Getting it made – Put simply, you have two options: make it yourself or get the professionals in.

If you choose to make it yourself, make sure you know what you’re doing. ‘Amateur’ videos can do more harm than good to your business reputation. Shaky camera angles, poor sound quality and unnecessary edits will give the wrong impression and could easily cost you sales. You don’t have to spend a fortune on kit (most smartphones these days can shoot pretty decent video footage), but you will need access to editing software and a way of getting your video out to your customers via sites like YouTube and Facebook. There are plenty of tutorials online that show you the basics – learn as much as you can first and when you’re ready, get out there and start filming!

The only downside with making a video yourself is that it can be time consuming and, if you’re new to filmmaking, bewildering too! Hiring in the expertise of a video production company can save you a lot of headaches in that area, and ensure the final piece is of a professional quality. It’s worth bearing in mind, however, that as with most things, you get what you pay for.

Make sure you’re hiring an individual company who has a track record of making the kind of videos you want to make. It may even be worth getting recommendations or testimonials from previous clients before committing to the work.

Like any project, you want to make sure you have thought it through and planned everything meticulously. All sorts of unforeseen happenings can delay things and add to the cost. Obviously you can’t anticipate every eventuality, but planning effectively will minimise the impact of these unfortunate happenings!

With a good production company on your side, you’ll be guided through the process from scripting/planning to the shoot right through to the edit, and at the end have a funky new video to share with the world!