Video marketing budgets are tighter than ever.
Marketing teams are being stretched across multiple disciplines – from social media and paid ads to website development, AI, and print. Every part of marketing is seeing budgets shrink, and video is no exception.
But at the same time, video is everywhere. Your competitors are sharing polished content on social media, your industry is full of sleek promo videos, and it feels like you can’t scroll without seeing another business using video to get attention. With budgets getting squeezed, how are you supposed to keep up?
Don’t worry – we’ve been helping businesses navigate changing budgets for years. We’ve seen where money gets wasted and where it can be put to better use!
In this guide, we’ll share our best tips to make sure every pound you spend on video is seen on screen, so you get the most impact without overspending.
Plan Ahead
Nothing will drain your video production budget quite like poor planning!
It can easily be flushed down the drain in reshoots, last-minute changes, and unexpected costs that could have been avoided. Sure, pre-production might not be the most exciting part of video production, but it’s the most essential if you want to stay on budget.
Everything that happens after this point – filming, editing, delivery – relies on solid pre-production.
It covers scripting, scheduling, locations, logistics, and more. If these aren’t nailed down before you pick up a camera, you’re setting yourself up for delays, overspending, and unnecessary stress.
One thing we’ve found makes a huge difference is having one clear Zoom meeting at the very start of the project. No endless email chains. No back-and-forth with different stakeholders at different times. Just one call where we go through everything, make sure we have all the details, and then you don’t have to lift a finger. Grab a cup of tea, brief us properly, and we’ll take it from there.
Providing a video production brief in advance can be instrumental in ensuring that your money doesn’t go to waste
#corporatevideo— Boxset Media (@boxsetmedia)
January 6, 2017
We’ve spent years scripting and planning shoots all over the country, tackling tight deadlines, limited budgets, tricky locations, complex schedules, and last-minute script changes.
Every successful project has one thing in common: strong pre-production. That’s why we make sure everything is locked in before filming begins, so your video production budget is spent on what matters – not fixing problems that could have been avoided.
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Batch Filming
Filming is by far the most expensive part of video production!
It only takes an extra couple of crew members or an extra half-day on set to double your video production budget! But trimming down the crew too much can lead to a less-than-ideal result.
The other option is to film in-house, which can work well if you have the time and knowledge – but if not, it can backfire and make your business look unprofessional (this is why we launched the Video Made Simple Academy, and you can find out more about that here).
The best way to avoid these problems? Batch filming.
Shooting multiple videos in one session makes the most of the time your crew is on set, giving you more content for less money. You can apply this approach to all kinds of videos:
- Event videos – Instead of just one highlights video from your conference or event, capture testimonials from attendees and speakers. A single day of filming could give you up to 15 different edits.
- Promotional videos – If you’re filming a promo video with shots of your team at work, capture additional evergreen footage of your team and business in action. That way, you’ve got high-quality content ready for future videos without needing another shoot.
- Social media videos – If you’re releasing social videos weekly or monthly, plan them in advance and batch film them in one go. Swap outfits, change the background, and create weeks’ worth of content in just a few hours.
With a little extra planning, one day of filming can stretch your budget further while giving you far more value in return.
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Simplify Locations
If your video involves multiple contributors, different business locations, or shots of various premises, travel time and costs can spiral out of control fast.
But there are smart ways to simplify locations without sacrificing the quality of your video.
Here are three ways we’ve done it for clients:
Get everyone in one place – This is why we love filming at events. It’s a rare moment when all of your best clients, customers, and key people are gathered in one location. It’s the perfect opportunity to capture testimonials, interviews, and extra content that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Instead of multiple shoots across different locations, make the most of a day when everyone is already together.
Create your own location – Studio shoots can be expensive, and there are only a handful of green screen studios in the UK that suit corporate video production budgets. That’s why we bring our own. We have a portable green screen setup that can be used anywhere – as long as there’s a meeting room of around 10m², we can transform any indoor space into a fully professional green screen studio. This is a cost-effective way to film interviews, presenter-led content, or anything that requires a controlled, polished background without studio-level costs.
Use stock footage where it makes sense – Many international businesses want to showcase their global reach, but there isn’t always a budget to fly to Sydney to film the Opera House or New York to capture Times Square. Instead, we tap into our stock footage subscriptions to get the perfect shots at a fraction of the cost. It adds production value and scale to your videos without breaking the bank. (Although, if you’re willing to fly me first class to Sydney, I won’t say no.)
The right approach to locations can save you time, money, and unnecessary stress while still delivering the professional video you need.
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Take Advantage of Social Media
The days of relying on a single corporate video are over.
Today, social media is where your audience lives.
People don’t just watch one video and take action – they scroll, they engage, and they expect consistent content from brands they follow. If you’re only posting one video, you’re limiting your impact before you’ve even started.
Let’s say you want to create one video, and that costs £4,000 (not a bad estimate and still great value).
In that case, your cost per video is £4,000. But if you invest just £1,000 more into additional editing for social media, you could get up to 20 videos from the same shoot.
That brings your cost per video down to £250. Which would you prefer – £4,000 for one video, or £250 per video with enough content to last months?
This is exactly why we create social media edits for our clients. If you come to us for a case study or promotional video, we don’t just hand over a single final edit – we repurpose the footage, pulling out clips that didn’t make the cut and turning them into short, punchy social media videos that keep your brand front and centre.
And don’t worry about repeating yourself. Your audience won’t see every single video you post – that’s just how social media works. What feels like repetition to you is actually a smarter way to reinforce your message, stay visible, and get better results from your video production budget.
A small extra investment upfront means more content, more reach, and better ROI. That’s how you make your budget work harder.
Video production doesn’t have to break the bank. With the right planning, smart filming strategies, and a focus on maximising every shoot, you can stretch your budget further than you ever thought possible. Instead of worrying about what you can’t afford, you now have the tools to get more value, more content, and more impact from every penny you invest.
If you’re ready to see just how far your budget can go, get a quick quote from us right now!
