Getting Your Team On Board With Video 

October 5, 2021 6 min read30
0Shares

After reading our blog (and virtually anything else ever written on the internet about video marketing) you probably know how valuable video marketing can be for your business. However, just because you know how powerful video marketing can be doesn’t mean that your whole company knows it, or your boss knows it, or your C-level executive team knows it. If they don’t have all the facts, it can even be hard to convince your own team members that it’s worth the upfront cost of investment—let alone convincing your managers and department heads. 

Even with all the facts, people can be skeptical, and understandably so. Video marketing can sometimes be hard to quantify in terms of actual monetary value and positive return on investment. That said, it is possible—and easy if you know the right metrics—to prove the value of video in action. It just happens to take a combination of strategy, skill, knowledge, and determination to get all the facts straight and everyone on the same page.

Today, we’re going to explore how to get the buy-in from your team or company’s top executives in order to get the green light for investing in video marketing. Let’s dive in.

Step One: Gather the facts, stats, and best in case examples.

There are plenty of statistics about the power of video marketing when incorporated into part of your marketing strategy—so many that we compile an annual list of the latest info (see this year’s list here). Before you go to make your pitch, make sure you stack your deck (and by that we mean your pitch deck) with the latest video marketing statisticsIt’s also a good practice to grab a few case studies and examples to show how other companies have used videos successfully. 

Step Two: Get your pitch right by focusing on sustainable growth. 

The key to implementing video content production successfully into your marketing strategy is by scaling it up slowly and incrementally so that it becomes sustainable over time. For example, if you go big on one expensive video, you won’t have any budget left over for more content, which is an even bigger fail if the first video ends up being a flop. In 2021, content is king, and one big, expensive video a quarter isn’t going to cut it with billions of other videos competing for attention every day.

Try tailoring your approach to see how you can create shorter video content with smaller budgets, and slowly ramp up your content production over time. Instead of pitching an all-in, full-scale investment in high-end equipment ranging in the tens of thousands of dollars, pitch a trial version where you invest in some low-cost, mid-range quality gear. Then, start creating short, 15-30 second videos that you can pilot on your socials and repost on your blog for evergreen content and improved SEO.

When we say low-cost, we mean it. Since you can create high-quality content on an iPhone these days, you might as well start small and work your way up. You can even pitch a three-month trial content strategy with the plan to shoot all your video content on an iPhone. Your customers and followers will notice the increase in production values over time as well, and will see it as a positive sign that business is booming! And for your pitch, starting small will make it easier for the higher-ups to see value (and low risk) in what you’re proposing.

Step Three: Once they buy in, set expectations early, and update them often.

Nothing is worse than when expectations are misaligned and two parties are not on the same page. That’s especially true with new initiatives. It’s important to get everyone on the same page about what to expect so that executives aren’t wanting Super Bowl style content on an iPhone budget. 

For example, if you are following a video marketing strategy similar to the type we recommend, your video marketing’s success will be tied to a specific goal, whether it be to attract new audiences, engage more viewers, nurture more leads or delight current customers. Make sure that everyone involved in the decision to go ahead with video marketing understands what success looks like for any particular effort so they can judge it accordingly.

Then, once you start the production process, make sure you keep track of any production hiccups that come with the learning curve of getting into video. On set, it’s common to see Murphy’s Law in action: Everything that can go wrong usually will. Make sure that you are properly accounting for what it takes to mount a production, regardless of size, and that you have all the knowledge you can at your disposal to create the highest quality content possible.

Step Four: Determine crew roles and how internal processes will play out.  

Setting expectations also means setting a chain of command on your internal team as far as who is in charge of creative. Everyone will inevitably have ideas—some great and some…not so great. However, films made by committee are usually the worst kind of films, even when you’re just talking about a 15-second marketing video. There will always be more room for more content, so maybe save that crazy plot twist for a different video. 

If you are working with an agency or outside production company, it’s usually best to have a single contact person working directly with the agency. This person will funnel feedback from your team to then share it at one time with the agency, so communication is streamlined and no one gives conflicting notes. It can be overwhelming for production teams when jumbled, last-minute feedback is given the day before. One point person is plenty! 

If you are creating the content yourself, you should have someone on board as your “Executive Producer” or “Creative Director” to be in charge of making all final calls. This person will more or less be the director on the project, unless you hire an outside director to come shoot your idea for you. 

Step Five: Finalize logistics and minimize feedback loops prior to production.

If you are working on your video production as a creative team, including other department heads from other wings of your business like social or PR, you should figure out a process for how you will filter and receive feedback and outside input. 

It’s always best to get everyone’s opinions before an idea is finalized, and then make sure everyone has a chance to add their input to the finalized idea within a set time limit. The phrase “speak now or forever hold your peace” comes to mind and should be a rule of thumb when getting feedback.

Other than that, locking down the logistics of final production costs and production deadlines ahead of time can be a lifesaver—especially if accounting has some questions about those helicopter shots the director you hired included in his production budget. The more your team is on the same page throughout the entire process, the smoother it will go, the more content you will be able to create, and the better results you will get from your efforts—making it more likely you will be green-lit by your company to continue creating video content past your trial run.

Want an affordable alternative to creating your own in-office production studio? 

While you certainly can do it all yourself, you don’t have to. We offer affordable, high-quality video packages that you can purchase and customize depending on your needs. Trying to improve your lead conversions? Grow your social media followers? Better engage visitors on your website? Keep customers coming back? Whatever your goal, video can help, and so can we!

You May Also Like

.
.
.

Like what you see?

Create your first video today.

Purchase a video and start your project today, and get your video in as little as 3 weeks.

Get Started Now

Subscribe to our newsletter