Finding the Right Video Production Company for Your “Explainer Video”

The new model for promoting a website, app or product is to use a video to explain why it’s important. Typically these types of video will live on a landing page or be shared via email or social media and there’s a reason for the rise in “explainer videos” – using video content can help increase conversion by over 50% and dramatically improve organic search ranking.

But what exactly is an “explainer video”?

Explainer Video = short (usually 1-3min) video produced for the web that present information about a business, app, blog, newsletter or product clearly and succinctly. The goal of an explainer video is to effectively promote the benefits of said product so the audience will take action and sign up, download, subscribe, like, share, buy or some other engagement.

Here are a few examples of explainer videos you may have seen:

Dollar Shave Club

Crazy Egg

Yes these videos are both awesome.

So we know that everyone wants video and it’s really good to have but how do you actually chose who to work with and how much to pay?

There are a few keys to understand what to look for in a video production partner and how to get the most bang for your buck.

Step 1 – Define Your Unique Selling Proposition

It may sound like it has nothing to do with choosing a video partner but in reality most companies miss the mark but failing to understand how they should be marketing themselves. Having produced hundreds of videos for clients of all shapes and sizes, I can tell you this happens all the time and it trickles down to the viewer making for a less effective video.

If you want to find a great video production company, start with clearly defining your unique selling proposition or USP.

Step 2 – Research What You Like Best

The two examples we looked at (Dollar Shave Club and Crazy Egg - notice both sites use their video front and center) were very different. One was live action and the other was animated.

Figure out what style you like best and better yet make a list of your favorite explainer videos. This will help you zero in on what type of company you should hire to create your explainer video.

Step 3 – Determine Your Budget

I know I may get in trouble with some of my video production peers out there for saying so but it’s actually quite helpful to figure out your budget before approaching a company like us. You can really run the gamut of prices – anything from the $65 bargain basement special to a $65,000 production.

Ad agencies operate like this all the time because it’s easier to craft an approach once budgets have been decided. You know your business and what you’re prepared to spend, you should decide in advance instead of having someone like me tell you (but you’re of course welcome to have me suggest a price). It’s hard to say what the value of your video will be but I know that Neil Patel has publicly said that their video drives an extra $21,000 in revenue each month!

Step 4 – Research Companies

Now that you have a clear idea of what you need to say, how you’d like to say it and how much you’re ready to spend, it’s finally time to chose a production company. A quick Google search of explainer video production companies will serve as a nice start and I bet you encountered a few in your research. Make a list of the top 5 companies you’d like to work with and check them out.

Like any business relationship you want it to feel comfortable and provide value to your company. Read their blog, look at their existing and past clients, read any press you can find.

Step 5 – Take the Plunge

At the end of the day working with a creative partner is always a bit nerve-racking, whether it’s a web designer, photographer, video production company or the guy you pay to paint your kid’s face at the fair. No matter how prepared you are there is some amount of faith required to say “yes, I’d like you to create something that represents me” and believe me, I understand that can make one anxious.

But I believe in the collaborative process and if you do your homework and find the right partner, you’ll end up with something fantastic. There are so many times I’ve seen new ideas materialize from a fresh perspective and working together to produce a piece of content that does something amazing – actually connects with the person watching it.