So you’re looking for an explainer video company in USA, huh? The land of the free and home of the brave. And Gisteo. That’s right, we’re an explainer video company in the USA. We’re based in that crazy, eclectic and sunny place known as Miami, FL. to be specific.
We think there are advantages to choosing an explainer video company in USA and we’ll outline a few of those in this article, along with providing some general tips on how to choose the best explainer video company for your needs.
First, a bit of background on Gisteo
When we launched Gisteo in early 2011, explainer videos weren’t a “thing” yet. So, we just invented our own term to describe what we did by combining the words Gist and Video. The “gist” is the central idea, the core, the essentials. It implies a quick summary vs. a long-winded dissertation…which was exactly what our videos did. Gist + Video = Gisteo. A company name was born and the rest is history.
Almost a decade later, we’re still explaining the gist of what businesses, products or services are all about. In fact, it’s more important today than ever. Competition is just a click or tap away and your target has countless choices. They need to get the gist…and fast. If they do, it’s priceless because understanding the gist of why you matter gives them clarity….and clarity leads to action. More and more explainer video studios have popped up over the years, all over the world, but if you’re looking for an explainer video company in the USA, we’re one of the very best. We’ll let our own Gisteo Guy take it from here:
Why choose an explainer video company in the USA
Does it really matter if you use an explainer video company in the USA like Gisteo vs. others abroad? Well, we’re obviously biased but we think that if your company and/or target market is in the US (or North America at least), it does indeed make a big difference.
When creating explainer videos, it’s important you work with a firm that understands your culture and the nuances of your marketplace. Sure, globalization has made the world “flatter,” but local expertise still matters. This type of expertise is hard to come by in an explainer video company located half-way around the world.
English may not be their first language so general communication could be more cumbersome, not mention the fact that the script they develop for you could be awkwardly written and miss the mark when it comes to things like humor. Working across many time zones can add further complications to what should be smooth, seamless process like ours at Gisteo.
Also, things like sending payments could be more painful depending on where the foreign explainer video company is based. Plenty of countries in Eastern Europe, for example, don’t accept PayPal or other common payment platforms that Americans use.
In addition, we just think that American studios have general quality standards that are lacking in places like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and many others. Although the labor is significantly cheaper in these countries and their overall rates may indeed may be significantly lower, sometimes you really do get what you pay for, as the old adage goes. Now, we’re not saying that ALL these companies do shoddy work. Of course not. Some, in fact, are very solid but they may be the exception, rather than the norm.
Finally, it’s important to underscore that we’re not xenophobic at Gisteo. Not at all. We’ve done plenty of work for great companies across the globe. Over the years, we’ve hired freelancers abroad to help with things like website optimization and other technical projects and we wouldn’t hesitate to do so again. We just think we’re generally better suited for explainer video work targeting the North American consumer in many cases. Just as we may not be the best choice for developing video content for certain foreign markets, we think the reverse is also true more often than not.
5 tips for choosing your explainer video company
Whether you’re searching for an explainer video company in USA or elsewhere, here are a few pointers to finding the best fit.
- Check out the type of work and styles they’ve done. Nothing is a better indicator of future performance in terms of the work they’ll be doing for you.
- Check references, just in case. Recently, we were told about a company that actually stole work from us (and one other company) and put it in their own portfolio. Not cool and you want to be sure the company you choose can actually do the quality and type of work you’re looking for. Checking references will also give you insight into the explainer video company’s process, communication, timeliness and other important factors.
- See if they respond quickly. If they’re too busy to get back to you the same day or within 24 hours at least, you may want to move on. You’re paying good money and you’ve got a lot of options out there when it comes to explainer videos. You should demand good, fast service.
- Are they transparent in their pricing? You should be able to get a general indication of cost/pricing structure from their website. Avoid the companies that come up with a quote only figuring out how deep (or shallow) your pockets are. You shouldn’t have to get on a mailing list, schedule a sales call or navigate through multiple forms just to get a sense of a company’s rates!
- Pick up the phone and give them a call. Does the person you speak to have a deep understanding of video creation and marketing in general? Do they seem like someone who’s asking the right questions? A person with a genuine curiosity in your business? Great videos start with great messaging and understanding how to craft a strong script. There are a lot of animation companies out there who are decent at executing but poor at the front end of the process. Your success depends on choosing a complete solution.
We hope this overview has been helpful to better understanding why choosing an explainer video company in USA might be crucial to getting the end product you deserve.
If you would like to further discuss your explainer video needs, please contact us today. We promise that we’ll follow up with lightning-fast speed.
