The finance director looked skeptical. “Three lakhs for a video? How do we know it’s worth it?”
Fair question. Marketing teams often struggle to justify video production budgets because the returns aren’t always obvious. But after producing hundreds of corporate videos, we’ve seen clear patterns in what drives ROI.
The Videos That Pay Back Quickly
Product explainers earn their keep fast. We produced a two-minute explainer for a B2B software company. They put it on their homepage and in sales emails. Conversion rates jumped. Sales cycles shortened because prospects arrived to calls already understanding the product. That single video influenced crores in revenue over two years.
Customer testimonials are undervalued. Written case studies get skimmed. Video testimonials get watched. More importantly, they get believed. We’ve seen testimonial videos shared internally by sales teams more than any other content type.
Training videos scale in ways in-person training can’t. Calculate what you spend on trainers, travel, and venue hire for repeated training sessions. Now imagine replacing half of that with well-produced videos that employees can watch anytime. The maths tends to be compelling.
The Hidden Returns
Some video ROI doesn’t show up in spreadsheets. A strong brand film shapes how people perceive your company. Recruitment videos attract better candidates. Internal communication videos from leadership actually get watched (unlike most company emails).
These returns are real, even if they’re harder to quantify.
What Determines ROI
The same budget can produce very different results depending on how it’s spent.
Clear objectives matter. A video trying to do five things usually does none of them well. The highest-performing videos we’ve produced had a single, clear purpose.
Distribution matters. A brilliant video nobody sees has zero ROI. Plan distribution before production. Where will this live? How will people find it? What’s the promotion strategy?
Production quality matters, to a point. Amateur video reflects poorly on your brand. But there’s a threshold beyond which additional production spend doesn’t improve results. Know where that threshold is for your audience.
Making the Business Case
When justifying video investment, think about:
How long will this video be useful? A product demo might be outdated in a year. A brand film might work for five. Divide the cost by the lifespan.
Where does this video fit in your customer journey? Videos that influence purchase decisions have clearer ROI than awareness videos. Both have value – but the value looks different.
What would you spend instead? Compare video costs to alternatives. Trade show booths, print advertising, in-person training. Video often looks economical in comparison.
Let’s Discuss Your Project
Not every video makes sense for every company. Sometimes the answer is “not right now” or “start smaller.” We’re happy to give honest advice about whether a video project makes sense for your situation.
Get in touch: +91 96635 06306 or sales@thalsamaya.com.
