The beginning of a video project is always the most exciting. But that doesn’t mean it’s the simplest. We know it can be tempting to rush through the sign-on process so you can get started right away.

But trust us, if you hope to have a smooth, headache-free project from start to finish, you’ll want to make sure you’re not making any of the 7 common mistakes we’re covering in this week’s article. Keep reading to find out what they are!

1. NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT YOUR VIDEO TO ACHIEVE

Hands down, the most vital thing you should know before starting a video project is what you want it to achieve. This should be the main component that determines every other aspect of the project.

Even the simplest of videos serve a purpose. Whether it’s entertaining, educating, engaging, boosting sales, increasing awareness, anything. Starting a video project without a defined goal can lead to misunderstandings, lengthy turnaround times, and a higher chance that your video will not perform well –since it was never determined what “performing well” actually means.

Once you have an idea of what you want your video to do, that will allow you to make creative and strategic decisions centered around that goal, ensuring the likelihood of achieving it and avoiding confusion along the way.

💡We have some great tips on setting smart goals in this article! Check it out: What to Consider before Your Next Online Marketing Campaign

2. NOT KNOWING HOW YOU WANT TO MEASURE SUCCESS

So now you’ve set a goal and figured out what you want your video to achieve. That’s great! But a goal is really only worthwhile if you know what it looks like when you reach it.

For example, saying you want your video to increase brand awareness is a solid goal. But what does that actually look like? And how can you measure it? When it comes to monitoring success, KPIs will be your best friend, aka Key Performance Indicators.

KPIs are strategic indicators to determine if your video is performing how you’d like it to. Such as the number of clicks on an ad, unique visitors to your website, or times a social media post is shared.

Those are just a few examples. But once you determine your methods of measuring success, you can gear your content around those factors, making it more likely the video will hit its marks.

3. NOT CREATING A DISTRIBUTION PLAN

How a video will be distributed plays a considerable role in its production and editing process. For instance, a social media video most likely won’t be filmed and edited the same way an informational website video will be filmed and edited.

Different platforms require different formats and methods to ensure a video will fall within its guidelines and perform well. So, if you go into your video project unsure where you want your video to go, it could seriously limit its success and decrease your project’s ROI.

4. OVERCOMPLICATED OR UNREALISTIC PLANS

Of course, knowing what you want to achieve is essential to creating a successful video. And we always start out every project with a solid plan, but video production can be fickle. And as bad as it is to start a video project with no plans or expectations, it can be even worse if you come in with an excessive amount of expectations.

You never know when things like weather, wardrobe malfunctions, sickness, or any other spontaneous roadblocks will pop up. And when those moments strike, sometimes plans have to be adjusted.

Additionally, it’s essential to know the limitations of your budget and creative ideas. Video production is an incredibly creative and inventive craft. But every budget has its restraints. And it’s best to know them upfront and ahead of time before production begins.

5. RUSHING THROUGH PRE-PRODUCTION

Pre-production planning is where all of the small details get ironed out before the cameras start rolling. Or –for an animated video project –before the graphic designers start designing.

During this stage, it might be tempting to agree with everything to get the project moving. But we cannot stress enough how important it is for you to resist that urge. It might feel like a long process of going back and forth to nail down each element.

But trust us, it’s nothing compared to shooting or creating all the content, only to reschedule a shoot to capture more footage or rework the footage completely. This amounts to so much time wasted developing unusable content, and the last thing we want is for you to waste your time.

6. LAST-MINUTE SWITCH-UPS

We know that sometimes things just pop up, and it’s impossible to avoid all last-minute adjustments altogether. But when you’re signing onto a new video project, the more you prepare for any potential obstacle, the more prepared we’ll both be to handle it with ease.

Discussing plan Bs or strategizing backup plans is the best way to prevent a last-minute switch-up from derailing a project and causing unneeded stress or anxiety.

7. NOT TRUSTING THE EXPERTS (US!)

At the end of the day, this is your video project, and your opinion matters the most. However, years of experience have shown us a thing or two, not just about creating content. But about creating successful, high-quality, and profitable content.

When we start a new project, we don’t just want to make a video or meet your expectations. Our goal is to push beyond what you thought was possible, provide you with goal-oriented content, and help you distribute it strategically to ensure its success.

Chances are, we’re going to push you to achieve more. Not because we don’t like your ideas, but because we know your potential. So if you’re ready to really see what video can do for you, give us a call. We can’t wait to exceed your expectations.