When you’re in the process of planning corporate video production as part of your digital marketing strategy, you need to know how to select the best long-term fit for your production needs. Though cost is a big consideration for any business, you have to consider the quality of corporate videos you want for your brand and the customer service experience you expect from another company. Here are some questions you should be asking before deciding on a video production company:

• Once I’m given a quote for cost, will that cost be fixed and no overages charged without my approval? Budgets for corporate video productions may increase if you add more elements to the video, but a production company should stick to their quote unless you change the specifications and approve all overages.
• Will the video have a clear completion date that is contractually obligated? Though time may not be critical for your corporate video production, if you need the video finished by a specific date, make sure the production company will agree, in writing, to delivering by your final date.
• What are the payment terms? For small productions, a corporate video production company may want 100% payment upfront from a new client, but in general, 50% upfront and 50% upon completion is fairly standard.
• How much input will we have into the editing process? You want to leave the primary editing duties to a professional, but you should have multiple rounds of feedback and the production company should honor your suggestions and change requests. You are the paying client, after all!
• Who owns the final video? If you’re paying, this should always be you. No exceptions.

• When the project is completed, can we obtain all of the project data if requested? Though most clients don’t ask, if you want all of the raw footage, you should be granted access to it. Understandably, the production company may charge you for shipping or for purchasing a hard drive, but they shouldn’t hesitate to give you the footage.
• Is the corporate video production company fully insured including liability coverage and workers comp? Make absolutely sure that the production company carries adequate production insurance, excess liability, and worker’s comp. If one of their contract workers has an injury at your company office or location, you shouldn’t be liable. The production company’s insurance should provide coverage. Similarly, if a videographer causes damage to some property through an accident, you need to be sure the production company can cover the costs and has adequate insurance.
• Do you have experience producing similar content to our concept idea? If you have seen great work you like from the production company, you should feel confident. If you’re choosing a company that hasn’t made or shown you any similar videos to what you want, though, you should ask for other samples or some assurance they can meet your needs. Just because a company can shoot wedding videos doesn’t mean they can shoot technology product videos.