a video explainer to pop and have the desired effect, the script needs to be just right. A great script clearly explains the contents of the video and gets people intrigued about your brand. A bad one can do the opposite. 

But how do you write a killer explainer video script? Here at Small Films, we’ve put together a list of handy tips, so your script is more Hemingway and less text chat. 

Why you need an explainer video script

The story is the heart of your explainer video, and it’s key to whether or not it will be a success. Of course, the story comes from the script, which acts as the foundation of your entire video explainer. Get the script right, and you can strike up an instant connection with your viewers as they understand your value proposition right off the bat. 

A Small Films example of an animated explainer video

How to write a great video explainer script

Define your story

Ripped paper with everyone has a story written on

It’s easy to get carried away thinking about all the great things your brand offers and therefore you’ll want to include every one of them in your explainer. But diving straight in and trying to feature all your products or services probably won’t end well, leaving you with a convoluted message. 

Instead, you should lay out your story in advance. Start by deciding on the key themes that you want to cover in the video. This could be a problem-solution led video that poses your company offering as the hero that makes your customer’s life that much easier. 

Alternatively, it might be a process overview, which offers a how-to guide for your product or service. Whichever one you choose, you’ll want to provide a basic setup and payoff for the viewer, encouraging them to take action once it has finished. 

Grab the viewers’ attention from the get-go

Megaphone on blue background

People have short attention spans, especially when it comes to interacting with a business online. Therefore, you don’t want to spend too long setting the scene. Instead, try aiming to draw them in and get their attention quickly. 

Outline the problem they face from the very beginning, and get straight into the details. You only have a few seconds to capture their attention, and a video explainer isn’t the place to spend a significant amount of time building up the story. 

Write words that bounce off the page

pen on paper

Writing a script isn’t like penning a blog post or other forms of written content. It’s created with the aim of a live performance. Therefore, the language needs to differentiate from your typical article. 

Don’t try to sound too smart with complicated words – keep it simple and use words easily translated into visual actions and essentially come alive once spoken. Simple changes in dictation can really enhance your script. Your script shouldn’t be condescending or overly complicated and instead should sound conversational.

Speak to your viewer 

Post it notes in blue, yellow and pink

Making something that could be seen by thousands of people sound personable can be tricky. But instead of thinking about all the people who will watch your video, write the script as if you’re talking to just one person. 

Speak to your audience directly and look for opportunities to enhance your viewer’s experience. Write in a second-person voice, referring to them as “you”. It might seem like a minor tweak, but it can have a major impact on the audience. 

Explain the how and why

Ripped paper with why underneath

The how and the why aspect of your video is the most important section, and it requires plenty of thought when it comes to writing it into the script. Share all the benefits, showing your audience how you solve a problem with your offering.

This section also needs the most energy, as it’s the part where you want to excite the viewer. Be selective about what you highlight and keep it concise. This is the section of the video that could invoke a buying decision, so give it the most time out of everything else in the video. 

Don’t write more than needed

Explainer video scripts should be as long as they need to be and no longer. The average explainer video lasts for around 60 seconds, which roughly equates to 160-180 words. It doesn’t sound like much but gives you the chance to pen a watertight script. 

And remember: those 60 seconds won’t be filled with words. You will also need to think about language, tone and pauses throughout the script. That’s why you should keep it to 180 words maximum, even though the voice actor can perform up to 240 words per minute. 

Internal or external?

You may also deliberate over whether to write the script in-house or use an external company. In-house is the cheaper option, but unless you have professional scriptwriters working for you, it’s worth exploring using an external company. 

A professional video company will aid the process along the way, asking you to fill out a brief. This is designed to help you think about your business from a different perspective and define what matters most.

They will take that brief and turn it into a watertight script that highlights the best parts of your business and resonates with customers. So before deciding to write the script in-house, it’s worth exploring external options before making a decision. 

The right script for your explainer video

If you nail the script for your explainer video, you can expect a positive response from viewers. And by following our tips, you’ll have a strong chance of writing an explainer video script that conveys your message and gets people watching with interest and interacting with your brand. 

An infographic showing how to write an explainer video script

Interested in learning more about Explainer Videos? Read our other blogs

Different types of explainer videos

10 best explainer videos in 2022

What are animated explainer videos

How to find the best explainer video company

How to make an awesome explainer video that sells

5 reasons why you should use animated explainer videos 

How to use explainer videos to boost your SEO

If you would like support from an explainer video company with your next project, then don’t hesitate to get in touch.

About George Hughes

George Hughes is the Founder and Creative Director of Small Films in London, UK. His debut book “Resonance: Unleash your Brand’s Potential with Video” is a number 1 bestseller on Amazon and is recognised as a leading authority on how businesses can master their video marketing strategy. George comes from a 14-year career in the television industry directing for an array of networks from the BBC to the Discovery Channel. He went on to found the video production agency Small Films, and for the last 6 years has been creating video advertising campaigns and branded content for an array of brands, from Aldi supermarket to disruptive startups like Lick Paint. 

Explainer videos are becoming an integral part of marketing for brands, but how do you make one that actually sells your product or service? It’s easier said than done, especially with so many videos out there competing for our attention. But it is possible, and we’ve put this guide together so you can make an awesome explainer video that sells.

Some explainer video stats

Before we get into the finer details about how to create a great explainer video, first, let’s look at some important statistics. According to the State of Video Marketing Report, 96% of people said they watched an explainer video to learn about a brand’s offering.

Seventy-nine percent went on to say that a brand video persuaded them to buy a software tool or app, while 68% preferred watching video over text to learn about a new offering. In other words, video content – and specifically explainers – have the power to strike a chord with audiences. 

Create explainer videos that actually explain things

You’d be surprised how many brands create an explainer video that does little explaining. That’s not to say they haven’t tried; it’s just that they get so caught up in the idea of creating a video that they lose sight of its purpose. 

Preparation is key when it comes to making an explainer video. Don’t rush into things, and spend some time thinking about what you want it to achieve. Put down a blueprint and ask yourself questions as you go: does it make sense, can you refine it to make it clearer, how good is the script (more on that in a bit)? 

A meticulous approach is required, especially if it’s going to sit on your website home page. An explainer video will be the first interaction many people have with your brand, so you want to ensure that it’s clear and concise. 

Write a killer script (with great narration)

Or get someone to do it for you. Either way, you’ll need a strong script if you want to reach the right audience and send a message that resonates with them. A well-written script holds the key to nailing your explainer video. 

We recommended getting this done externally, as it allows someone to come on board and provide a fresh perspective. With the right direction, they should be able to explain it in a way that viewers can understand, whether they’ve never used your brand or are familiar with your offering. 

It’s worth exploring the idea of hiring a professional video company. They can help you with the script and even filming, asking you to fill out a creative brief that will make you dive deeper into your business to derive the best aspects from your brand. 

>> Looking for a video production company in London? Get in touch with the Small Films team, we’d love to help.

Keep them short and sweet

While there’s an argument that more people are reading and watching long-form content, a video explainer is best kept short. Ultimately, it’s sales-led (as opposed to purely informational-led), and the less you say, the more likely people are to remember your message. 

As a rule of thumb, industry experts say you should keep it to 150 words per minute, and an explainer video should be no more than a couple of minutes. The longer the video, the higher the chance that people will switch off early. 

You may be tempted to cram tons of information into the video, but less is more in this case. Only 58% of people watch business-related videos to the end if they’re under one minute. So keep that in mind when you’re confining the length of your explainer video. 

Choose the right type of explainer video

There are several different types of explainer videos, so you want to ensure that you pick the right one. Options include live action explainer videos, where a non-animated video provides information about your business. 

You could opt for a live stream on social media, offering a real-time experience to your audience and fielding questions from viewers. Animated explainer videos are the most popular format, as they allow for more creativity than a live-action video. 

Another option includes a whiteboard explainer video, where animation is hand-drawn and erased on a whiteboard. This is one of the most cost-efficient types of explainer videos available.

Focus on the benefits (not the features)

Reeling off feature after feature might sound good as far as industry jargon goes. But customers want you to cut through the noise and watch a video that explains how your product or services will help them. 

Show a clear problem, solution, how it works and a call to action. If you abide by those four factors, then you have a great chance of creating an explainer video that pops and conveys your intended message. 

Customers are time poor and don’t have the patience to hear hundreds of benefits. Instead, they want solutions to their problems. So focus on providing the pros in your explainer video and get consumers excited about using your brand. 

Summary: selling with explainers

Explainer videos should be at the top of your marketing agenda, and by following our tips, you can increase the chance of making killer videos that sell. You can boost your bottom line, too, as you drive up sales with a watertight video explainer that acts as a gateway to your business and gets consumers hooked from the second it starts.

Check out our article, how to find the best video explainer company for more insights and some killer explainer video examples.

If you are looking for an explainer video company for your next video project, then do get in touch – we’d love to help.

This is probably one of the most common questions we get asked when talking to new clients. And no surprise. It’s extremely difficult to get a sense of what video production costs when doing a cursory google search. Our industry is shrouded in mystery over what we charge, with most companies holding their cards very close to their chest. Not only that, but when you do get quotes in from a few suppliers, everyone seems to be charging wildly different amounts. No wonder that “how much does a video production cost?” is one of the most burning questions on the lips of people looking to do video. 

This is the ultimate guide to unpacking costs so you can make an informed decision about how much to invest in video and how to pick a supplier that’s the right fit for your business. I’m going to let you in on the secrets of how we charge for video production and the general industry benchmarks for various types of video. Lets demystify pricing and make life easier for everyone! 

Firstly, it’s worth mentioning that there’s a very good reason that most video production companies don’t advertise their prices. There’s nothing nefarious about it. The simple reason is that most don’t have fixed prices for videos. Why you might ask? Because most video projects aren’t a cookie-cutter approach. Each project often has multiple elements to it that are figured out once the client has provided a brief. Imagine you want a new kitchen… you could do it yourself with some second hand units for a few hundred pounds or get a high-end kitchen company to install it for tens of thousands. The same principle goes for creating video content for your business. 

Let me give you an example. Three companies have the exact same brief for a video – they want a 2 minute explainer video that talks about their new product. The first company is a start-up that hasn’t made any sales yet and the budget for video is coming from the founder’s own bank account. The second company is a 5 figure small business. The third company is a multinational corporation with 2500 employees. As you can probably appreciate, each of these businesses will have different expectations for the outcome of this video. They also almost certainly have different budgets. So this is what it costs in this hypothetical situation. The startup has no budget, so the Founder hires her friend’s son to do the job. He’s studying film at Bournemouth University. He’s happy for the experience but she still pays him £300 which is minimum wage over the 10 days it takes him to complete the project. She gets lucky and the film does the job. It’s very rough around the edges but it’s only a stop gap while the company generates some momentum. The Small Business hires an experienced freelancer that they often work with. He charges them £3,000 + VAT. He completes the project in 30 days because he’s fitting it in around other jobs. They are happy to wait because they know they’ve got a deal. The outcome is good but not award winning. Finally the big corporate hires a production company for £30,000 + VAT to create their explainer video. They want fast turnaround so the project is completed in 15 days. The production company brings in a specialised team and delivers a very high-spec film that wins an award at Cannes Lions. So if you ask me “what does an explainer video cost?”, I’ll say, “that depends”. 

“OK I get all that” I hear you say. “But how much does video production cost? Just tell me the numbers for different types of production! And how does your industry create a quote?”

Fine I’ll tell you but I’m giving away all the secrets now. 

To understand the costs, you need to understand how video productions are staffed and the work that goes into them. In that way, you can probably get a better understanding of the costs associated with your particular project. 

There are 3 parts to a video production project that we generally call “Pre-Production” (Everything before the filming from consultation and creative ideation to finding crew and shoot planning), “Production” (usually the filming but also anything that’s critical to filming such as storyboarding and set design) and “Post Production” (Editing, Animation, Motion Graphics, Sound design). So when you come to a video company with a brief, they are considering all three parts of the project and what will be involved. So let’s take a very typical example… 

Case Study: A Case Study Video

You are a service based B2B business and you want to create a case study video with one of your star clients. You want professionals to complete this and you don’t want to micromanage the project so you get 3 quotes from video production companies. Here’s what’s involved in that project…

Pre-Production

The Account Manager or Producer fact finds with you to get a sense of the project in phone calls and a face-to-face meeting. He/she establishes the narrative for the case study and suggests 3 interviews to film – one with your client and two with members of your team. Reach out to your client begins. They set up the filming time and location. Then there’s some back and forth over where to film the interviews. The Producer works with you to write questions for the interviewees and create a narrative thread to the case study film. 

Production

The Producer, Camera Operator and Soundman come to film the interviews.  They setup and light each interview shot. They film the interviews and then grab other shots to help tell the story. Door to door, including travel, this is a 10 hour day. 

Post-Production

The Producer obtains brand guidelines, fonts, logos and other assets to include in the edit. He/she then works with an editor to communicate the story. The editor goes through 3 hours of footage, trying to condense it down to 2 minutes. Music, titles, graphics are added. The film is also usually “graded” which means they need to adjust light, colour and retouch any shots then give it an overall “look”. Successive versions of the edit are reviewed internally before the first draft is ready for the client. Most companies offer 2 rounds of client amends. Once those are done and the client is happy, the film is “exported” at the best quality, checked and then sent over to the client. 

Depending on the complexity and ambition of the project, this whole process can take between 7 and 15 days of combined man-hours to complete. All these individuals are skilled and creative. Most will have a University degree. What do you think it’s worth? A builder re-doing your bathroom might charge £5 – 10K for a similar length job. To give you an idea, with most production companies in London quoting for this type of job, you can expect a range between £2,500 and £5,000 if it’s a simple production. The cost varies depending on factors such as – how much work is needed in the set-up, does the shoot require travel, how premium does it need to look and what shots are being included in the edit? For a more complex project like this for a bigger company, £5,000 – 15,000 would be a more likely range (think multiple interviews shot very stylistically, whizzy motion graphics, premium stock footage). You can see there’s quite a bit of variation! 

Starting to get a better picture? OK let’s look at some other examples… 

What about if you are a B2C company rather than B2B? You have products to sell to the consumer and making sure your product “looks the part” is going to be really important. Whether you are an FMCG brand with a healthy snack or an E-Comm business selling a board game, you know that it’s a dog-eat-dog world where consumers are incredibly fickle. So how much does video production cost? 

Let’s take the FMCG brand for example. They want to make a series of adverts to run on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube that show the quality of the ingredients in their Goji berry bar, their commitment to sustainability and the nutritional benefits of going Vegan. Without going into the specifics of pre-production, production and post-production on this one, already this project is sounding more complicated. We’re going to need serious creative brainstorming, an understanding of the customers we’re speaking to and an in-depth knowledge of the brand story and product. We might need storyboards to plan out the shoot. Props, ingredients and a studio to film in. Maybe set design is required and a food stylist. We need the big boy lights to make the product look good and actors to demo the product. Oh and we need to run tests with the product beforehand to understand how it handles under the scrutiny of the camera lens. As you can probably appreciate, if this is a food startup then they will be on a shoestring budget where £5K might be too much for this project. If it’s Nestle then £50K might be too little. 

How much does video production cost? I hope I’m giving you a fuller picture but also helping you to understand that it’s a “how long is a piece of string” question. But let’s keep going… 

You’re an events company. You want to promote the events you hold with videos of the events. So you need an event video. A very common and practical use for video. Surely we should have fixed prices for this too? But look how 3 of this company’s events might be quoted for; 

The first is an evening networking event that’s just 3 hours long. All you want is a highlight video. The production company sends a single, junior camera operator to grab some footage without sound. The editor assembles it into a fun 45 second promo film with music. Job done. The second film is for a 1 day conference that you are hosting. This film needs to be 2 minutes long with interviews, soundbites from the speakers on stage and shots of the event. This is now a 3 man team – Producer, Camera Operator, Soundman. But it turns out we’ll need 2 x camera operators to get the coverage that’s required. And a site recce is also needed to make sure things go smoothly on the day. Then your PR firm asks for the edit to be ready the morning after the event so overnight editing is required. So as you can probably appreciate, a question “how much does it cost” is impossible to answer until the project has been fully specced out. And finally, your annual big event is taking place over 3 days in Paris. We need multiple crews, on-site editing and different videos created throughout the day. Where do we begin with this one? 3 different events, 3 different scopes, prices ranging from £1000 – 30,000. 

Lets pick another one… 

In the B2B world – Animations. You can honestly get these done for under £500 if you go for the cheapest possible option – cookie-cutter company that you found on Upwork. Why are they so cheap? Because they are recycling pre-built characters, icons and templates that have been created to service a large volume of clients. The experience is going to be invariably pretty painful as you won’t be able to customise what you want and you will have to micromanage every aspect of the production. But then it is £500 after all! If this isn’t the approach you want to go for then start thinking more in terms of £5K, 10K, 20K if you want something to look good. It’s going to take an animator at least 2 weeks to produce anything good. And if you want it to look really good, then you’ll need storyboards to begin with, an illustrator needs to create designs first then an animator brings them to life. 

And one last example… 

A promo film for the new winter line of a fashion brand. The price depends on the brand. If you are an emerging brand without two pennies to rub together then find a videographer who specialises in fashion. Agree the creative direction internally and produce your own rough storyboards (scribble them on the back of a napkin if need be). Project manage the production yourself by finding the location, models and props then have a crack at Directing. It’s going to cost you a few thousand pounds all in all, maybe less if you pull in loads of favours. It’s also going to suck ALL your time for the next 2 months so be prepared for that. 

If  you are a well established, household fashion brand looking to film a TV advert then of course you don’t do any of this yourself. You hire a professional video production company and possibly even reach them through your creative Ad agency who have come up with the concept for the film. You’ve spent a month agonising over the details of absolutely everything and getting those approved by other stakeholders. And on the shoot day, you’ve thrown the kitchen sink at it. Not including the creative agency fee, the production costs anything upwards of £100K. 

“George, you are frustrating me now. Just give me the costs. Stop giving a range”. 

How about this, how about we get more granular about what individual crew members charge and how companies pass that cost on? Let’s take a camera operator as an example. Most production companies will have a mix of in-house and freelance camera operators. The more specialist the camera operator, the more likely he/she is freelance and charges a higher fee. Here’s the spectrum – a junior camera operator in their early twenties who is just cutting their teeth might command £150 per day including an entry-level camera. An experienced camera operator might charge £1000 per day and then hire their kit on top of that. The same principle applies to Directors, Editors, Drone operators, Animators and practically anyone working in production. It’s a freelance world where the more experience you have, the more you charge. Because you are normally experienced, fast, slick, reliable and frankly highly talented. So if you want to work with the best, you have to pay for the best. 

For any production company to provide a good service to their clients, they have to mark up the prices of all their staff members or freelancers. Not because they are being “greedy” but because there are large overheads associated with production work that need to be accounted for from the time it takes to establish relationships with and “road test” the best freelancers, check their availability, hire them and facilitate their work, through to costs associated with production like office rent, equipment, software and general business management. The typical net profit margin for a successful production company is anywhere between 10% and 20%. And most companies reinvest that in growing the business to better serve their clients. So if you do ask for a 20% discount, just remember you are probably asking them to make no money on the job. 

I hope you’ve found this article useful and you have a better understanding of “how much a video production costs” and if you still aren’t sure then ping me an email and I can answer any further questions.

Would you like support from Small Films for your next video? Then give us a shout at info@smallfilms.com

If you are in the business of selling business-to-business then you are probably facing some of the same challenges we all face:

  • Grabbing your ideal customers’ attention is hard. 
  • Building trust with them so they buy from you is a slow process. 
  • Communicating the value your product or service brings is not always straightforward. 

It’s frustrating because you know you have a fantastic business that can truly help your prospective customers. So why can’t they see that? 

This is where video production comes in and specifically customer testimonial videos. If anyone asks me what’s the first video I should create for my business, I always tell them to go shoot some customer testimonial videos. These things are like business rocket fuel. 

Customer testimonial videos are where you put your existing customers on camera to talk about working with you. They talk about life before your product, why they chose to work with you, what life is like afterwards and why they would recommend you. 

They are going to do more for your company than virtually any other marketing asset. Here’s why…

  • Customer testimonial videos are like word of mouth on steroids.
  • Your customers will sell your services better than you ever could. 
  • They are going to win you leads and close more deals. 

I’m sure you’ve already got written testimonials from happy customers. They are probably buried somewhere on your website getting very little attention or they sneak into your quotes and proposals as an afterthought But unlike text, video is highly eye-catching. It engages the viewer because you can tell a story. And it can’t be faked or manipulated like written reviews. 

The best part is that customer testimonial videos can be put to work as a sales and marketing tool via your website, social media, email and even paid advertising. You can actively use them to generate interest in your business and bring customers across the line. 

But, but, but… 

You need to have a proper plan of attack when adding these powerful weapons to your marketing arsenal. So before you commission a video production company or videographer to do the work, here’s my 11 insider tips for an effective customer testimonial video. 

TIP 1: Choose the right customers

Sounds obvious doesn’t it but this is the most important part to nailing a customer testimonial video and it’s easy to get this wrong. Your “best customer” with your “best success story” might not always be the best person to put on film. Remember, you want them to really sell your services to new prospects, so they’ve got to have a bit of charisma and feel comfortable on camera. If your customer is a major introvert or a monotonal bore, then they might not be right for this project. Maybe there’s someone else at the company who could speak on camera instead? 

TIP 2: Choose the right case study

Customer testimonial videos are going to work best when the case study is simple to follow with a clear outcome. Whilst it’s great to know that you are “lovely to work with” and “nice people”, what your prospective customers are going to want to see its results. So pick a case study that demonstrates a tangible benefit to the person talking. Also, think tactically about what areas of your business your sales and marketing team need help with. Maybe it’s enterprise clients you have the most trouble getting across the line. If that’s the case then think about creating some customer testimonial videos from some of your enterprise clients. 

TIP 3: Script it but don’t script it. 

If you want your customer to come across as being genuine and truthful, then it’s best not to script the video and ask them to read from an autocue. Far better to ask them questions and get genuine responses. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t write a script of what you hope they’ll say and then ask them questions to try and elicit the right answers. So if you want them to say “working with the team was a dream” then ask them “how was it working with the team”. And if you want to say “we double our turnover as a result” you ask “did turnover increase after working with us?”

TIP 4: Nail your storytelling

A good customer testimonial video has a beginning, middle and end. Also known as the narrative arc. In this context you want to start by introducing what life was like for the customer before they engaged your services, they should then talk about why they chose to work with you rather than someone else. They should move on to talking about the process and how it worked before then explaining how their life has changed for the better since working with you. A nice ending is for them to sign off by saying they would recommend you to anyone else looking for your services. 

TIP 5: Choose the right location

The ideal location for a customer testimonial video is at either your customer’s offices or your offices. By doing that, the camera operator can then shoot some additional footage to edit in with the interview footage. For example, general shots of your customer’s office and signage, your customer at work or having a meeting with the team. Shooting the video in a contextual setting will help bring the story to life. Consider “recreating” a few scenes like you greeting your customer at reception or having a brainstorming meeting. These will look great in the edit. 

TIP 6: Set dress the back of shot

If you want your customer to command authority and add weight to your business, then they need to be shot against a professional looking background that isn’t messy, cluttered or boring. Make sure that your team or your camera crew have spent time evaluating the background of the shot to make sure it reflects the right look and feel for your business. 

Tip 7: Coach a good performance

Charisma, conviction and an engaging performance are essential if you want your customer to come across well on camera. Your video production company or videographer will be responsible for coaching your customer on camera but if you are shooting this yourself, then make sure you allow plenty of time. If you have enough time then you can go slowly, put your customer at ease and get several takes of each question so they get into the flow better. 

Tip 8: Keep it short

The most effective customer testimonial videos are short and sweet. We typically recommend 1 – 2 minutes long unless you are getting into a quite detailed case study. People’s attention spans are short and they are time-poor, so don’t expect them to watch for much longer than that. Condensing your message down to a 1 minute video is also an excellent exercise in getting straight to the point. 

Tip 9: Use motion graphics

Adding some motion graphics to your customer testimonial video can be a great way to bring the information alive for the viewer. Make sure to include a graphic introducing the speaker’s name, job title and company. If any key points are raised then consider repeating them in text on screen, or if they mention how their revenue increased, how many leads they won or other facts, then put these statistics up as well. 

Tip 10: Include a Call to Action

So easily forgotten, all videos must have a call to action. You need your customers to “do something” after they’ve watched your video so make sure you tell them. Most call to actions after a customer testimonial video tend to be “visit our website” “book a call” or “email us”. Make sure you include your company logo and contact details. 

Tip 11: Leverage your customer testimonial videos effectively

The best video in the world will do nothing for you if no-one sees it. So you need to put in the graft and make your customer testimonial videos work for you. Put them on your website in key locations alongside a written case study, put them out on your social media channels and host them on YouTube for good SEO. Give them to your sales team to send to prospects so they can close deals faster and include them in proposals or quotes for work so you validate your product or service. You can even run paid advertising campaigns (with your customer’s permission) on Linkedin, Facebook, YouTube or Google. 

So there you have it. My 11 tips for nailing your customer testimonial videos. I hope you’ve found it useful. This should help you to brief your video production company or videographer so you get the best out of this project. And if you want to find out more about this awesome service then click here. 

customer testimonials infographic

Want Small Films to create customer testimonial videos for your business? Then give us a shout at info@smallfilms.com

 

Great news… You’ve decided to commission some video content for your business which means you are about to make your company stand out from all your competitors. Bad news… You now need to find a supplier.

You start to get those cold sweats brought on by the thought of scouring the internet for the best video production company, having lots of exploratory phone calls, gathering quotes and then wading through the different proposals to work out which company is the best fit. It can be a minefield. Particularly if you haven’t done it before.

If your business is based outside of London, then you will inevitably be faced with a choice. Should you work with a video agency that’s local to your area or should you cast your net further afield and include the nation’s capital in your search? What are the advantages of working with a London video production company over a local one? To help you navigate this quandary, below I’ve included some top things to consider when making your choice. I must caveat that the situation is far from black and white. Each video agency you look at will be vastly different and not fit with the “standard” rule of thumb I’ve included below. So make sure you ask as many questions from your supplier as you can and interrogate their track record. 

Video Production Talent 

London

London is a huge city that has an irresistible pull for video production creatives who want to forge a career. There’s a lot more opportunities for employment than other parts of the UK. This means there is a vast pool of highly qualified individuals which leads to some of the best creative work. 

Rest of the UK

Whilst talent may not be as readily available in some parts of the country – particularly rural areas, if you are close to cities like Bristol or Manchester, you will find a thriving creative community who are creating high quality work. Local companies may rely less on freelancers and employ in-house staff instead. This leads to great training and loyalty. 

Video Production Resources

London

One big advantage to London is the wide availability of various resources needed for video production from filming locations and studios to equipment rental houses, prop hire companies, actors and specialist crew. The wide availability of freelance talent also means that capacity is rarely an issue. Jobs can always be taken on and can be done very quickly if the need arises. 

Rest of the UK

Depending on the area your video production company is from, they may be in easy reach of some breath-taking filming locations that don’t cost an arm and a leg. For instance a video production company in Brighton will have access to town as well as beaches and the Sussex downs. Not only that but often, in-house resources for things like travel, aerial filming and editing mean that they can respond quickly and competitively. 

Video Production Experience

London

We are a video production company in London so it’s going to sound disingenuous of me to say that London agencies have the most experience. It’s definitely not as black and white as that. Yes, many of the most sought-after video production companies are based here in London. That’s because many of the biggest brands are also based in the city, leading to some of the best opportunities. But alongside the good companies there are also hundreds of video production companies who are trying to get started and may not be as good quality. Be careful to fully assess the company’s track record before you book them. 

Rest of the UK

There are some phenomenal companies outside of London and they aren’t hard to find, if you put your mind to it. Take a good look at their past work and the sorts of clients they’ve worked with. It will be obvious that they are working nationally or even globally with some great businesses. For smaller, local companies, you may find that they have a more generalist background, working with small, local businesses and so don’t need to compete on a national level for work. The advantage is that they have worked with many local companies just like yours. The disadvantage may be that their experience may be limited to local production.

Video Production Skills

London

There are various skills associated with video production from the filming crew to editors and animators. For many productions a single videographer who can film and edit will suffice where others may need set design, directors, specialist cameras, motion graphics and colour correction. Any company has the ability to source the right specialist for virtually any video production skill, regardless of location in the UK. However, these skills are very easily sourced in London. 

Rest of the UK

As I’ve said, any company can bring tremendous levels of skill to the table and specialist video production knowledge. However a company that is outside of the capital may find it harder to find the right freelancer for the more specialist skill. If you are commissioning an ambitious filming project that will require a lot of specialist skills, make sure your supplier knows how to find the right specialists to make it happen. 

Price

London

Yes, London video production companies can (but not always) be more expensive than working with a local video production company. This is because there is a cost associated with travel outside of the capital including hotels and mileage. Overheads may also be higher because of London rent, wages and other factors. However, where a London video agency may charge more, they can typically work nationwide and respond extremely quickly to briefs. 

Rest of the UK

Video production companies based in cities like Norwich, Plymouth, Bristol, Manchester or Glasgow can often be just as expensive as a London agency if they have pedigree and are highly sought-after. However, video production companies situated in more rural locations are likely to be much more affordable due to lower overheads. If price is a significant factor in choosing your supplier and your budget is tight then going local may be the way forward. 

Customer Experience

London

As per my note about there being good and bad companies, customer experience can vary tremendously across different video production agencies. However, because of the huge freelance economy in the capital, video production crew tend to be very seasoned. They’ve cut their teeth with scores of clients in a myriad of different environments which means they’re less likely to get flummoxed by any issues or make mistakes. This can lead to a less stressful experience for the customer. 

Rest of the UK

Again, customer experience varies across companies all over the country. However, one advantage of local companies who have in-house staff to do the work rather than relying on freelancers, is that they are well trained in “how the company does things”. So there’s likely to be more consistency across their work. It’s worth noting that some London companies have predominantly in-house staff and some companies outside of London work almost entirely with freelancers, so tread carefully when making any assumptions about customer experience. 

Trust

London and the Rest of the UK

When choosing to work with a video production company, trust is arguably one of the biggest factors in picking your supplier. It’s why most people will rely on referrals when picking a business. London based businesses are much more likely to work with a London video production company because they will have been referred and can easily get to know, like and trust them. The same goes for local video production companies. If your business is based in Taunton, Oxford or Birmingham, it’s more than likely you’ll have been referred to a local company and had an opportunity to meet them in person. There’s a greater trust that they will do a good job. However, I would challenge you to base your choice of supplier not just on the safe option of feeling like you trust them. Look for the company that will do the best job for your business, then let them build trust with you through sharing their work, testimonials with past customers, references and conversations to establish a relationship. When you do that, you’ll find that on the whole, most companies will do everything they can to create the best possible work for you and can be trusted to do a good job.

If you are looking for a video production company in London who can help with customer testimonial videos, explainer videos, animations and more, then do get in touch – we’d love to help.