We believe audio deserves just as much attention as visuals – Harry, our Animation Director, is also a bit of an audio nerd and loves to bring animation to life with sound. This post explains why professional audio is important for effective video content and includes three important components: sound design, professional voiceovers, and music licensing.

The Impact of Good (and Bad) Audio

How does sound affect the viewer’s experience?

Setting the Mood & Emotional Connection

Music, tone of voice, and even quietly added background sounds can shape how a viewer feels. The right audio can build excitement, convey empathy, create urgency, or build trust. The wrong audio can break that connection.  In fact, a TechSmith study found that poor audio quality was one of the leading reasons people stopped watching a video.

Sometimes, we find that clients will choose a music style because it’s their favourite genre, but it’s important to put your personal music tastes aside (sadly, not everyone likes The Doors) and let the professionals choose something that will strike the right tone with the audience.

Building Trust & Credibility

Clean, well-balanced audio signals professionalism and attention to detail. Negative issues like background noise, echo, inconsistent volume, or distortion make the content feel amateurish and can damage your brand’s credibility.

Ensuring Message Clarity

What good are amazing visuals or a brilliant script if the audience can’t clearly understand what’s being said? Muffled dialogue, that’s full of odd reverb, audio that peaks, or overpowering music, can obscure your core message entirely.

Keeping Viewers Engaged

Poor audio is a primary reason viewers click away. High-quality, immersive sound keeps your audience focused and watching for longer, increasing the chances your message will stick.

Element 1: Sound Design – the Audio World

Sound design is the process of adding and manipulating audio elements, going past dialogue and music, to enhance the story and visuals. Think of it as all the background things we hear around us, or could hear.

Sound design is particularly important in animation, such as explainer video productions, where there would be no sound ordinarily. Typical video design for these kinds of videos includes:

Sound Effects (SFX). Think of UI clicks, swishes, or subtle impact sounds, or the specific click of a button in an animated UI.

Foley. Re-creating everyday sounds (footsteps, doors closing, something breaking, body movements), and the sound close-up actions for added realism, especially in animation.

Ambience. Background sounds that create a sense of place (office chatter, city traffic, gentle nature sounds).

Why does it matter?

Good sound design makes the video world more immersive, especially with animated videos, such as 2D animation that can be otherwise flat. 

It adds texture, emphasises actions, guides the viewer’s attention, and works hand-in-hand with music and visuals to create a richer emotional impact. It transforms what can be a flat viewing experience into something far more engaging. 

A corporate video created with stock footage will often have music and voiceover, but professional sound design can lift these everyday clips and make what can be otherwise cheesy stock footage feel more believable. 

Element 2: Professional Voiceovers – The Voice

A voiceover (VO) delivers your narration or key dialogue. While it might seem simple to record 

this yourself, we often get asked about this. We find that the cost of VO in an animated video production is not a huge proportion of the overall budget, and it’s well worth the money. Using a professional voiceover artist offers significant advantages:

Clarity & Professionalism

Trained artists possess excellent diction and pacing. They know how to deliver lines clearly and naturally, eliminating distracting habits.

Tone Matching

Need a voice that’s authoritative yet warm? Friendly and engaging? Empathetic and reassuring? A professional VO artist can precisely match the tone required for your brand and message; they can even try a sentence in a few different styles to see what works for you.

Emotional Resonance

It’s not just about reading words; it’s about performance. Skilled artists bring scripts to life, injecting personality and emotion that connect with your audience on a deeper level and telling a story. In the studio, we often do what’s called a ‘dummy read’ where we voice it here quickly to start the project going; even when we try our best, it can sound flat and uninspiring. Swapping the audio for the professional read always gives the video such a powerful boost and warmth, even when reading tricky line or long lists – they are the professionals!  

Technical Quality

Voiceover artists record in professional recording spaces using high-quality microphones. This high-end equipment eliminates echo, background noise, harsh ‘p’ and ‘b’ sounds, and other technical issues common in DIY recordings (like using your laptop mic or phone). They can usually match the original recording well if you need a pick-up later or an amendment, which is a huge plus. 

The only time we would accept UGC audio is for a very particular feel in the video, for example, children recording something heartfelt, perhaps for a charity animation. Even then, the recorders must aim for best recording practices and avoid large rooms, etc. It needs to be as ‘dead’ as possible, for example in a small room with lots of fabrics / furnishings. If it sounds poor, it can still bring it down. 

A thought on AI voices. We recognise that being a great voiceover artist is a skill, so we use real people for all our video productions. From what we’ve heard, AI still sounds robotic and not up to the mark, and we are unsure how ethical it is. People are used to it for voice commands, but a video production is a different and immersive experience.

Element 3: Music Licensing

Music is powerful for setting the tone and energy of a video. But you can’t just use any track you find online. This is where music licensing comes in – and it’s a potential legal minefield if ignored, especially for promotional purposes.

Most music is protected by copyright. Using a song (whether it’s famous or a more obscure indie track) without the correct permission is illegal. For a well-known song, you can get a master license or a sync license, depending on your needs. However, it can be expensive and time-consuming.

What is Music Licensing? It’s obtaining the legal right (a license) to use a specific piece of music for a defined purpose (e.g., web video, social media ad, internal training) and duration. Licenses often come with fees and specific terms of use. For royalty-free music, it’s not prohibitively expensive for a well-known tune, it can be thousands. 

Common Music Sources

• Royalty-Free Libraries. Services like Music Bed or Artlist offer vast catalogues. “Royalty-free” typically means paying a subscription or one-time fee for a broad license. There are usage rules, but it’s much easier to navigate than other licences. In the studio at Digital Finch, we use premium, royalty-free music for all of our projects.
• Stock Music Sites. Platforms where you pay per track for specific licenses.
• Custom Composition. Hiring a composer to create unique, exclusive music perfectly tailored to your brand is often the best choice for strong sonic branding. However, it typically involves a higher investment.

Why Using Licensed Music Matters. Using unlicensed music can lead to copyright issues, your video being muted or removed from platforms like YouTube and Facebook, and even potential legal action and fines. It reflects poorly on your brand and isn’t worth the risk.

You can find websites with free, royalty-free music, such as the music you use on Instagram and TikTok, but it’s usually limited (only 1 minute) and overused. You also can’t use music from those platforms on your website video, for example. It’s always worth paying for royalty-free music for more choice and uniqueness.

How Digital Finch Ensures High-quality Audio 

We understand that creating truly impactful video requires mastering the visual and the audio. That’s why we integrate professional audio practices into every project:

• We use high-quality recording equipment and techniques when we film on location.
• Our editing process includes careful sound mixing and balancing of any recorded audio and music.
• We partner with a variety of talented voiceover artists to find the perfect voice for your message.
• We include a sound design session for our high-level animated video productions to bring it all together for great impact.
• We carefully source and legally license all music and sound effects, protecting you from copyright issues.

Ready to Make Your Video Sound as Good as It Looks?

The power of sound is integral for high-quality video content. Professional voiceover, thoughtful sound design, and correctly licensed music aren’t just nice-to-haves; they are essential for creating engaging, credible, clear, and effective videos.

Ready to create videos that sound as great as they look? Contact Digital Finch today to discuss how professional audio can elevate your next project.

Quick Guide: Audio Checklist for Clients

• ✅ Write a clear script with pauses for natural delivery
  
• ✅ Choose your tone (e.g., warm, formal, fun)
  
• ✅ Approve voiceover samples before final recording
  
• ✅ Avoid recording in echoey rooms (no kitchens or bathrooms!)
  
• ✅ Don’t forget to license any music used—YouTube will find it if you don’t

The post Why Professional Audio Matters in Video Production appeared first on Digital Finch.

In this guide, we’ll address the six most common queries that charities face when starting a video production journey, whether the video is for fundraising, awareness, a project evaluation or recruiting staff and volunteers.

1. What Will A Charity Video Cost, and How Can We Budget for It?

One of the first considerations for any non-profit is understanding the financial investment needed for a professional charity video. Video costs can vary quite a bit and are usually based on several factors:

• Length of the final video
• Filming: Filming locations and travel requirements
• Filming: Number of filming days
• Animation: The design style
• Animation: The quality of the animation 
• Post-production complexity 
• Inclusion of animated characters or 3D elements
• The location of the production company 

Many production companies offer special rates for non-profits, such as a discount. They can also usually provide different quality levels or options based on various budgets. As it’s a bespoke product and fully customisable, it can generally be tailored to suit (such as lowering or increasing the quality / combining filming days / looking at reducing the runtime / exploring other options). There are a few ways to be thrifty.

So it’s good to be honest about your expectations of the video and the budget so that everyone can see how that aligns from the start. 

As a very rough guide, a professional video production company would start at about £1.5k, but this can still vary, and some may be able to offer a lower cost option that is less bespoke to you, using stock assets or UGC. High-quality animation and longer durations will also increase this cost; you can learn more about the various video cost levels here.

When budgeting, consider the immediate cost and the potential return on investment ROI through increased donations and awareness. A much lower-budget video that is less engaging overall may have less impact and bring in fewer donations, or be more lacklustre for fund applications, and so not be worth the money in the long term. 

Video production companies in different countries and cities will have various levels of overhead costs, which will factor into the overall video cost. You may not want to go with the closest company if in-person meetings are less of a priority. Still, it’s essential to consider quality, language, and time zones when choosing a company, as well as their relevant experience in your industry, for example, a charity explainer video specialist or a studio that’s created a lot of content for young people’s services or mental health.

2. How Much Time and Resources Will We Need to Commit?

Understanding the time investment required from your team is essential for proper planning. We’ve provided a few typical schedules here and written a page about the methodology behind film video production on this blog post. A typical filmed video production timeline includes:

Pre-production planning (1-2 weeks)

 – Scripting, location planning, storyboard, shot list, and confirmation of any staff, clients, or other interviewees, or actors appearing on screen. 

Filming (1-4 days)

– Many shoots only need 1 day of filming, and this can capture up to 5 minutes of content, whether it’s B-roll only, interviews or scripted sections to camera. But for a video series, you may need more days. We recently filmed for 4 days to create a comprehensive series of 9 videos. 

Post-production editing (2-4 weeks)

 – All the shots are edited together seamlessly as per the storyboard or as per the questionnaire, with post production including audio enhancement, colour correction, voiceover is required, music and any graphics needed. 

Review and revision cycles (1-2 weeks)

Make sure all the appropriate parties, including those who have appeared on camera, see the video before it’s released and are happy with the content. This may also be when your video company creates 1-2 short highlight reels for social media. And create English language SRT files for subtitling.

And an animated video production:

Pre-production planning (1-2 weeks)

 – This includes concept, script development and written treatment – like a written story of the video, and art direction, which is where we confirmed the style of the animation.

Design (2-4 weeks)

 – Creating a few style frames, these are a few bespoke drawn still images representative of the final look and feel, then after approval, the studio design the fully illustrated storyboard. Here’s a quick example of a final charity animation storyboard. The longer the video is, the more frames there are to design. Often, they will share voiceover samples for you to choose from during this stage too. 

Animation (2-4 weeks)

 – The animation stage is where the studio brings the designs to life, complete with movement, music, voiceover and sfx to create your charity animation. 

Review and revision cycles (1-2 weeks)

Again with animation, make sure all the appropriate parties see the video before it’s released and are happy with the content. However, with animation such as a charity explainer video, it’s often easier to snag any amendments earlier in the process, for example, at the design stage or written treatment. Catching big changes and amends earlier on makes for a smoother process that is much more likely to stay on budget – and will be overall more headache-free. At the very end, after confirmation of the video, this is also when we’d create English language SRT files for subtitling.

Your staff will primarily focus on pre-production planning and review stages of each of these steps. It should take up minimal time after the script is in place, but you do need to ensure proper review. Most professional production companies can handle the technical aspects independently, minimising disruption to your operations and showing you just the key stages for approval. 

3. How Can We Ensure Our Message Connects?

Creating a great video requires more than just technical expertise and equipment. Look for production teams with rich experience, cool ideas and a good portfolio. 

The video production company would ideally have experience working with non-profits in your sector, and you can see it on their website pretty quickly if they understand your world, or a short email can tell you a lot – don’t be afraid to just enquire and ask questions. There’s never a commitment.

Browsing a portfolio online or asking to review some more samples will demonstrate if they’re good at storytelling – clearly demonstrating the cause and giving the audience a reason to keep watching through scripting, editing, powerful visuals, and a strong arc. 

A video production company should also understand how to balance emotional impact with dignity, carry out any filming in a sensitive manner, and demonstrate good safeguarding when working with young people. 

The best results come from production companies that take time to understand your mission, values, and specific goals before filming or animation begins – so their attention to detail and communication in the preproduction stage is vital.

4. What Technical Expertise Should We Look For?

Professional video production requires specialised skills and equipment. Your production partner should provide:

• High-quality cameras and lighting equipment
• Professional audio recording gear
• Experienced operators and directors
• Smooth edits that flow seamlessly and absorb you
• Graphic design that’s high quality and reflects the brand well
• Talented illustrators, who have a range of styles or perhaps one strong style done very well.
• Video that is inclusive and accessible
• Animation that is dynamic and engaging.

They should also be able to handle most any type of video project while maintaining professional quality standards.

5. What About Rights and Usage?

Understanding the legal aspects of video production is important. Key factors to consider before starting a project include:

• Video ownership rights
• Music or stock asset licensing
• Model releases for any participants
• Rights to edit or modify the content

For some productions, these won’t come up and are not major. However, for larger organisations where a lot of content is created by different staff and other parties, it’s important to outline these points in your production agreement to avoid future complications. 

6. How Will We Share and Distribute the Video?

A great video needs an effective distribution strategy to make sure it’s seen. Your production partner should be able to guide you on:

• Optimise content for different platforms (social media, website, presentations)
• Create multiple versions of varying lengths (sometimes, this may have an additional cost)
• Provide guidance on video SEO and video players
• Advise on distribution strategies
• Provide SRT files for accessibility

Consider requesting additional deliverables, such as short social media clips or event-specific edits. This is usually a simple question for a filmed video.  But for animation, it may be less straightforward as it could include a redesign to fit the new aspect ratio – and would incur extra cost – which may well be worth it. Make sure you have conversations about the aspect ratio and who  / where your target audience is right at the start. We find many clients are choosing to go vertical first, or square ratio, as a middle ground. 

Moving Forward with Your Video Project

Now you have some of the answers to these key questions, you’re better prepared to move forward with your video production project. When procuring a video production, remember to:

• Get multiple quotes and compare services
• Have a quick meeting or phone call, you want to like who you’ll be working with
• See references or testimonials from other non-profit organisations
• Review previous work samples
• Discuss all concerns up front
• Get agreements in writing

When you have multiple quotes and have spoken with a few companies, red flags may also appear, for example, if one is a lot cheaper than the rest – question why? Or one promising to deliver by a much faster deadline. Are they cutting corners? Is the video made from automated software or templates? Is it just a big team? Are you involved in the process? If you are interested in more questions to ask a potential company, we have an extensive list here

Video content remains one of the most powerful tools for sharing your mission and inspiring support for your cause with 93% of marketers considering video a crucial part of their overall strategy. By understanding these key aspects of video production, you’ll be better equipped to make informed decisions about your next steps.

At Digital Finch, we specialise in helping non-profits create impactful videos that respect your mission and budget. Our team understands charitable organisations’ challenges and would be happy to discuss how we might support your video production needs.

Whether you’re ready to start a project or simply have more questions, we’re here to help. Reach out for a no-obligation conversation about your video ideas, and let’s explore how we can help bring your story to audiences who need to hear it.

The post 6 Questions Answered About Non-Profit Video Production appeared first on Digital Finch.

Here are the key stages where you can help prepare for a video shoot and what to expect. A professional studio will manage much of this process and should keep you informed as the production goes along, but you can help keep the project moving at a good pace. Being aware of these points will help you avoid costly reshoots and capture all the content you need with less stress. 

We’ve written about the complete Video production workflow for corporate video productions before, which you can read about; today, we’re just concentrating on the corporate video shoot day logistics. This preparation is helpful for most any kind of corporate or live action video production

Before the Shoot (1-2 Weeks Prior)

You and the video production studio should confirm the filming schedule, shoot list, and timeline. This document should include any location/rooms you’ll be filming in, what shots are needed, who needs to be there and the timings of the day(s). If it takes a long time to get between areas of the site, then allow for this time in the schedule. 

We’ve been to sites filming corporate video where we needed to do a full PPE change between and needed to allow a full 15 mins between areas. 

The crew will need about 1 hour to set up for a typical interview-based video, get familiar with the location, find the right space, set up lights and get the first person mic’d up. So, this will be added to the start of the day. 

Designate a single point of contact from your team for the day. This will help the film crew on the day so they know who to ask questions to or make suggestions to. This usually helps if this person has been involved with the project planning, but it’s okay if not. 

If there are any unusual situations, such as parking information or building access codes, please share this with the crew well in advance and let them know exactly where to meet. 

If any training information, such as a video or a safety quiz, is required to get onto the site, then allow this time before the shoot too. 

The video production company should also provide a quick document with a summary of the day, everyone’s contact details, and the location details so that you can refer to it beforehand and on the day if required.

Location Preparation

Clear the filming area of unnecessary items; you’d be surprised how many dangly cables, bits of old paper, etc, there are. You need to ensure all areas are clean and presentable.

In our experience, if you’re filming in a factory, you’ll need to walk around and have managers check each area carefully. The professional camera crew will also pick your location’s best angles and are very used to being resourceful when it comes to showcasing your best light, but it helps to make sure. 

For filming interviews or people, a large bright room is often a good choice and will add depth. The crew may also use lighting. If no large rooms are available, the camera operator may use lighting gels, black-out stands, and other equipment to create a different feel so that it looks professional and does not look like a cramped tiny office. Or even film outside if it’s relevant. 

Sound quality is important. If possible, turn off noisy HVAC systems during filming or anything else, like noisy water systems. 

Reserve a separate room for crew equipment storage so the crew can lock items away when not in use. 

Team Preparation

Select and brief team members who will appear on camera – if they have questions to answer on film, let them review them, but don’t try to rehearse any answers too much, as it can become too much pressure and stifled. Usually, the crew and director are experienced in making anyone feel comfortable and at ease in front of the camera and will do retakes or find different ways to make it work.

For anyone appearing prominently on camera, share wardrobe guidelines provided by the production company; for example, avoid small patterns, and bright red. Though this isn’t always necessary

For staff that may appear in the final video production but not necessarily central – such as in the B-roll, check over any uniform and ensure it’s clean, proper, matching, not ripped, etc. This is the same for any PPE, for example, if filming on a construction site – especially if it’s for training purposes. If the crew spend time filming a shot that then has to be thrown out, it is disappointing for all. 

Clean, matching uniforms make a big difference to the professionalism of the final video, so make sure spares are available just in case anyone has forgotten or it looks subpar.

If many staff are talking to the camera, schedule team members in blocks to avoid waiting time. It can waste a lot of time if people need to be found before going on camera each time. This leaves less time for creativity and visual variety in shots.  

Brief non-participating staff about noise levels and any access restrictions.  If there are noisy corridors and many interviews to film, you may need an extra person outside to stop slamming doors and keep people quieter.

Setting up 2 camera set up in an office with lighting

Content Preparation

Take the time to review and approve the final script/talking points. You don’t want to pay for a reshoot, so make sure the script and video story really align with your vision before it’s recorded. Hopefully you and the production studio have been very thorough in this, as the script or questionnaire will drive the whole story.

If you’re doing interviews, you can do a small practice of responses, but avoid repeating very complex or corporate-sounding responses; they will feel unnatural. If you’re talking on teleprompt, practice is less important, but it will help you feel less nervous if you’re more prepared.

If you’re doing a product promo shoot, gather any props or products needed in the shoot so they’re readily available. 

Prepare any computer screens/presentations that will be filmed. Even if screens are in the background, a company or organisation website will look better than a black screen, so check you can log onto the computers to do this. 

On the Day Logistics

If you regularly have a full car park, reserve parking spaces for production vehicles – close to the entrance if at all possible, as the gear can be quite heavy. You’ve often got multiple cameras, gimbals, batteries, tripods, lighting and mics in large hardcases. 

Have refreshments available or a plan for where everyone can have lunch and access to water. 

Have your point person available at all times

Keep contact numbers handy for everyone, including building maintenance.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid choosing a filming day when there are construction or cleaning services.

Make sure every person who is due to be on camera can attend the day.

Don’t try to do anything else during the day; stay focused and present if you can.

Don’t change the shoot plan drastically unless something goes wrong; always keep the crew informed of changes. 

Don’t assume the crew can “workaround” normal office activities – unless that’s what you need to capture.

Now that the filming day has ended, the professional crew will let you know how they think it went, and the footage will be transformed into a great video for your organisation. If you’re thinking about filming for your brand or organisation, please let us know. We’d be happy to help. 

The post A Client’s Guide: How to Prepare for a Professional Video Shoot appeared first on Digital Finch.

We still all remember those emotional TV adverts in the 90s! A well-made video can have a transformative impact, from increasing donations to raising awareness and more.

With limited resources, many may worry that producing a high-quality video feels out of reach. But it doesn’t have to be, we’ve rounded up some tips and ideas to make video work for you, no matter the budget.

At Digital Finch, we understand the challenges charities face. Our creative director runs a community group & CIC, hosting workshops, running regular volunteer sessions (mostly as a volunteer herself), applying for funding and working with many other local groups, charities, and CICs, so we have personal and professional experience in this sector.

Here are a few ways charities and non-profits can create videos that connect with their audience while maximising their budget.

First Contact: Usually, when enquiring, it helps to be honest pretty quickly when talking to any video company about the expected budget, expectations, and deadlines. The video company will be honest and able to tell you quickly what’s possible and realistic, and what they can do to make sure your money goes further. They should be resourceful and usually be able to adapt their services to suit your needs. This honesty saves a lot of time on both sides.

Finding and Telling Your Story

Charity video production thrives on authenticity. A meaningful, genuine story will connect more than a polished, impersonal-sounding script delivered directly to the camera with perfection, which is more often seen in corporate videos.

To create this kind of video, define your video’s purpose. Are you raising funds? Recruiting volunteers? Thanking donors? Knowing your objective can help guide the story’s direction. Simply raising awareness can lead to a mixed result. You also need to know your audience. What kind of people donate, help, or share your news and campaigns? How can you appeal directly to them? What are their ages, and other interests? What is their typical family like?

We find that a focus on real people is the most emotive for charities, along with a great story arc. Beneficiaries, volunteers, and colleagues bring humanity and relatability to the story. Sharing their personal experiences and creating an emotional connection motivates viewers to act.

When we create charity testimonials and case studies in the studio here, we go through thorough pre-production planning and sensitive interviewing techniques to ensure your video captures the heart of your mission without overcomplicating the message or putting off speakers.

Planning Video with Your Budget in Mind

A common concern for video production is budget constraints. Many charities are unsure of what goes into the cost of a video and what the work actually entails – and what they can actually get for their money. The key factors when it comes to video cost to consider are:

Video Runtime

The length of your video significantly influences the budget. A shorter video requires less editing or animation time, while longer content needs more production work.

For our charity animations, for example, a one-minute video is almost exactly half as much work as a two-minute video in terms of the drawing and animation required for it. We also generally find a shorter video to be more impactful – up to 90 seconds for an explainer-style video is fine, but you can say a lot in 30 seconds if the budget is tight or you want maximum dynamism.

Production Complexity

Animation tends to be more labour-intensive than filming because of the complex illustrations and bespoke animations.

Generally, if the budget is tight, choosing a more simple design style will cost less than a very dynamic, highly detailed animation style. A company can typically show you the various explainer video quality levels and their associated costs, allowing you to make an informed choice and determine which one is best for you.

Animated characters also tend to cost more, as drawing, rigging and making them move realistically takes time. Therefore, a way to save money is to reduce the need for characters or omit them altogether—there are many ways to create empathy in animation without characters.

Factors such as location, actors or presenters, and the number of shoot days for live-action videos will also impact the price.

Efficiency in Filming

The number of shoot days is the main factor affecting the budget for live-action video productions, especially charity films like an About Us or testimonials. Organising interviewees (such as stakeholders, staff, volunteers or clients) at a single location on the same day can significantly reduce filming days, saving both time and money.

With good planning, you can also ask quite a few interview questions on a few topics, creating content for several videos. For example, a lead can speak about the organisation in general, then specific campaigns and perhaps plans for the future, and you have a few videos here out of a one-day shoot. An experienced crew will also adapt the the visuals on the shoot (selecting a new room or new camera angle) so that the clips don’t obviously look like they came from the same single day either.

For example, we recently filmed the opening of a new recovery centre in the morning and interviewed various staff in the afternoon. The organisation got three videos for a fraction of the cost as if we had filmed each person and the event separately.

A video studio will work with you to create a cost-effective plan for your videos. For example, a one-day shoot might be enough to capture everything needed for a memorable video. Alternatively, they can produce a short, catchy animation highlighting key statistics or stories, helping you balance ambition with affordability.

Working with User-Generated Content (UGC) for Video

Charities often have access to user-generated content (UGC), whether a quick clip from a supporter’s phone, snapshots from an event, or a video the staff and volunteers film content themselves on a phone.

If your budget is very low or zero, this phone-shot UGC alone will help boost your online presence and is worth pursuing. Consistent posting has been shown to increase engagement, and most social platforms favour video – so all it takes is your time and creativity to promote yourself. As we see online so often, some of the most popular videos have been shot on a phone, but they still need some good planning, and it takes time to edit on Capcut or Edits as well as shooting itself.

UGC is a more accessible way of using video for promotion that can usually be done in-house. You can think of ideas for a fun series based on popular questions, speaking to members of staff and volunteers, or doing promos for any events and event highlights. It’s worth investing in a tripod and a mic if you want a higher level of in-house professionalism. For creating very short basic animations, platforms like Canva can offer some animation elements to add a bit of oomph to photos or phone videos, for example adding captions.

You can also follow trending memes and create your own version pretty quickly if they’re relevant and you have a dedicated social person in the organisation. This is a good way to increase awareness and reach new audiences, but you need to be pretty quick. All kinds of organisations, including the National Trust, create memes alongside their more informative and less casual content.

And while these assets might not always look as professional on their own, they can become part of a polished video with the right editing and structure.

If you want to elevate this kind of content and have a small budget, you can work with a video production company. They specialise in transforming your existing content into cohesive narratives. By editing UGC with branded visuals, music, and subtitles, they can help create videos that maintain an authentic feel while elevating their overall quality.

For funding purposes, for example, showing impact, here’s where UGC mixed with a professional company who are experienced with creating a story arc, using music to build emotion, etc, can be more beneficial.

When is it worth spending more on a Charity video production?

We’ve discussed reducing costs by looking at runtime, design style, and filing days. But when is it a good idea to gather funds and spend more?

With animation, the cost primarily depends on the number of days spent on production. The more time dedicated to the illustration and animation, the better. With higher quality, meaning many scenes, a more unique design style and smooth transitions between scenes – keeping the viewer immersed.

High-level animation, for example, is a great way to convey emotion while safeguarding and including personal stories, as you are not showing real people who may be vulnerable. You can do this with or without animated characters, and by spending more (ie higher quality usually), the animation will be more dynamic and moving to watch.

Often, lower-budget animation means fewer scenes and less on-screen movement, but this will hinder you if you need animation to be emotive and highly engaging.

Sometimes, a one-day video shot with a two-person crew can be sufficient and create a great video for your organisation, plus a bank of shorter videos for socials. But if you don’t have any videos and want a bigger impact, a large video series (filmed over four or five days) can boost your channel and website and give viewers tons of info and emotion on a broad range of topics and ideas. A number of videos like this will keep the users browsing videos and really immerse themselves in your world.

For a conference event where you show videos to potential funders during meetings, a professional video will always put you in the best light and give that wow factor.

With any big-budget project, it’s good practice to get several quotes and look through a variety of video portfolios so you can select a company that aligns with your vibe. It’s also worth having a quick chat to see if you actually like the company too.

Including Video in Your Funding Applications

Are you planning a video as part of an evaluation of a larger project? Including video production in your funding application can be a good idea. Funders often value the ability to demonstrate a project’s outcomes visually. A professional video, hearing directly from participants, can play a great role in project evaluations and provide evidence of impact.

You can show the impact of a long-term project by interviewing participants before, during, and after to get the full range. Or you can just speak to people at the end of the project to capture their feelings and the before and after. If you talk to a video production company to get a speedy quote, this will help you allocate an appropriate budget within your funding proposal.

This video is not only good for funders to see but also shows proof of your impact on the wider world, as you can usually share these videos on the website and social media.

Making Your Videos Accessible and Inclusive

Accessibility and inclusivity must be a priority for a charity‘s message to reach a wide audience. Videos should be available to everyone, regardless. This includes providing subtitles and clear visuals and ensuring the tone and structure suit diverse audiences.

For example, we provide professional subtitles as standard and ensure the design is accessible in terms of colours and tones. We also offer localisation if your audience doesn’t have English as their first language, we regularly recreate the whole video faithfully into the chosen languages, or provide human-translated SRT files as subtitles. This attention to inclusivity broadens your audience and reinforces your commitment to equality and accessibility.

On many platforms, automatic captioning now exists – so you can opt for a DIY approach, but you need to go through it thoroughly to make sure it’s all spelt correctly and that it has detected the correct words – as this automatic function is still very hit-and-miss.

Final Thoughts

Creating a high-quality video isn’t just for large charities with expansive budgets. With careful planning, clever resource use, or a trusted video production partner, your charity can produce videos that make a lasting impression. And you can do a lot in-house with a very small or no budget if you have the time.

At Digital Finch, we’re passionate about helping charities tell their stories. We’d love to hear from you if you’re ready to create a video that moves your audience to action.

The post How Charities Can Create Videos on any Budget appeared first on Digital Finch.

A great tool for many of these purposes is charity testimonial films – hearing from staff, volunteers and service users directly. 

Building Trust Through Authenticity

We know video is an effective marketing tool for organisations, and explainer videos are great, but seeing and hearing real faces and sharing their real stories is almost unbeatable—especially when building trust. Featuring real people, especially beneficiaries or volunteers, builds credibility with your audience – providing social proof – and your audience are more likely to remember faces.

One of the beauties of a testimonial film is that it’s usually in a questionnaire format, with the interviewees answering honestly with just a little preparation. This gives us delightful unscripted moments that are more candid, with laughter or perhaps sadness; the authenticity draws the audience in and boosts your video marketing. 

Scripted content mostly comes across as more stifled and less genuine in feeling. It doesn’t create the same passionate response that you need, as the language is often not as natural as spoken word as it’s been carefully calculated. The delivery is more stilted (unless the interviewees have done media training, but that’s often not the case). This can often make the speaker more nervous as they desperately try to remember lines or read alongand get it perfect. And, of course, you lose the unexpected moments. 

Storytelling Techniques for Impact

With a testimonial film, you can still create a story, which is done through the experienced editing you get with a professional video production company. They work to weave together all the various clips of interview footage into one powerful story, complete with a narrative arc. Often, it can be over an hour of responses alone – to transform into a few concise minutes – this edit takes real skills and experience. 

Filming can be done with one speaker or a group of people sharing different but similar stories, including staff, managers, service users, clients, and volunteers. This mix can show the impact and generate a feeling of agreement. There are many ways to film a testimonial film, they don’t need to look the same.

An emotional arc like this will guide the audience through a range of emotions—struggle, hope, and triumph.

Using a professional video production company for your testimonial film

Many organisations and non-profits make charity films and edit themselves. Still, we can see time and time again that they are stretched for resources, and video content is only sometimes consistent or professional. 

Often, as a charity professional, you’ve already got so many roles and any additional volunteer time that you’re inevitably doing. Creating an impactful video is a big job and can be daunting, and many organisations don’t have the regular funding to hire an in-house videographer regularly. 

However, with specific funding, professional video production becomes more accessible, as it can be added to the fund application. Or, if fundraising is done, it can be included along with all the other promotional activities in the fundraising amount. 

There are many benefits to using a video production company for the video, especially one with experience working with the 3rd sector like Digital Finch. They will understand the challenges and the right tone to reach and work with you collaboratively to create your story while doing the heavy lifting. 

It starts at preproduction, with researching and understanding your organisation and the interviewee’s story deeply before filming. The goal of the video, who the audience is, and where it will be seen should also be considered. 

On the day (s) the filming crew arrives, they are usually friendly and hardworking. During the interview itself, an experienced director will establish Comfort with you. They work to build rapport with the interviewee to help them feel at ease during filming and bring out honest and thoughtful answers.

An experienced director will work with you to develop a questionnaire that gets the information you need, using open-ended questions, such as “How and why?” which encourage detailed, heartfelt responses. They will broadly follow the planned questionnaire, listen actively, and ask follow-ups to draw out richer stories. 

The camera operator and director will also consider the composition of the shots for the best look, lighting, and sound quality to ensure clear audio and high visual quality and maintain the video’s professional look and feel.

A professional charity videographer will also have the post-production skills, equipment, and knowledge to draw the best from the filmed footage. For example, they will edit for impact and use pacing, music, and visuals to evoke emotion and keep viewers engaged. A professional will use charity branding for maximum impact and recognition, for example, subtly incorporating your charity’s logo, font, and colours to reinforce brand identity with any captions and the vital CTA. 

Accessibility is essential; a video production studio should add subtitles to reach a broader audience, including those with hearing impairments or non-native speakers. They will also have made sure that the colour ratio is clear for any graphics like names or additional captions and that the visual hierarchy of text is correct—meaning that people take in the information in the correct order and it’s easily visible. 

Repurposing Content

Creating social media snippets from a longer charity film or case study video is usually quick for a professional. The video company can curate the best-highlighted sentences and extract powerful quotes or moments for shorter, faster-paced social media video posts, such as Instagram Reels or TikTok. Depending on the amount of footage, it could be one video or a social mini-series. 

Short versions can also be added as links in email campaigns. For example, a short form video can be included in newsletters to update donors.

Then, you can use the full-length video in meetings, events, on the website and on any landing pages to provide context on your charity’s impact.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

One major issue when interviewing people for the camera is consent. We all need to ensure interviewees understand what is being asked of them and where the video will be played, and then provide consent to be filmed and for their stories to be shared.

A video production company will also work with you when dealing with sensitive content. They’ll be mindful of how vulnerable subjects are portrayed, ensuring dignity and respect. This can be done through interviews, editing, adding anonymisation if needed, or avoiding specific topics. The video production company can guide you through the process of obtaining consent, ensuring that interviewees fully understand the implications of sharing their stories. They will also advise on how to handle sensitive content with respect and empathy, ensuring that the final video is both powerful and ethical.

Safeguarding vulnerable people can be alternatively done using animated video production, like a charity explainer video. In this kind of video, real voices can be used instead of a professional voiceover, which gives an authentic feel. However, animation is shown with animated characters or a more conceptual design instead of anyone’s real faces. This is great for working with young people, for example.  

Summary

Testimonial films offer charities a unique and powerful way to connect with their audiences. They showcase original stories that build trust, inspire emotion, and drive action.

By featuring real voices—whether staff, volunteers, or service users – and supported by staff where needed —these videos create a relatable and emotional narrative that connects.

While charities may face challenges with limited resources or expertise, partnering with a professional video production company ensures a polished, impactful result that aligns with their mission and reaches a wider audience. From pre-production planning to editing and accessibility enhancements, testimonial films can become a versatile tool for storytelling, fundraising, and awareness-building.

If you’re looking for a testimonial film for your charity, please get in touch; we’d love to help!

The post Elevating Your Charity’s Impact with Testimonial Films appeared first on Digital Finch.

These short-form videos catch the attention of billions of users every day, and engagement is growing each year. It’s all age ranges who watch this content online; it’s not just young people (though if your audience is young people, you’re really missing out). And it’s not just B2C – there are many opportunities for B2B.

This shift in consumer behaviour has significant implications for corporate video production and your video marketing strategy, and brands must be on these platforms to compete in the modern world. In many ways, corporate video production is overlapping with social media video production.

Why Short-Form Video Matters for Businesses

Short-form videos are highly shareable, making them a powerful tool for increasing brand awareness. Businesses, brands and non-profit organisations can use video in a new way to step away from the traditional corporate video idea and establish a more modern and relatable image by creating consistent, high-quality content, particularly among younger audiences.

These short-form, but still professional, videos can drive website traffic and conversions when used strategically with exciting ideas, a humanistic approach, calls to action, links, and consistent posting.

What’s out in corporate video

Long, Monotonous Videos: In the past, corporate videos often ran for 10 minutes or longer, usually filled with speeches from 1 key person and slower-paced visuals. Videos frequently shown at meetings or on a computer had a more captive audience, so they could get away with this more. 

Overly Formal and Stiff Tone: Traditional corporate videos often have a more formal and stiff tone, with C-level people delivering heavily scripted lines.  

One-Size-Fits-All Approach: In the past, companies often created a single corporate video to cater to all audiences; the same video would be played everywhere without adaptions.  

Neglecting Mobile Optimisation: Traditionally, with online video, corporate videos were primarily optimised for desktop viewing. This means they were landscape in size to fit a large monitor, and the mobile user would be forced to watch it tiny, and be far less engaged.

Unfortunately, we see all too often that some of these strategies are still being done by businesses and organisations with their video products today! By avoiding these outdated ideas of corporate video production, companies can create more effective and engaging videos that connect with audiences. So that was what’s out, what is in?

Strategies for Effective Short-Form Video Marketing

Know Your Audience: Understand the preferences and behaviours of your target audience. Are they on short-form platforms? Do they mainly browse on a phone or computer?  Which platforms do they prefer? Answering these questions and looking at your own analytics will help you create a more targeted approach, with videos tailored to specific demographics and platforms. On your website, viewers browsing many pages may still want long-form video – it’s not vanished, but this type of content isn’t suitable for your socials.

Create Exciting Content: The first few seconds of a short form video are so important – these days, you have just about 3 seconds to stop someone in their tracks. You can open with eye-catching visuals, interesting questions, or surprising facts to quickly grab attention. A good thumbnail (the cover image) use is also crucial; you can choose an exciting or intriguing frame from the video or upload a new one.

New Stories: Corporate video is no longer just your company story; the types of video content organisations are publishing are Branded stories, such as short films, series, and documentaries; How-to or explainer videos; interviews with influencers and experts; Case studies, testimonials and customer stories, or Thought leadership with company leaders. It’s not all about you.

Keep it Concise: Short-form videos typically range from 15 to 60 seconds. Get to the point quickly. You also want viewers to reach the final CTA at the end so they know what to do next. For a business video, up to 90s can work, but beyond that drop off rates tend to increase dramatically unless they’re much longer and more educational in nature – not as salesy.

Keep it accessible: To improve the audience experience and be more inclusive, accessibility measures in your video content, like subtitles and descriptions, help improve perception and make the content watched by more people for longer. Even corporate videos on your website should always have the option to add subtitles.

Aspect Ratio is important: Depending on the platform, you should consider vertical videos in your corporate video strategy. Vertical videos engage users four times better on Facebook, for example. With vertical advertising, users watch it to the end in 90% of cases (for comparison, the figure is 14% for horizontal video ads).

Be personable: Modern audiences prefer authentic, relatable, and conversational content. This is across all kinds of industries from education to healthcare, charity and more and is evidenced by TikTok Video (among others), where you see all kinds of homemade-style videos that tally up millions and millions of views. You don’t need to go to that end of the scale and film it all on a phone, and a mix or professional and UGC can help. You can still be ‘corporate’ and a real person. Avoid following scripts if you can; you don’t always need to film professionally, and you can use more relatable language. You don’t need to suddenly say dude! Just less formal and proposal-like. (and don’t rely on Ai to create all your scripts)

Use Trending Sounds and Effects: Incorporating popular music, sounds, and effects can help your videos gain traction on social media. For example, selecting trending audio can help boost your videos on Instagram. Or catching onto new trends with your versions of memes can bring a lighter side and help increase engagement. You don’t need to do this every time, though, as it can start to feel inauthentic.

Adapt Longer form Content: You don’t aways need to start from scratch with a video production. If you have a longer existing corporate video with some good parts but is overall the wrong size/length, etc., for other platforms. Then, you can often speak to the video production company who created it to adapt it to a short-form version. They’d look at it with a trained eye to edit it as concise and eye-catching as possible while reusing existing content.

Collaborate with Influencers: They sometimes get a bad rep, but Influencers still have influence; it’s a billion-dollar industry! Partnering with influencers can help you reach a larger audience and increase brand credibility. They don’t need to have a massive amount of followers; micro and macro influencers are often within reach budget-wise; it’s essential to see their niche so that they are as relevant as possible, the style of their video content, and past results of sponsored content, and the usual engagement they receive.

Track and Analyse Performance: Use analytics tools to measure the success of your short-form video campaigns and identify areas for improvement.

By embracing short-form video and all that surrounds it, businesses can take advantage of new opportunities to think about corporate video, develop new video strategies, connect with their audience, drive brand awareness, and ultimately boost their bottom line.

If you would like to boost and modernise your business’s corporate video strategy, then just get in touch

The post The Rise of Short-Form Video: A New Route for Corporate Video appeared first on Digital Finch.

What is Custom Video Production?

Unlike off-the-shelf explainer videos, for example, videos made with automated software or AI, or videos created using a DIY approach in-house, custom video production from a professional video studio produces content tailored precisely to your brand, message, and target audience.

A video studio or agency will collaborate with you, using their professional skills and methodology, to create a perfectly tailored video that reflects your organisation’s style, whether it’s an animated video or filmed production. Every frame will be custom-made for you. 

We’ve seen the progress AI is making worldwide, which is astonishing and helpful at times. There’s also the rise of AI in video production, especially scripts and storyboarding. While it can be helpful for content ideation, the words it generates are still quite repetitious, flowery, waffling, and overused (I am personally fed up with the word ‘compelling’ and ‘crafting’ right now).

AI footage can be samey in feel, and illustration is often limited and can change from scene to scene in style, so visually, it may look less relevant and more challenging to follow the story. It can also become very generic and repetitive. You lose your uniqueness when you ask Ai to do it all.

There are also stock sites, DIY video sites, etc., but then you are sharing those assets with half the world, and it’s not unique to you at all, either; it’s also harder to find content that is fully relevant and not cheesy as hell, if we’re being perfectly honest. A professional studio can often still work with these stock elements when filming isn’t possible to add differentiation.

Benefits of Custom Video Production

There are a few good reasons why you’d opt for a bespoke video. Importantly, a custom video showcases your brand’s unique personality and values. 

Strengthen Your Brand

With bespoke video production, starting with a human-made script that speaks for you ensures the language is concise, appropriate, and emotive where it needs to be. It can be adapted more easily to new ideas/amendments and is also much more unique than auto-generated content. The story will be much more unique to you.

This is true whether you’re thinking about an explainer video, perhaps to explain a process or a service your charity offers, or live-action filming, for example, an about us with colleagues.

Working with an experienced video designer to illustrate any animation or graphic design style sequences ensures that the video stays on brand or in line with the campaign. Using any design elements, colours, fonts, and logos and paying attention to layout and composition from scene to scene will ensure the video has the desired effect. They should be an expert in visual communication.

Any content filmed for your custom video production will be done with professional equipment, an experienced operator, and a director. High-quality audio and visuals will be captured, working to a set shoot list and pre-production plan so that the message is clear and the footage reflects your expertise, whether it’s amazing facilities and venue or your people values and personality – or both. Camera crews are hardworking; they won’t rest until it’s perfect! 

Then, a skilled editor will take all the footage, following the storyboard and pre-production plans, and use their experience and skills to turn it into a story that brings joy, trustworthiness, and empathy to your organisation. 

A high-quality, well-branded video can help you create a deeper connection with your audience and build a strong brand identity. Strong branding is proven to create a more positive impression on audiences, and this should always be reflected in your video content, even if it’s just a case of the choice of caption font or use of colours. 

You may want a unique filming approach that becomes a series, such as a sofa series or an ‘Ask the boss this’ type of series. Whatever you do, you want to be instantly recognisable as you. Even if you follow a trend (which can be very beneficial for reaching new audiences on socials) you can always put your spin on it and keep it looking on brand. Filming a batch of these videos in one go as a series can be a good way to keep the same look and save on filming costs.

Benefit from Expert Collaboration

Working with a professional video production team gives you access to their expertise and creativity. They usually have a robust video production methodology that allows you to see the video production throughout the various stages so that you can view and approve it.

You’d see the script, written treatment and art direction, initial illustrated designs, a complete storyboard, and any voiceover samples, followed by the final edit. This allows you to refine the video as you go along and ensure it’s in keeping with your vision. An off-the-shelf service wouldn’t offer much collaboration or opportunities for feedback, so you’d be much more limited in the result. 

Saving Your Time

A third of marketers say they have yet to use video production due to a lack of time. and a standard software-made production, or attempting to film and edit a video in-house, will be pretty labour-intensive for you, especially if it’s not turning out as expected and you haven’t had sufficient training or software and equipment.

Importantly, custom video production takes little of your time. If you can commit to reviewing a few key stages, you can spend the rest of the time on your actual work. This allows you to deliver more value to your organisation, work on your speciality, and know that the video is in professional hands. 

Working with a studio can help bring your vision to life, create a video that exceeds your expectations, and leave you feeling like you’ve had your say throughout—without you doing all the hard work.

Boost Engagement

Bespoke videos are more likely to capture and hold viewer attention, as they’ve been created by a video production specialist rather than arbitrary software churning out the same repetitious content to a set template. One size does not fit all when it comes to video, representing you in the best way it can.  

The specialist team working on your video will consider your buyer persona, strategy, and the platform at hand throughout the entire production so that the content truly speaks to your audience. This professional content alongside consistent posting of all kinds of media on social media platforms (can be mixed with UGC) This means they’re more likely to engage, share, and remember your brand.

Improve Your Return on Investment

While the initial cost for a custom video might be higher, the long-term rewards can be substantial. If you set clear objectives and measure impressions, views, engagement and more, you can analyse the ROI and get a clear picture of what is working. By creating highly targeted content, you can increase conversions, sales, and customer loyalty.

Usually,  a video production company will also offer different quality levels based on your budget so that you can have flexibility on the cost while still getting a bespoke service – making it more affordable. For example, a simpler drawing style, including or excluding animated characters, 3D animation, filming at several locations or just 1, filming in a studio or a chosen location, using actors. These elements are all completely customisable with each production to balance your budget and vision. 

Gain a Competitive Edge

Standing out in a crowded marketplace is essential. A custom video helps you differentiate your business from competitors and establish yourself as a leader in your industry. The designs that are created and any video footage will be uniquely you rather than the same stock assets you see everywhere. 

Versatility

Businesses and organisations can use custom videos across multiple platforms, including social media, websites, meetings, and email marketing. This maximises their investment and expands their reach. 

Working with a studio means you can also have alternative versions. For example, you can have a longer-form landscape video for your website and in-person meetings. Then, the video production company can create a shorter vertical version to increase engagement on social media. 

You may also need the video localised into other languages for a wider reach. In this case, the video company translates all on-screen captions and the voiceover, records them, and edits them seamlessly so that the video looks native to each language—creating a better viewing experience for non-English-speaking viewers. This attention to detail in localisation shows consideration and care for the audience. 

Conclusion

Investing in custom video production for your business or organisation is a strategic decision that can significantly benefit your business. Working with a video studio to create bespoke and engaging content can build a stronger brand, connect with your audience, and improve results.

Consider partnering with a custom video production service like Digital Finch to create a film that leaves a lasting impression. Contact us today

The post Level Up Your Marketing with Custom Video Production appeared first on Digital Finch.

At Digital Finch, we’ve seen video transform marketing for many small companies. Business marketing videos grab attention better than text or images. They explain your products or services quickly and clearly, helping customers understand what you offer. This often leads to more sales.

Plus, videos are great for your website. They keep visitors around longer and help you show up higher in search results, which means more potential customers can find you online.

With one good video, you can reach people on your website, social media, and in emails. It’s a smart way to get more from your marketing budget.

Key Takeaways

• Video marketing boosts brand awareness and increases organic search visibility.
• Embedding videos on websites improves SEO and keeps visitors engaged longer.
• Videos drive higher conversion rates, turning viewers into customers.
• Short-form videos and live streaming are crucial for staying relevant in future marketing trends.

Key Benefits of Video Marketing for Small Businesses

Boosts Brand Awareness and Visibility

Videos are more effective at catching attention than text or images. They’re also highly shareable, which helps your brand reach a wider audience.

A small bakery could create a short video showing how they make their famous chocolate cake. If this video resonates with viewers, it could be shared widely, giving the local bakery attention from people all over the city or even the country.

Charity video production is another powerful tool. By creating videos that highlight your involvement with local charities, you’re showing the human side of your brand. These videos can resonate with viewers, encouraging shares and fostering a positive image of your business while supporting a good cause.

Improves Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

SEO is about making your business easier to find online. Videos can give your SEO a significant boost in two main ways:

1. Search engines favour websites with videos. When you add a video to your website, it can help your site show up higher in search results. Neil Patel notes that when you get your video SEO right, you’re on the way to improving your search engine ranking with social shares and building links.
2. Videos keep people on your website longer. Search engines see this as a sign that your site is providing valuable information, which can further improve your search ranking.

For example, if you embed that chocolate cake video on your bakery website, it could help your site appear higher in search results for terms like “best chocolate cake in [your city]”.

Increases Conversion Rates and Sales

Video marketing turns viewers into customers. When people watch a video about your product or service, they’re more likely to buy it.

Explainer videos work well here. They show how your product solves a problem, making it easy for viewers to see its value. For example, a short video demonstrating how your gardening tool works can convince more people to buy it than a written description alone.

WordStream data prove that businesses using video grow their revenue 49% faster than those without video. And according to HubSpot, companies that make their products purchasable within their video see a 41% increase in products added to the cart. That’s a significant boost for any small business.

Provides High Return on Investment (ROI)

Video marketing gives you a lot of value for your money. Here’s why:

• You can use one video in many places: your website, social media, emails, and events.
• Videos keep working for you long after they’re made. A good video can attract customers for months or even years.
• You don’t need a big budget to make quality videos. Many smartphones can shoot high-quality footage.

A single well-made video can do the work of multiple marketing campaigns, saving you time and money in the long run.

Builds Trust and Strengthens Customer Relationships

Video helps you build trust faster than almost any other tool. It shows the human side of your business.

When customers see real people in your videos – whether it’s you, your team, or satisfied customers – they feel a connection. It’s like meeting you in person but through a screen.

Customer testimonial videos are especially powerful. When potential buyers see real people talking about how great your product is, it’s more convincing than any advertisement.

Behind-the-scenes videos also build trust. Showing how you make your product or deliver your service builds trust through transparency. People like seeing the care and effort that goes into what they’re buying.

Enhances Engagement Across Marketing Channels

Video content improves how people interact with your brand everywhere they encounter it.

Videos on social media often get more likes and shares than text or pictures. This means your message reaches more people.

Adding a video to emails can make readers more likely to click through and explore what you’re offering. Videos also keep visitors around longer on your website, giving you more time to showcase your business.

By using videos in different parts of your marketing, you’re more likely to grab and keep people’s attention, no matter where they find you.

Adaptable to Various Marketing Strategies

Video is incredibly versatile, fitting into almost any marketing strategy. Here are a few ways you can use it:

• Product launches: Create excitement with videos showcasing your new offerings.
• How-to guides: Explain complex products or services in a simple, visual way.
• Behind-the-scenes: Show the real people and processes behind your business.
• Customer testimonials: Let satisfied customers tell their stories.

Each type of video serves a specific purpose in your marketing plan. By mixing these different video styles, you can address various customer needs and business goals throughout the buyer’s journey.

Future-Proofs Small Business Marketing

More people watch videos on their phones every year, and Meta notes that people are 1.5 times more likely to watch a video on a smartphone than on a computer. By creating videos now, you’re ready to reach this growing audience.

Short-form videos and live streaming are becoming increasingly popular, especially among younger viewers. By getting comfortable with video marketing now, you’re preparing your business for these emerging trends.

As technology advances, videos will become even more powerful. They can be personalised to fit what each viewer likes, making your marketing more effective. By starting with video now, you’re setting your business up for success in the future of marketing.

Improve Your Video Marketing With Digital Finch

At Digital Finch, we’re experts in creating videos that help small businesses like yours stand out and grow.

We create all kinds of videos, from explainers and testimonials to social media clips and product launches. Our team works closely with you to produce videos that fit your business goals and resonate with your audience.

We handle the entire process, from scripting to final editing. Our expertise and professional equipment ensure your videos look great and get results.

Our portfolio shows the range of work we’ve done for various industries. These videos are optimised for different platforms, and we’ll guide you on how to use them effectively.

Ready to take your marketing to the next level? Get in touch with us today. Let’s create videos that will help your small business thrive.

FAQs

Why is video so effective in marketing?

Videos grab attention quickly and stick in people’s minds. They use moving pictures and sound to tell your story, making it easier for viewers to understand and remember your message. Videos show rather than tell, helping people connect with your business more easily.

How can video marketing help your business?

Video marketing boosts your business by increasing brand discovery, bringing more website visitors, and leading to more sales. Videos build stronger connections with customers by showing the human side of your business. They also improve your search engine rankings and keep visitors on your site longer.

What makes a successful marketing video?

A great marketing video speaks directly to your audience and shows how you can help them. It tells a clear story, looks professional, and ends with a strong call to action. Most importantly, it gives viewers valuable information or solves a problem they have.

How does video marketing increase brand awareness?

Videos spread quickly on social media, helping more people learn about your brand. They’re easy to share, so viewers often pass them on to friends. This means your message can reach far more people than traditional ads, making your brand more recognisable to a wider audience.

The post Benefits Of Video Marketing For Small Business appeared first on Digital Finch.

Using video for recruitment purposes has several benefits. These include increased engagement and interest from potential candidates and the ability to quickly showcase your team and work environment. 

This is also true if you are a charity or non-profit trying to attract more volunteers to help your organisation. Showing your workplace’s upbeat and vibrant culture on video is a powerful tool for letting people know what it’s like, enhancing the candidate experience. 

Creating a video for recruitment can be straightforward. You can use a scripted video with a voiceover and B roll (B Roll footage is just filmed shots around the premises), led by a professional presenter – though this is typically more American- or an interview led by a range of colleagues at different levels speaking honestly and positively about their experience.

Either way, filmed video production is the best option because it gives a real-life experience of the work, people, and environment and will feel more authentic than animation, giving a more immersive feeling. For example filming on a campus for your educational video production. However, you can combine graphics and animated bits into the video edit to emphasise points and for visual variety and added branding. Good branding always has a positive impression on viewers.

A video production like this can often, but doesn’t have to, accompany a photoshoot (organised on the same day), so you have a huge bank of content that is consistent in look feel. You only have to organise everyone together once for the big day (making sure any uniform is correct, PPE is accurate, the workplace looks tidy and its best, etc.). We’ve often filmed around photographers!

This bank of photo and video content can benefit your social media platforms and website, giving you up to a few months of content on socials. For a client, we recently created a bank of video content, we filmed for four days, each day with a videographer and photographer, giving them around 200 photos each day and 8 videos in total. The videos were a mixture of short-form ones for social media and longer videos for the recruitment part of their website and YouTube. The client also used transcripts of the spoken content from the video to create carousel posts.

A professionally produced video series that explores different areas of the business or organisation in depth gives a holistic understanding of the organisation’s culture and mission. A video with a professional feel and branding will enhance the perception of your organisation, and it allows potential candidates to get a good feeling for the people and place before applying, so those who apply are keener and more suitable from the start, as they have more understanding of the task at hand and the expectations of them. 

Types of Videos Used in Recruitment

Interview-style Testimonial Videos

Filming for a day at your premises, speaking to staff on camera and capturing genuine emotions and feelings about the work, the support they receive, information about progression, and the importance they feel to the part of the company or the organisation can be infectious. It’s always good to include a wide range of staff, rather than only managers, for example, to feel more authentic and less corporate. For this kind of video, you want positive and genuine emotion, not a set script to follow, so it’s best to use a questionnaire and a director who will be skilled in active listening and getting the best out of the interviewee so they’;’re not nervous.

This kind of video can be filmed a few different ways. It can filmed on-site to help give context to the work environment such as a school or university and show off the premises, or it can be filmed in a professional studio atmosphere to provide a different look, like a more formal interview. The benefit of filming on-site is that it gives much more visual information about what it’s like, so viewers can more easily envisage themselves there.

Day-in-the-life Video(s)

These can be UGC (User Generated Content—i.e., the person films themselves, not professionally), or you can film them more professionally using a video production company. UGC can work as it gives it a more personal vibe. This video is more of a behind-the-scenes look into the workplace and be more fun. If you have many different departments and roles, you can create one for each, showing off the rich environment, range of activities, and diverse staff in a series. In the past, we’ve also edited UGC content filmed by the client here in the video studio to give it appropriate branding and professional editing to lift the original content – so mixing the two together to balance cost, speed and professionalism. 

Q & A Video

This can be a short, quick-fire question round with staff or volunteers and can often be done UGC to give a more casual everyday feel. And again you can make a series of these about all aspects of work and life there. You can also go the opposite way and film this in a professional video studio; you’d do this, perhaps with a company director, to give a personal yet professional-feeling approach—like an insight into their life and their views on the company and where it’s going. If you’re feeling extra, you can also develop a theme around this, for example a monthly / weekly sofa chat or asking a particular person questions.

Culture Video

Creating a video that discusses specifically the culture and real work environment is vital. Show off what sets you apart, whether it’s being innovation-led, customer-centric, or highlighting the importance of employee well-being. This can also be similar to a ‘Values’ video if you already have set company values. If you don’t have official values, that’s also fine; you can still portray the culture easily with good video production and planning in place.

This kind of video is also your chance to show off how inclusive and diverse your workforce is, as we know that the benefits of diversity in the workforce are massive, and representation matters. It’s a way to make everyone feel proud and excited about the unique culture and work environment. Here we also put effort into making sure our video productions are as inclusive as possible.

Roles Video

This video highlights the diverse range of roles available. In engineering, for instance, there is often a wide variety of roles requiring different skills and experience, more than people may initially think. A video that specifically addresses this variety of roles can highlight all the opportunities available that a potential employee may not have considered needed in your organisation at first glance. 

Brand Video

A brand video is a key tool to help potential candidates and volunteers, especially those new to your organisation, quickly understand what you’re about, how you help your clients, where you are based, etc. This kind of video is more geared towards potential clients but is also helpful in recruitment. This short and concise video should show clients and potential employees your best side, whether it’s filmed, animated, or a mix of both. 

Using Video in Different Recruitment Channels

A first touch point where a potential candidate may find you is a job site or your website. So a video series for a specific recruitment section of the site will let the person browse in their own time to get a feel for the work required and your company. Then you have Social media (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram). These want to be quick and dynamic; a potential candidate may follow you for a while or have a deep dive into your socials to learn more. 

If you regularly recruit staff, a specific section on your website with plenty of information and a video library with the above selection allows candidates to browse at their own pace and learn about you. When they apply, they have a much clearer idea of what it’ll be like, and the chances of it being a successful match for everyone are higher.

Best Practices for Creating Effective Recruitment Videos

• Keep it concise and engaging: Aim for videos that are no longer than a few minutes.
  
• Use high-quality audio and video: Invest in a good video production team like Digital Finch to ensure a professional feeling video.
  
• Focus on storytelling: Create a narrative that connects with your target audience.
  
• Optimise for mobile viewing: Many people watch videos on their smartphones, so ensure your video content is mobile-friendly if it’s likely to viewed on phones.
  
• Promote your videos: Share them on your company’s website, social media channels, and job boards.

Summary

Video is a powerful tool for attracting top talent and showcasing your company culture. By creating engaging and informative videos, you can enhance the candidate experience and increase your chances of finding the right people for your team.

Ready to use video to boost your recruitment? Contact us today to discuss your video production needs. Our team of experts can help you create impactful videos that will make a lasting impression on potential candidates.

The post Why Video is a Must for Recruitment appeared first on Digital Finch.

Here, we’ll explore the signs that indicate hiring a professional video production company might be the right move for your business. From a lack of time for video creation to the need for consistent branding, we’ll cover the benefits and points you need to consider.

You don’t have any videos

This is the most important reason. You’re missing out if you don’t have any marketing video content for your organisation. Year on year, almost every metric shows a positive ROI and increased awareness and engagement from video production for companies and charitable organisations, whether it’s for their website, meetings, or social media. The old marketing rule was The Rule of 7 – a potential customer needs to see your content 7 times before making a decision, but now it’s said to be higher, and more varied approach, including text, images, videos, ads and different platforms.

It’s taking ages to finish videos in house

If you’re taking a DIY approach to video production, this can be great for consistency in posting online, especially for social media. But if the videos take too long to create in house and you’re being pulled away from your regular job, balancing it all starts to get tricky. Especially if you’ve not had much training in the skills and software required, so you’re learning as you go using online tutorials to figure out what to do. Creating videos like explainer videos is generally considered a specialised skill that takes years to learn.

This is when you need to start outsourcing some of the video creation work to let you focus on your real job and bring greater value to your company. An experienced video production company will save you time (and therefore money), by sharing progress with you when it’s necessary for your input and ideas and then using their high-level equipment and expertise to do the rest.

They’re not getting the traction you need

If you’re releasing a video (s) but they’re not getting much uplift online, whether it’s lack of views, engagement or enquiries, it’s worth considering a different approach to avoid wasting your time. A video company can review your existing video content, analyse where it’s been posted, learn about your target audience, listen to your ideas, and interpret them. Using all this info, along with their skills and experience, to help you figure out a better way to engage viewers with your video content, whether it’s through better scripting, more excitement, or better-quality visuals.

Your branding and company voice aren’t consistent in video content

If your video content has a range of video filming or design styles and different vibes overall, it can be confusing for your audience. You want to be recognisable right off the bat and leave a positive impression. Especially on social media, you want to stop them in their scroll. Professional video content that is well branded also shows that you value yourself and will set you apart, especially if you’re a smaller company. Often, local competitors have minimal to zero professional branding in place – even though it’s positive for your business and branding does influence customer decisions. A professional video series with a consistent look and feel will help people instantly know it’s you and help sway potential customer.

You have a complex offering

Commerce can be easier because there’s something tangible to see, so creating your own content with photos and videos can be easier. For example, if you’re selling clothing or another physical product. However, if you’re in tech, finance, education or other services, it can sometimes take some work to explain your offering concisely and tangibly, showing the benefits quickly and in an exciting way. If you have nothing to film, you may run out of ideas or be using the same old visuals. This is where an explainer animation may help: a short animated video that focuses on the benefits, not features and doesn’t always have to be so formal. These kinds of animations can also be helpful in a medical or healthcare setting, for example, as patient information videos, so that the information is concise and annotated diagrams can be mixed with bigger animated scenes to give a full picture.

You need to gain empathy from viewers

A professional video production company can use its experience and storytelling expertise to help create emotionally impactful videos – compelling people into action. For example, a company could create a case study or testimonial series of filmed videos for your business or non-profit organisation. They’ll come to your premises (or wherever you want) and a director will delicately interview staff or service users to create impactful story. Or a studio can create a bespoke animation that really pulls at the heartstrings while safeguarding individuals and making the story wider.

You want to make existing content work harder

You may have some video content from an old video shoot, some UGC (footage shot on phones), or some existing photos. A video company can review your raw content and easily create different edits or animations, figuring out ways to make it work harder and get more for your money.

Quick tips for finding and hiring a professional video production company

Now you’ve realised that you need some professional help with your videos. You can search locally for a production company; this may be easier if you need a lot of filming on a regular basis. However, if you think a one-off video shoot covering a bank of content will do, you can expand your horizons. If you need animation, the studio can be based almost anywhere in the world, but close time zones help.

Ask yourself (and them) lots of questions. Look at the quality of their work, do you like the style? Can you see it working for you? Their website should have a range of video services, so you can see if they have samples in a similar field or sector, meaning they have experience with your content and kind of video message. Do they seem transparent? Often, a call or quick meeting will help to see if you like the people too, as this is a relationship, and a friendly face also makes a big difference to the project workflow.

If you have read any of these points and thought, “Oh no, that’s us!” Don’t worry. Just get in touch and see how we can help transform your video content online with our professional video production services. You can learn a lot from a quick 10-minute discovery call.

The post Signs It’s Time to Hire a Professional Video Production Company appeared first on Digital Finch.