Everyone likes to save some money.   From combo-meals to cutting coupons, there are plenty of ways out there to save a buck. And if you’re new, or relatively new to producing a video, there are certainly things that you can do to save money without affecting the quality of your production…  Like knowing where you want your video to end up before you even film the first frame.

Seems simple, right?  While it can be, sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what you hope that your video will accomplish.  Making a video, especially for the first time, can feel like you’re jumping into the middle of an ocean without a life vest – There’s a lot of water, and you just don’t know which direction to turn to swim for shore.

But even if you feel a little adrift, having some ideas of where you want to end up with your production can get you moving in the right direction.  And working with the right team, they just might throw you a lifeline to get you where you want to be.

When deciding what you’re hoping your video will accomplish, you need to ask yourself a few simple questions:

1. What is the video’s objective?

You might be looking for an overall feeling to convey to your audience, maybe empathy for a cause or excitement for a new product.  Maybe you’re focused on introducing a new company or brand to an expanding demographic.  Or maybe you’re even looking to get more specific, like looking for a spike in sales from Hispanic middle-income single-parent households.  

2. Who is your audience?

Are you trying to make videos for families? Single men?  Children? Pinpointing your audience can help you approach your production from a psychological angle, vastly increasing it’s effectiveness and getting you to where you want to go much faster. 

3. What do you want them to do?

Now that we know what we want the video to accomplish, and we know who we’re marketing it to, now we need to decide what we’re hoping our audience will do once they’ve seen our video.

Are we hoping that they’re going to learn more about a product, join a cause, or maybe pass along your information to a friend?  You’ve done the hard work, now we just need to make sure that your viewers click, share, or subscribe to our content.  And when that happens, we know that the video has done it’s job. 

Having clear and concise goals for the video that you’re producing will have a positive effect on every element of your production, from planning, to shooting, and throughout the editing process. And any direction you can bring to the table can save you time, which will save you money in the long run.

So even if you’re not exactly sure how to get there, at least having an idea of where you want to go can help your partners make sure it’s smooth sailing on your video journey. And with your partners help, you’ll be relaxing on the beach in no time!

Are you looking to go for a dip?  Talk to us, we know some great beaches!