With close to 10 million residents, the Chicago area has an expansive population of potential customers and clients for your business. Video content now plays a crucial role in local marketing strategies, with many Chicago businesses using Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms to reach audiences and build followings.
Choosing the best video production services for your needs requires you to consider many key factors, including the size of your business. Small business and corporate video production processes significantly differ in their budgets, goals, and outcomes. Understanding which type of production process you're working with will help you plan your content strategy and select the production partners that suit you.
Here's everything you need to know when choosing between small business and corporate video production in Chicago.
Video content typically differs between small and corporate-sized businesses, including their primary video goals. Small business videos are usually budget-friendly, focused solely on marketing, and production is faster and more flexible. Meanwhile, corporate videos support various types of goals, such as branding and internal communication, often with larger budgets and more advanced equipment.
Why is corporate video production important for businesses? Corporate videos can benefit several business objectives and operations, from brand storytelling to complex campaigns. These productions often have larger budgets than small business videos, as they usually yield higher returns on investment (ROIs). This can significantly expand the tools and visuals at your disposal, especially when working with professional corporate video production companies.
Corporate videos focus on various business objectives, such as:
Branding: Branded content leaves a lasting impression of your business on potential customers and clients, prioritizing long-term growth over one-time sales. Effective branding establishes repeat customers and leaves a lasting impact on clients who may need your solutions later. For example, most customers won't immediately respond to an AC repair ad, but a catchy jingle or a funny video could help them remember your business whenever their AC breaks.
Business-to-business (B2B) marketing: B2B videos focus more on branding than typical sales videos, building trust and confidence with potential clients to keep you on their minds. For instance, your LinkedIn videos could focus on general industry news and knowledge to establish your business as an expert who understands clients' evolving needs.
Internal communication: Presentations and training videos support onboarding and other internal processes, keeping employees engaged and ensuring consistent messaging. Even if these videos won't result in a direct ROI, they can significantly benefit your company's operations and culture.
Tradeshows and events: High-quality corporate event videos can elevate your brand's visibility at events while showcasing your latest launches, pivotal success stories, and other key information.
Investor and stakeholder relations: Videos about your business's financial performance, operational strategies, and annual reviews can give investors crucial insights into your organization's health. This can build trust with your existing stakeholders and encourage potential investors to get involved, too.
Smaller video productions are usually faster and more budget-conscious — but this doesn't mean they should be low quality. After all, a clever TikTok video could easily "take off" within the app's algorithm without you even spending a dime. Creativity and authenticity can take your marketing strategy a long way with your target audience, especially if you know the best platforms and video formats to reach them with.
Common types of small business video content include:
Explainer videos: These videos give viewers an in-depth look at specific products or services, answering their most common questions while showcasing your offerings in the best light. Explainer video production services use research and discovery to understand your target audience and how they perceive your product or service so that your explainer can meet them on their level.
Product demos: These videos show potential customers exactly how to use your products or move forward with your services, building trust and answering basic questions. For example, a Chicago parking app could use a demo video to show customers exactly how fast and easy it is to park, pay, and go.
Testimonials and case studies: These videos use your clients' and customers' success stories to build confidence in your brand. The best case studies focus on the specific problems your product or service resolved and highlight any positive thoughts your customers had.
Social media content: Frequent social media posts can get your content noticed and support your branding strategy by engaging both "the algorithm" and your target audiences. Short-form videos under ten minutes typically perform the best, whether you share clips from your long-form content, quick behind-the-scenes footage, or something trendy.
User-generated content (UGC): Inviting influencers and content creators to make videos about your products can expand your social media marketing strategy without requiring much work on your end. Popular user-generated videos include unboxing videos, product reviews, and tutorials.
Professional video production matters for business growth, regardless of your company's size. However, when working with a production company, your best team will depend on your project's vision, size, budget, goals, and production priorities.
Many experienced teams, such as Charter & Co, offer corporate video production in Chicago. These corporate-focused production companies have advanced equipment and skilled crews with expertise in every production stage, from pre-production planning to post-production editing. This maximizes your creative possibilities during higher-budget, multi-day shoots.
On the other hand, small business video production studios deliver leaner, more flexible services focused on agility and affordability. This more hands-on process ensures that you can collaborate with your creative team to refine your project to your exact vision. Alternatively, if you're working on a tight budget, consider keeping most of your video production in-house and outsourcing to local teams for specialized services, such as event videography and color correction.
The right partnership should evolve with your business's growth, ensuring the creative team can meet your changing needs. Beyond format and budget, your best corporate video production company also depends on your project's intent and marketing maturity.
Corporate brands often prioritize consistency, governance, and storytelling that reinforces investor confidence and their company cultures. Meanwhile, growth-stage and small businesses typically seek partners that can perform quickly, adapt creatively, and deliver quick, measurable results.
Key performance indicators (KPIs), such as social media engagement and link clicks, can help you track your campaign's brand awareness, lead generation, and overall ROI. Defining these KPIs early on is essential when choosing the right video production company, as it provides measurable insights to base decisions and strategies on. This way, you always know what to look for in a video production agency, from growth-focused agility to established brand storytelling.
Charter & Co's hybrid production model bridges the gap between small business and corporate video production services. Our process combines enterprise-level creative standards with the speed and adaptability that small businesses need. This framework supports modular project design, whether you need cinematic storytelling or lean digital campaigns, while maintaining brand coherence across all types of content.
We understand that video production builds brand trust. This is a principle we reflect in many of our projects, including our enterprise onboarding series, social-first campaigns, and multi-format brand refreshes. Explore our Chicago Video Production Guide and contact Charter & Co to learn how we can elevate your small business or corporate video production in Chicago.