What Should I Handle Internally When Hiring a Video Vendor?

Stop the presses!

Even though you know you need outside expertise to finish the project, you might still feel apprehensive. 

You had a plan. Your team did all this work. Do you really have to hand off your baby to a team of strangers? We get it. If we were in your shoes, we’d feel the same way. But at the end of the day, you, your team, your association and your audience, all want the same thing: a beautiful video that engages your audience and accomplishes your objective. 

So the question is: How involved can and should you be in the production process?

Short answer: It depends.

A great video vendor should understand where their expertise and ability to effectively contribute to a given project begins and ends. They know the best practices when it comes to things like creating the proper tone, pacing and structure of your video, telling the story you desire in a way that leverages the video medium, and the deployment of specialty equipment and programs for a little razzle-dazzle. 

They also keep close tabs on trending lengths, treatments and formats to make sure your finished product comes off as timely and relevant to your audience.

But (and this is a big but), a video vendor will never be more of an expert on your industry and your target audience than you.

So what are your strengths and resources as an organization?

Maybe you already have a great team of writers, researchers or statisticians. Maybe you have skilled brand strategists on board. Maybe you have access to a beloved industry personality. Or, maybe you have a local photographer or videographer whose work you love.

Video that really moves the needle on your objectives is always more than just a corporate short film.

It’s an entire ecosystem. 

The video itself should be one part of your broader marketing strategy, one that guides your audience toward your desired outcome – and it usually takes multiple stakeholders working together to reach that goal.

If you have a great team, and they haven’t worked closely on a video before, it’s ok! Don’t be shy about what they can bring to the table. 

An effective collaborator will work with you to find where the contributions of your team can really shine and where the seasoned video producer or developer should shoulder the load.

It really comes down to you and your organization’s comfort level and how much you’d like to be involved in the process. At Association TV® for example, we offer a sliding scale where clients can leverage just some, or all, of our agency services in their video programming. This is stuff like:

• strategy
• sales
• sponsor servicing and advertising
• project planning
• concept design and creative development
• global in-person or remote filming
• interviewing
• storyboarding
• scriptwriting
• animating
• editing
• livestreaming
• web integration, marketing automation and lead generation
• analytics

Maybe you already have a video made and you aren’t sure where to put it. That’s a great opportunity to leverage our video platform, giving yourself an easy-to-use digital headquarters for all your content. Or maybe you have a need for a video, but you don’t have the time, team or direction to execute it. That’s when you want a totally turnkey solution where we develop and produce the video from conception to implementation. Or maybe the answer is something in between. 

It’s a personal decision based on your organization’s needs and resources and the goal is for you to only handle the work you actually enjoy.

So what’s the point?

If you've lost confidence in the creative vision of your video project, or have been shoved out to the point where you have no skin in the game, it can be hard to stay motivated and push for the assets you need to move the needle on your goals. 

A good video vendor will make you something pretty, but a great vendor will be an extension of your brand and values. 

They should be a partner to fill in the gaps of your winning team, not an obstacle fighting with you for control of the creative process.