Why You Need a Video Content Production Plan

If you are a business looking to produce in-house content, creating videos that manage to grab eyeballs doesn’t happen out of the blue. No matter how skilled your creative team is, it is incredibly challenging to develop ideas on the fly. 

That’s where planning can make a difference -- how invested you are in the strategic planning of your videos has a direct impact on how successful your video content marketing is. A video content production plan is exactly what it sounds like -- it is a blueprint of your video-making process and lays down the distinct stages of video creation.

Here are a few reasons why a video content production plan is non-negotiable for your business.

Establish a solid goal

A video marketing strategy without solid objectives cannot achieve any marketing goals. You may find yourself wasting time and money producing videos that do not deliver any tangible results and end up harming your business. Putting together a content production plan allows you to brainstorm different ideas and identify various measurable goals you want to achieve. 

Whether it is generating traffic to your website or simply promoting content through your social media handles to increase brand awareness -- having a well-defined plan makes it easy for all stakeholders to evaluate the impact of the videos have on sales, performance, and engagement.

Determine tasks that need to be done

There are different variables required at various stages to create quality video content. Before the video goes into production, you need to have a script, storyboard, determine the budget, and choose the filming location. Once the filming is over, you need to review the footage and edit it to bring it all together. 

A well-designed video content production plan can make it easier for you to identify various tasks and track their progress. 

Identify the roles of each team member

Video content production should be a team effort. It is unfair for a single person to be responsible with the task of doing it all. With a content production plan in place, you can earmark the role for each person. 

For instance, you can decide who will be responsible for writing the script and dialogue for the video, who will be responsible for taking care of the different technical aspects of camera and filming, and who will supervise the shoot from start to finish. Assigning distinct roles to various team members will ensure the vision on paper gets translated onto the screen.

And if this is your first foray into video making, you don’t even need to make additional investments and buy expensive equipment. Your team members can use a smartphone camera or a basic DSLR camera to get the job done. You can also use a free online video editor to organize all of the footage. With just a few transitions and background effects, you can make your videos look extremely professional, even as a solo or small business. 

Know the order of things you need to do

Each stage of video production has multiple things to do, and in the absence of a clear workflow, your team is likely to struggle. Unless everyone is aware of their roles and responsibilities, the chances are that tasks will slip through the cracks, and the quality of the video will be compromised. To nail each stage of video production, make sure to cover the following in your plan:

• Preparing a creative brief 
• Writing the script
• Storyboarding the script
• Creating a list of shots and a breakdown of which scene will be shot at which location
• Onboarding production crew members, if needed
• Filming the video
• Post-production 
• Obtaining feedback and approval from relevant stakeholders
• Publishing, marketing, and distributing the video

Set reasonable deadlines

Making videos can get derailed if there are no hard deadlines. A video content production plan helps you create a project timeline, workflows, and set deadlines. It helps to avoid any miscommunication that can delay the production process. This is especially critical when you have contractors or freelancers working on your team who are juggling their own schedules. 

Moreover, since video planning and production can always take a bit longer than expected, you can account for some extra time in your production plan. This will help  keep the work on schedule and help you meet deadlines in a timely manner. 

Create a valuable video content inventory

The biggest advantage of having a video content production plan is easy access to a readymade content inventory. It can double up as a catalog of all the video content you have created and the content ideas you may have considered. That way, you'll know exactly what content you do and don't have for a particular topic.  

You can always flip through the inventory to decide how you should plan your strategy ahead. It can also help save time as you won’t have to begin from scratch every time--you can get inspired by your existing video content and consider giving it a fresh spin. 

Do you have a video content production plan ready?

While creating high-quality videos tailored to the taste of your target audience is the best way to build brand awareness, it is easier said than done. 

Failing to plan is planning to fail. If you want your video marketing strategy to make a real difference to your bottom line and increase lead conversions, ensure that you take time to thoroughly plan out the project before getting started.