Video is the most effective way to engage audiences across the globe. Eighty-seven percent of marketers say that it helps increase website traffic, and 80 percent say it drives sales. Video marketing companies have the potential to put a rocket engine under your enterprise and blast it into the stratosphere.

With that said, success isn’t guaranteed. That’s why asking yourself some pertinent questions before taking the plunge and hiring a video marketing company is essential.

Question #1: How much is this going to cost?

This question is the big one: anyone hiring a video marketing company wants to know how much it will cost. Video marketing is considerably more effective than conventional PPC or banner ads, but it is also more expensive to produce. While you can generate ad copy in a few minutes, videos can take weeks to make.

Before going to an agency:

Set a budget spelling out how much you can spend.
Get quotes from video marketing agencies exploring how much it will cost.
Try to account for the entire campaign, regardless of how long it will run.

In some cases, video marketing companies may offer set packages. These make it easy to calculate how much you need to spend. But other times, you’ll get a bespoke quote based on your brief.

Remember, spending more isn’t always better. There’s a sweet spot when it comes to returning your investment.

When you go to a video marketing company, they should be able to tell you why the price is what it is. Ideally, they should:

Give you an itemized breakdown of costs for each item
Specify how long they believe each filming element will take, down to the nearest 10 or 15 minutes
Respond to your questions about their budget in detail
List pre-production, post-production and filming costs separately

Question #2: Can you use videos you make effectively once filming stops?

While video might be a powerful medium to engage audiences, it only works if enough people see it. For it to be beneficial to your business, it has to convert.

Picture this: you spend $10,000 on a pay-per-click campaign, which doesn’t result in more visitors to your site. Would that be acceptable? Of course not. The same applies to video production. No matter how beautiful the scenes are, it has to make a return.

Question #3: Does the video marketing company have the right skills for my industry?

Video marketing professionals are often very good at what they do but tend to have niche skills. The types of videos one agency produces are often very different from another.

Don’t go to a company specializing in cartoon explainer videos for commercial cleaning firms if you run a wedding business. Instead, go to a video marketing agency that has served clients like you in the past. Therefore, ensure the agency has the right tools for the job.

Question #4: How original is the video marketing agency?

Video marketing agencies often have dozens of similar companies on their books. And because of this, it is tempting for them to take shortcuts. To save time and money, they mass-produce the same style of video.

You need to avoid these practices as a brand looking to engage your audience. Posting generic videos will make your company look cookie-cutter, and you’ll fail to gain traction online.

To determine whether a video marketing company is creative, do the following:

Ask them to produce several storyboards for your videos
Please take a look at their portfolio of videos for similar clients
Get them to make stylistic suggestions for your video that are different from their other clients
Ask them how much time they spend brainstorming ideas before beginning production
Get them to tell you about stylistic risks they took which paid off for their clients in the past

Question #5: Does the agency have a robust process?

Lastly, you’ll want to ask whether the video marketing company has a robust process to ensure quality results. The videos in the agency’s promo reel might be cherry-picked and not reflective of their actual production standards.

Ideally, you’ll want an agency that provides concrete timelines, telling you when they will complete work. You also want videographers willing to edit and revise videos as often as required. Avoid firms that can’t clearly explain their processes to you.