freelancers

Sure, there are freelancer that claim they can make a high quality explainer video for rock bottom prices, but… are you really getting the best value for your money?

Let’s take a look at a few scenarios of how things can go wrong when hiring a animation freelancer based on offering a good price VS animation company with guaranteed results…

You’ve decided to get an explainer video for your home page. So, you go to one of those freelancing sites. You post a job explaining your ideas and then wait anxiously for you video to arrive.

Finally, you get a message that your video is ready!…

Scenario One: The Case of the Clip Art

You open it up and think… “Well. It’s okay. But I’d really like the character to be holding a sample of my product.”

So, you write the freelancer back asking for changes.

A week later, you get a reply back saying that they aren’t able to do that because they don’t use custom-drawn artwork. The best they can do is paste in a picture of the product and find some clip art from the web that doesn’t flow nice visually with the rest of the other stuff in it.

Even worse, the clip art images they’ve used in your video are copyrighted graphic material from another company that is putting YOUR business into some serious legal risks dealing with copyrighting issues.

Oh, and they’re going to charge you to find and add the new artwork. It’s not a perfect solution, but what can you do?

You need to have your product in the video.

Video Production TIP #1: Don’t hire a freelancer who’ll use clip art or stock photos. Choose someone that creates unique and custom artwork specifically-designed for your video.

At the end of the day, you want your business to stand out from your competition, right? Your video that represents your brand doesn’t deserve to have graphics used in 10,000 other videos.

Scenario Two: The Case of the Confusing Pronunciation

…You are about 30 seconds into the video when you think you hear the name of your company pronounced wrong.

So, you play it back again. You hear it again!

You play it for your friends, and they hear it too.

You can’t have a video with your company name mispronounced! So you write the company asking them to re-do the voiceover.

A week later you get a reply that there are charges for redone voice-overs, and you’ll have to pay again. But they are the one who made the mistake! You don’t really have much of a choice, so you fork over more money for a new voiceover.

Video Production TIP #2: A professional video production company will re-record the voiceover at no charge if the mistake is theirs.

Scenario Three: The Case of the Mismatched Graphics

…You’re watching the video, and about 45 seconds in, the audio track doesn’t seem to match the timing of the graphics on the screen.

When the voice says one thing, the visuals are showing another. The timing is off!

You write the freelancer telling him/her that there’s a problem, and then wait for a reply. No answer.

A few days later, you write again. Still no answer. You want to have the video ready for a big meeting or project deadline as soon as possible, and there is no way you can show this video!

After a week (or two) and no response, you start to panic and begin looking for another freelancer or company to fix your video. It’s going to cost more money than if you had just gone with a reputable company in the first place!

Video Production TIP #3: Always work with a video production company who guarantees their work, and is responsive to messages within hours… not days, not weeks.

Scenario Three: The Case of Having A Video VS. Having The RIGHT Video That Gets Prospects To Say “YES!”

Getting an explainer video it’s an investment for your business, not an expense.

Think about it like this…

You hire someone to create a video for you for $50 but after putting it online, you don’t see any results. What did it cost you? You wasted $50!

Now on the other hand, you hire a reputable animation company to create a video for you that costed you $700 and after putting it online you notice 500% increase in conversion rates …month after month. What did it cost you? Well, on this case it actually increased (and increasing) your business revenue because people find it engaging and they’re learning more about what you have to offer.

We’ve heard many horror stories from our clients who had some really bad experiences with some video animation companies that seem cheap in the short run, but charge you for every single thing, won’t make revisions, don’t offer custom art, and aren’t responsive to your messages.

Now go over to wizMotions.com, and take a look at your options.

You can see clearly exactly what the video is going to cost, and what’s included.

You’re thinking about what type of video to get when there’s a pop-up window with a chat agent. Or, if you want, you can speak to someone live on the phone. Whether you order straight from the website, or on the phone, there is complete transparency.

You know what you’re getting, and how much it will cost.

Within a few hours of ordering your video, you’re assigned a personal project manager. He or she walks you through every step of the process, and with the simple online project management system we’re using, you can check on the status of your video through every step of production.

You’ll be able to approve the script, the artwork, and choose your voice talent from a huge library of artists.

Between two to three weeks later, you get a message that your video is done!

You are so excited. Watching it, you think, “This is exactly what I had in mind!” …and you know that if there were any edits, your project manager would make sure that the changes were made quickly and professionally.

Video Production TIP #4: A  world-class explainer video that is based on neuroscience can double, triple (even quadruple) your business.

A great living example of the above statement is Dropbox. They grew from 0 to 100 million users in just a few months and on their homepage they only had a logo and a great animated video.

When price is the leading factor in choosing a video production company, you can often end up paying more in the long run for a lower quality product.

Here are three tips to help you choose the best company to produce your explainer video.

Change Your Mindset: Expenses VS. Investments

It’s a good idea to set aside between $500-$1000 for a good quality explainer video. Yes, there are companies that can produce them for less, but you’ll be getting clip art or stock photos and lower quality voiceovers and video quality. And the customer service is often lacking. When you consider that quality homepage videos are shown to increase conversion rates by 20% or more, the increased business should offset the initial cost of the video.

Check out few of more of the many case studies we received from our clients:

• [Case Study] His Idea Will Now Get Funded For $20,000,000 — Here’s How He Grabbed Investors’ Attention!

• [Case Study] How This Complex Mobile App Increased Their Sales By 500% After Simplifying Their Solution With A Whiteboard Video

Check Out & Verify Authenticity of the Company’s Portfolio

Before you place your order, take some time to review the company’s portfolio. Doing so will give you a good idea of the quality of the videos they produce, as well as the style of the graphics and art.  Specifically, look at the script, the artwork, the music, the editing, and the overall “tone, look, and feel” of the video.

Read the Testimonials and Verify They’re 100% Real

In addition to looking at the portfolio, also read the testimonials. Obviously, a company is going to put its best foot forward and include only positive reviews. But, if you see dozens and dozens of happy customers, you can feel confident you’re working with a professional company. Also, look at the other clients. Are they high profile, big-name companies? That lends tremendous credibility.  (add link to testimonials here).

In all, choosing a company for your explainer video production is so much more than “Who has the lowest price.” Your video will be a reflection of your business, and you need to make sure that its quality reflects your brand image.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Everyone likes to save money, right? Otherwise, there would be no such thing as discount stores and value menus.  But sometimes, going for the least expensive option can be more expensive in the long run.

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur” – Red Adair

Everyone knows that presenting a business using multiple types of visuals, including explainer videos, is effective and helps to convert leads to sales. Once a business makes the decision to develop an explainer video, how do they know where to go?

In an industry that advertises 90 second videos priced anywhere from $5 to $5,000 per finished minute, it can be tough to understand the difference and what the appropriate price point is for your business. Although the end result is only 90 seconds, there are many components, which means there is a lot to screw up, if you are not a professional.

Custom vs. Stock Clip Art

Your business is custom.

Your business is unique with original ideas, concepts, and business plans.

In fact, part of an effective branding and marketing strategy is to differentiate your business from others.

Entire meetings are devoted to brainstorming about ways to set your business apart from the competition. So, why would any business settle for standard, stock clip art for any of their marketing efforts?

You know who your customer is.

Quick question…

Would these images and character make your prospects feel engaged with your brand?

Or… will your clients relate and respond better to these characters?

Part of explaining your value and differentiation to prospective customers is to demonstrate that your business values itself enough to invest in quality marketing tools. 78% of CMOs feel that custom content is the future of marketing.

THE COST: When a business trims the budget and opts for an explainer video that uses clip art, rather than custom art, the cost to the business brand and initial impression could be great. However, potential customers may believe that your brand is thrown together and inauthentic, since your video art is. Not to mention the limitations you will face with clip-art when you need changes.

WARNING: Some freelancers (even animation companies) may use copyrighted graphics and in some cases stolen clip art or images from Google when creating explainer videos. This may put YOUR business into some serious legal risks dealing with copyrighting issues.

Custom art assures businesses that characters used in their video are exclusive to their video and will not be associated with another brand.

Transparent Pricing vs. Slippery Pricing

Professional explainer video companies are up front with pricing schedules. Typically, a business may select the type of video, character style, and video length and know the exact price of the finished product. Professional companies offer unlimited revisions because they are committed to a high quality product and customer satisfaction.

Do not be tempted by freelancers who advertise explainer videos “starting at $5.” The end price will be far from $5 and the quality of the product will likely be subpar, at best.

If you have already fallen victim to these tactics, your experience may have ended something like this:

Freelancers who advertise promotional videos on websites like Fiverr and Upwork set an enticing low starting point. By the end of the project, each image and each revision may be additionally charged, resulting in an inflated bill for an amateur, cookie cutter product.

THE COST:  Allowing yourself to fall into the $5 video trap will eventually cost more money as well as valuable time. In the end, an unusable end product will fail to convert or achieve the original video objectives. As cliché as it sounds, you truly do get what you pay for when it comes to explainer videos.

Personal Touch vs. Project Number

Explainer videos are an effective and appealing way to introduce a brand, but they are also used by businesses to launch new products, introduce new teams, or explain changes within a business. With so many uses for the video medium, it makes sense that teaming with a video professional to handle multiple projects throughout the years is ideal.

When businesses partner with professional video animation companies, a dedicated project manager is assigned to the client to handle all present and future business. For example, here at wizMotions we use CRM systems so as the project manager learns about the mission of the business, we log every detail and direct all future video production or video editing, according to the needs of the client.

Or, your business video can be a “gig.” that looks something like this…

Freelancers who advertise $5 or $100 explainer videos make their money in two ways:

1. Upselling so that the final bill is far from $5.
2. Knocking out “gigs” very quickly in order to profit on high volume.

THE COST: Cutting corners and using random freelancers to produce each video that your business needs over the years will result in a disjointed portrayal of brand. Time will be wasted as your business model must be explained and re-explained to each new freelancer. Developing a relationship with a project manager employed by a professional video company who is dedicated to the needs of your business ensures that your message and video quality will remain consistent and true to your company culture.

Professional Script vs. Writing Your Own Script

Now, let’s talk about the first most important element of the video, the script (aka story or narration).

The video script is the “make it or break it” point of any video.

If you are capable of writing a professional level script that hits the viewers’ pain points with the ideal word count for the desired length of video, BRAVO! But most businesses are talented in their industry, not in script writing.

Freelance video animators who advertise $5 videos assume that you will be providing a polished script that is the optimal number of words for the length of the video.

Do you know how to do that?

You have a couple of options:

Option #1. Become an expert by start learning how to write all by yourself

If you’re not familiar with the “10,000 Hour Rule”, check out this video…

Malcolm Gladwell states that exceptional expertise requires at least 10,000 hours of practice — and at my opinion, that’s 100% correct. If that wasn’t correct, then how the best of the best (the Michael Jordan, Bill Gate, etc.) all invested more than 10,000 hours of practice before rising to the top, right?

Option #2: Let a copywriting expert write it for you.

Working with wizMotions, you can take advantage of the skills of our award-winning copywriter on this. Not just it will save you enormous amount of time but most importantly we’ll put together a video script that will hold your viewers on the edge of their seats and convert them into action-takers. And that’s what our dedicated copywriters do for a living. They are our “10,000+ hour” experts.

THE COST: Taking a crash courses on script writing will cost you and your business valuable time and may not yield the professional result you need. Did you know that script writing is an actual job and people study human psychology, marketing, and writing for years to hone the skill? Rely on a professional rather than costing yourself time, money, and aggravation.

Does your business want to hang out with low budget start ups and amateurs?

Or does your business need an actionable explainer video to convert leads to sales and communicate a compelling message?

There are many more reasons why relying on a professional video company is the smart choice, but after diving into these four reasons, we didn’t think you needed to hear any more.

If a $5 or 50 video is not providing results, in other the video is not converting viewers into action-takers it will cost you $50… but a $700 world-class explainer video that is based on neuroscience principles may double, triple (even quadruple) your business.

We’re very excited every time we receive a success story from a client — and we received over 300!

From tech to health industry…all the way to car dealership, real estate to finance and more.

Check out few of the amazing results we received from wizMotions customers…

The most common mistake people make when they need an explainer video for their business is that they view the transaction as an expense instead of an INVESTMENT.

We’ve heard many horror stories from our clients who had some really bad experiences with some video animation companies that seem cheap in the short run, but charge you for every single thing, won’t make revisions, don’t offer custom art, and aren’t responsive to your messages.

Your business is unique and deserves results. Get in touch with wizMotions today!

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