How to Scale Video Production

A Guide

INTRO

Foreword

Are you looking for ways to scale video production for a growing team? If so, you’re in the right place.  We all know that video is the fastest-growing medium in marketing, advertising, and corporate communications, so it’s time to take your video production initiatives to the next level.  In this guide, you’ll learn how to get organized, build a roadmap and make it scalable.

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Step 1:

Align

Once your organization decides to prioritize the growth of video content, it’s time to assess your current situation, align on goals, and lay the foundation of a video plan that perfectly fits your company’s needs. How exactly do you decide that video content is right for your business? There are a number of considerations that factor into the decision. Here are just a few:

  • Are you hoping to take current marketing campaigns to a new level?
  • Are you looking to create engaging content that puts your thought leaders front and center?
  • Are you hoping to keep up with today’s digital trends and reach your audience through the most impactful channels?
  • Do you have existing strengths in video that can be leveraged?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you’re ready to invest more in video. Most companies are rebalancing their video investments towards a combination of more high-quality effective content, as well as enough volume to keep consistency across channels. Ultimately, allocating more time and resources to video content creation helps to strengthen a team’s overall brand and messaging.

Figure out what your goals are when producing video content. Are you trying to reach new clients? Hoping to modernize your sales pitch with video messaging? Developing your brand awareness? All of these goals – and many more! – are attainable with video content. The more intentional and deliberate you are with your goals and your efforts, the more successful you will be – and the more easily you will architect your campaign.

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Step 2:

Create

Once you’ve outlined your video priorities, you’re ready to consider the right mix of personnel, equipment/tools, and services necessary for scaling video production. As you consider personnel, you can hire an agency, hire a production team directly, or produce your videos in-house. Wondering if you should hire a full-time videographer? If you have the budget, full-time resources are great because they can work across many assignments as they are fully immersed in the brand. However, if your needs are choppier or if you have a limited budget, then a freelancer may be a better option. Similarly, you’ll need to consider whether you want to have a studio full of equipment or leverage external resources.

Try to check all the boxes: someone needs to plan the overall video campaign, someone needs to write the script, someone needs to film, someone needs to edit the video, and – of course – someone needs to sit in front of the camera and be filmed!

Your budget and established team will determine the expectations for quality, the number of videos you’re able to produce, and timelines for deliverables. From there, you can then round out your video marketing campaign and begin to distribute your high-impact video content.

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Step 3:

Operate

As you proceed through your video campaign, it will help to be as diligent and focused as possible. The better you manage your priorities, the more successful your campaign will be. This checklist will help make sure that your campaign stays on track:

1. Set a monthly / quarterly / annual schedule

  • Established due dates and strong foresight can help your video campaign run smoothly and hit your goals

2. Aggregate brand and common content elements

  • Create a folder on Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, or DropBox to ensure that everyone has all creative assets needed for the campaign

3. Set distribution priorities

    • Identify the priority channels for distribution that fit best within your goals and organization’s needs

4. Set standards for mandatory specs / content / equipment

    • Different channels need different specs (so keep that in mind)

5. Also make sure to centralize the content that must be included in your videos (CTAs, certain links, certain assets)

    • Do you need a teleprompter? Lighting? Make sure you know in advance to get the video content you envision!

6. Get technology to manage

    • The right video production project management software can help you run your production efficiently and effectively

7. Onboard full team into standards and tech

    • Video production is a team effort – make sure your whole team is aligned on the standards you’ve set and the tech you’re using

8. Determine filming locations and spaces

    • Find filming locations and spaces – either on-site or in a studio – that fit your branding and your vision

9. Produce, Film, Edit (rinse and repeat)

    • Get into a groove with the production process with a workflow that benefits your team and helps you get the most out of the production process

10. Set editing review requirements (i.e. key stakeholders)

    • Make sure that all important people on your team have the chance to review your videos and provide feedback

11. Deliver and distribute videos

    • Once videos have been completed, begin distribution according to the plan you made

12. Set expectations on storing or deleting old footage

    • Make sure to account for what to do with old footage – will you delete old footage? Store it on a disk? Figure this out so that you can reuse old footage as B-roll in future videos

This checklist can help you remain organized, make sure that your team remains on the same page, and make sure that your campaign runs smoothly. We recommend CROOWpm for your project management needs, using Google Drive or DropBox to store files and content elements, and have an open line of communication.

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Step 4:

Scale

In an ideal world, video will become a primary part of your marketing strategy moving forward. To maximize the impact of video in the long run, it’s important to make decisions with scale in mind. Here are six steps you can take to ensure that your video campaigns are successful over a campaign’s lifetime.

1. Report: Track performance across distribution channels

2. Evaluate: Learn the keys to performance success along with any failures

3. Maximize: Leverage content across channels with cut-downs and formats

4. Optimize: Modify your plan with accrued learnings to take advantage of opportunities

5. Extend: Expand video initiatives into new styles, channels, and even geographies for future campaigns

6. Automate: Look for ways to simplify processes and automate with technology

Every video campaign comes with learnings and lessons, which you can apply to future video campaigns. Having a cohesive strategy and the willingness to adapt and adjust can help your video campaigns succeed in the short and long terms.

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Conclusion

CROOW was built to streamline video production and make it easier for companies and organizations of all sorts to maximize the impact of their video content. With this cheat sheet, you can reach more people, generate more sales, and improve brand awareness – really, you can hit any goals you set for your company. Video is the most versatile, most captivating, and most effective marketing tool for any company. Now, it’s easier than ever to get affordable, high-quality video content. Plus, with resources like this cheat sheet, you’re on the fast track to success.

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This cheat sheet includes an overview with all of the information you need to scale your video production. We hope you are able to use this cheat sheet to scale your video and grow your business.