With the booming demand for any industry, there will always be some opportunists, who have no interest in the craft, attempting to capitalize on it.
The problem now is Calgary businesses who are seeking effective video production are left to forage the scene on their own without any guidance. If you’ve ever felt lost in finding the right videographer, here are 5 things to look for during the interview/vetting process:
Their Own Social Media
Contrary to popularity, we are NOT looking for a big following OR a portfolio of work. We are looking to see if they consistently post about videography. There needs to be some sign of a committed business that they’re running. The question of whether or not they believe in the service they sell needs to be answered on their platforms. An adequate videographer for your business will accept the importance of building their own digital brand.
Social Consumption
Understanding the videographer’s consumption of content will allow you to gauge their awareness of trends, video structure, platform functions, consumption behavior and effective ways to deploy a platform-specific “call to action”. For example, video consumption behavior on LinkedIn will be completely different from Instagram or Tiktok. Also, a video to build awareness on one platform might easily be dismissed on another platform.
So I think that asking scenario-based, open-ended questions about how they would approach reaching your video/content marketing goals is the most valid way.
Communication
This is a standard for any hire to a company, but let’s make this videographer-specific. I’ve heard horror stories from Calgary businesses about poor communication even with experienced videographers. The last thing you want as a Calgary business is to be left in the dark about shoot date, editing progress and/or any complications that might occur. To be even more videographer-specific, I have spoken to some videographers who get into this field of work because of the assumption that it is a solo, low communication career. Let’s just say introverts gravitate towards being behind the camera instead of in front of it (generally speaking, of course). All shoots are most effective as a collaborative endeavor so pick someone who communicates frequently and often.
Knowledge of Digital Marketing
Relating back to the opportunists that I’ve mentioned earlier, there are a lot of people who own cameras nowadays and the technology is mindblowing with some of the newly released gadgets. I can also relate to wanting to make visually appealing content for myself or for clients. But I must say, “cool” aesthetics is NOT enough. To put this in the right context, you are running a business and looking for marketing material/tools to achieve a certain goal. Am I right? The videographer hired needs to be able to implement some digital marketing strategies that will help grow the business.
Telling Visual Stories
The visuals could be breathtaking, but if the story is not present, then it will affect its ability to be relatable and shareable. Whether the video is short or long form, there can always be the element of story tugging at the viewer’s emotions. Storytelling is not always an obvious way to gauge skill in a videographer. Often, it is subjective and hard to conclude whether it's good or bad. This is where you would ask the videographer for their portfolio. I would find their stories and see if it can be incorporated to the style of your business and brand.
So what I would look for is if the problem and solution of the video is clear. The way a videographer tells the story can truly make or break a video campaign.
As a full time videographer, I can relate to meticulously juggling marketing goals with art and I can also relate to witnessing the industry growing with more skilled videographers and more noise with so many people buying a camera as well (cell phones included). I hope this helps you in finding the right videographer for your business, Calgary!
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