Remember the days when video was prohibitively expensive to produce? What? You haven’t heard? That’s right! Producing an effective and quality video is within the reach of even the smallest businesses with limited advertising budgets.
Gone are the days when the benefits of video were for those elite few—those who were able to have tens of thousands of dollars allocated for just a basic video. And don’t forget the expense of purchasing air-time. That’s right, television! Where else would the masses see your video?
Welcome to the new world. The advertising landscape is evolving and has been for more than 10 years. Social media has exploded and is the driving force behind almost anything being profitable today. It’s changed the way companies think about advertising and has provided advertisers with access to free distribution of video to millions of potential viewers through platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and more!
The cost of producing video has also changed. The technology behind ads is more accessible. With the internet, information is everywhere and almost always free.
Online collaboration through video chats and screen sharing allows for virtual teams where people in different parts of the world join together to execute one creative vision. This fast-growing business model yields lower overhead expenses which in turn lowers the cost to you—the client.
Now, please don’t misunderstand. There are still concepts that can cost hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of dollars to produce. What you pay depends on what you are hoping to achieve. The same technology that makes video production more affordable also allows for highly complex visual effects and concepts.
Year after year, these quickly evolving tools are removing the barriers that once limited the ability to realize our creative visions.
You see, the important thing to understand is that today’s creative tools are DEEP tools. Kind of like the ocean. The ocean is accessible to almost anyone. Anybody can walk up to the beach and get their feet wet—maybe even do a little body surfing. What? You want to see the fishies? Well all right! Slap on a mask and snorkel and your underwater excursion has begun. You’re an original Jack Cousteau right? Ok, we’ll let’s kick it up a notch. We’ll take you a few miles out in the middle of the ocean in shark infested waters. And you can put away your snorkel. Here’s some scuba gear. Put it on and jump in. There’s some buried treasure in a sunken pirate ship about a mile underwater. Go for it! We’re all rooting for you Jack!
At the risk of insulting your intelligence, the meaning of the analogy is this: The tools—and the information to learn the tools—is readily available. But there is a depth of knowledge that is possible with these tools that a vast majority of creative professionals stop short of.
Consequently, the ones who do achieve that deeper knowledge are few and don’t come cheap. But there is another side to this coin. Just as important as the knowledge to execute a concept is the ability to conceive it.
Amazing concepts come from talented creatives. Creativity is a gift. It’s not something you can purchase or download from the internet. While the number of people who can press buttons on computers has increased exponentially, the number of truly gifted creative people in the world hasn’t.
So if you want something original, something groundbreaking—you better be willing to pay a premium for it.
I’ve run into many prospective clients who seem to dismiss the all-to-important step of creative thinking. Brainstorming. Ideation. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a critical process that makes the difference between a “getting your feet wet” video and a “deep sea” video.
What is that difference? Well since this sea has a depth that is only limited by the imagination of those diving into it, the answer to that is relative and highly subjective. Companies used to spending millions of dollars on high-concept commercials might see a more affordable alternative as ineffective in helping them achieve their goals. For another company, it might as “deep” as they need to go to get the job done. So it’s really up to you.
When it comes to getting any kind of video produced, you can spend as little or as much as you want. But you will usually get what you pay for, so make sure you know what you want, and know that you’ll be able to get it for the price you’re able to pay.
Either way, the demand for video production is rising. The explosive growth of online video and its use to advertise on websites and social media platforms suggests that any business utilizing online video stands a good chance for being profitable.
And the fact that video can be produced today to fit nearly any budget? And what about the millions of viewers that will potentially watch your video once it’s been deployed on your facebook page, email blasts, youtube, and even your website for free?
Well, that’s just good news for everyone.
