How to make sure your videos earn money
A company commissions a film, receives something that looks good, publishes it — and nothing happens. The reason is almost never the camera. It is that nobody defined what the film was supposed to do before it was made.
Why one video cannot do every job
Collecting views, entertaining an audience and converting into enquiries are three different creative problems. Viral content is built on emotional shock or amusement; a sales film is built on a clear solution to the client’s problem. A film asked to do all three usually does none of them.
How to brief a video properly
- Who is it for — not “everyone”, but the person who actually signs off the purchase.
- Where it will be shown — website, LinkedIn, a sales meeting, paid media. Each needs a different opening.
- What should change after watching — an enquiry, a call, a visit, a reduced number of questions.
- What must not be said — the limits matter as much as the message.
Why it is worth consulting the producer early
Most expensive mistakes are made before filming: the wrong format, the wrong length, the wrong person on camera. Half an hour of conversation at the briefing stage costs nothing and routinely saves a repeat shoot. If a supplier does not ask these questions, that in itself is information.
How to measure whether video earns
Video rarely sells on its own; it works as an intermediate step. So measure what happens after watching, not the view count. Three numbers are worth tracking: how many people watched at least half, how many moved on to your website, and how many enquiries arrived in the two weeks after publication.
If the film is used in sales conversations, the measure is simpler still: ask your own team whether clients need fewer explanations after seeing it. That is the real value of a corporate film — it shortens the sales conversation.
How many videos a year
- One core corporate film that works on the website for two to three years.
- Three or four topic films answering the questions clients ask most often.
- A few short pieces for social media, produced from the same shoot.
That set is filmed in one or two days and then works all year — cheaper than rushing out one film a month with no plan behind it.
Frequently asked questions
How long before a video pays for itself?
A corporate film usually pays back within three to six months, because it works in every sales conversation. Social media films either pay back or do not — that depends on consistency.
Can one video serve several purposes?
Not well. A film that presents the company, sells a service and invites people to an event at the same time achieves none of them. One film, one task.
What should we tell the producer to get the result we want?
Who the film is for, where it will be shown and what action you want from the viewer. That matters more than any technical instruction.