Having run a video agency for over a decade I’ve seen lots of other video agencies come and go during that time, and I’ve noticed a few commonalities in the ones who rise to the top of their game. So if I was impartially advising a brand marketing manager on what to look for in a good agency here are the things that would put on their radar.
It’s worth stating that the words video agency are used interchangeably with video production company for the purposes of this article. There are subtle differences but we can go into those in another article.
Experience
There are a tonne of video agencies out there. Many have sprung up post pandemic. It’s seen as a fun way to make some cash and be your own boss but in reality it takes a huge amount of dedication and plenty of failures before you learn what works well for brands who commission professional videos. You don’t want to be one of the failures that they chalk up to experience. You might think that if you’re commissioning something relatively simple, like a talking head interview, that even a fresh video agency couldn’t mess that up but you’d be surprised. We recently had a client come to us asking if there was anything that could be done to remove cameras from the background of an interview because the agency they had employed had put a camera behind the person being interviewed to get a shot of the interviewer and vice versa. Unfortunately there was nothing we could do. They had obviously spent a lot of money on the job but the footage looked unprofessional and would have tarnished their brand if used.
So experience counts for a lot but you can’t always tell how experienced an agency is from their portfolio. Often a freelance camera person or Director will set up their own agency and use all their freelance work as their portfolio. That work might look great but they may have had no involvement in working with the client to come up with an idea that would suit their brand. It’s possible that they’re great at making pretty pictures but don’t know how a video fits into a marketing funnel or how to meet a specific client objective through the use of video.
So how do you gauge experience? There’s nothing better than an early stage conversation to sound them out. Arrange a call and ask them questions about how they’ve solved client problems with video in the past. Specifically the problem you’re looking to solve with video.
Searching their website and blog for evidence of longevity is also a good idea. If they’ve been demonstrating knowledge and skills for a long time then it’s likely they know their game.
Niche Expertise
Ten years ago video was enough of a niche that you could open an agency and say that you were a video expert. Nowadays that’s no longer the case. Corporate video production covers a vast array of video use cases and agencies have specialisms which have either come about naturally due to their own interests or intentionally because they had expertise in a certain area.
A video agency that specialises in studio based food and beverage shoots will have a different approach to filmmaking than a specialist brand video agency. Both are valid skillsets and there’s a lot of interchangeable knowledge but I wouldn’t ask one to do the other if sector experts were available.
Portfolio
Look through their portfolio to see if they have relevant experience that would suit your specific requirements. Video agencies live and die by the quality of their work but there are pitfalls here. There’s nothing to stop a video agency using stock footage as part of their portfolio. The shots might look high quality but they could have been downloaded from a stock site or captured by a freelancer that no longer has anything to do with the agency. So look for evidence of how they have met a client brief. What was the problem they solved with video and how did they solve it. If they can demonstrate that in their portfolio then they’re likely to be more reliable than an agency that just shows pretty pictures.
Referrals
If somebody you know has used the agency and got good results then it’s a strong indicator that they’re a safe pair of hands. Good agencies grow from referrals so be generous and when you find a good one, shout about them.
Relevant Experience
They can demonstrate good results for prominent companies in your sector. You may not know the companies personally but if you know of them it’s a good sign that they’ll also be able to help you.
Testimonials
Check out the nice things that other people have said about them. Anyone can put a logo on their website to say they’ve worked with X brand and that may or may not be true but testimonials are harder to fake. For this very reason, video testimonials are better than written testimonials. If someone has gone to the trouble of recording a testimonial to say that the agency is good then it’s a great sign. As a caveat, it’s extremely difficult to get corporate representatives to do video testimonials, either due to corporate policy or just a lack of time, so don’t let an absence of testimonials worry you.
A Clear Sales Process
They don’t over-promise because you know that they are likely to under deliver, thus setting realistic expectations.. If they turn up to scheduled calls on-time and are prepared, set an agenda, have done their research and ask smart questions then you know you’re in the right place.
They Tell You the Honest Truth
You don’t want to work with people who don’t challenge your thinking. A good agency will have the experience to challenge a brief if they think they can help by doing so. No sugar coating or ‘yes’ people. If the deadline is too tight you want someone who will be honest about that so you can work together to find a mutually beneficial solution. A good agency will also tell you exactly what they need from you and when. They will set milestones and deadlines along the way. They will lay out the different stages of video production and tell you the appropriate time needed for each stage.
Project Management Skills
You’re about to embark upon a project that is likely to be complex with dates that need to be met. You want an agency who can demonstrate good project management skills. They will suggest regular meetings and check ins. They will ask what your preferred communication method is. They will ask you how regularly you want to be kept up to date.
They Speak in Simple Terms and Don’t use Industry Jargon.
In the video production sector there is a ridiculous amount of jargon and words that are used specifically to obfuscate in order to keep outsiders at bay (a lighting clip is known as a C47 for example). If your agency can translate the whole process into layman’s terms then it’s a good indicator that they know their profession well enough to explain it simply.
They Make You a Good Offer
You want to work with an agency that has clearly listened to you, understood your problem then come back with a solution that meets your requirements. Unless your job is a simple talking head interview video or an event video, try not to compare quotes line-item by line-item, this is fraught with danger. For example, the line item camera-person can come under different names (D.O.P / Director of photography / cinematographer / shooter etc.) and some come with equipment and others don’t. If they come with equipment, what kind of equipment. What kind of camera is important but what kind of lens is more important and unless you have a thorough understanding of film lenses then comparing that line item is a difficult task. It’s better to look at the total price and make sure they’ve covered your requirements. If the offer is reasonable then you should differentiate on the other factors in this list.
Price
If they’re expensive they’re probably good. You get what you pay for but video has one of the widest price variations of all the available marketing services. If you reach out to three companies you can get wildly different prices quoted for the same brief. That’s why it’s always important to state your budget in your brief. If the agency is good they will let you know what’s possible (and not possible) within the given budget and they will give you options for what’s possible if the brief could be better met with a different budget.
Ultimately they should demonstrate how you can get to your dream outcome with the highest chance of success and the lowest amount of time and effort on your behalf. If that requires extra budget they shouldn’t be afraid to let you know.
Awards
Judging an agency solely by awards is a terrible idea. If an agency owner has deep pockets they can enter work into enough awards that they’re bound to win some. But there are some awards that you should look out for. These awards are thorough, hard to win and can’t be bought. A Vimeo Staff Pick is one such example. There’s no entry fee for these awards and they’re picked by Vimeo editors who see thousands of videos uploaded to their platform every day. They pick out the very best and award them a prestigious Staff Pick.
Having a good range of awards and awards that relate specifically to their expertise is also a good way of judging whether they make work that’s worthy of attention.
A Waiting List
If the company is in high demand and can’t help you at the drop of a hat then it’s probably a good sign that they’re worth waiting for.
How They Advertise
Paid ads and cold outreach are terrible indicators of whether an agency is any good. Anyone can set up a Google Ads campaign and send a bunch of spam emails so why am I including it on this list? Well, it’s because you can gain some information about their specialism from the way they advertise. Often in a cold email the sender will call out a client problem that they’re aware of and have solved in the past. If this is a problem that you have then the agency is certainly worth a look. Similarly with paid ads, if the message is specific to you then it means the agency is willing to spend money telling you they’re here to help.
Process
Can they clearly describe their process to you so you know how they work? Do they have a clearly defined process to take you through pre-production, production and post-production? I’ve put this at the bottom of the list because it’s table stakes. All agencies should be able to explain their process and in video production, they don’t differ much from agency to agency so this is not a great indicator of how to pick one agency over another.
How to Pick the Right Agency
Look at all the factors above then get on a call with them. Does the person talking to you have the seniority to convince you that they’re the right agency for the job?
One thing to avoid is asking for creative ideas upfront. Yes it can demonstrate the creative thinking of the agency but you certainly won’t get the best results from doing it this way.
Good creative takes time and information. The agency will need to go in-depth to diagnose your problem then spend time doing their research before coming back to you with a solution. This needs to be paid for and by asking for it prior to engaging the agency you’re going to get initial ideas that they’ve just come up with. It’s also unethical to ask an agency to put in creative time prior to an engagement. The creative thinking is what sets us apart from other agencies and asking for it upfront is asking them to give away that which they should be making a living from. Yes they’re only ideas and they don’t cost anything but a good agency will be drawing from years of experience to give you a solution to a problem. You’re not paying for the time it takes to come up with an idea, you’re paying for the decades of successes and failures that have led to the point where they’re able to prescribe just the right solution to meet your requirements.
We’re great listeners, so why not have a chat?
Author Bio
Adam Neale has been working in the video industry for over two decades. He has run multiple production companies and has received awards for his work from global film festivals along with a Vimeo Staff Pick and a Webby Award.