How to Build and Maintain Strong Client Relationships in Video Production
Date : 23 October 2025
At Fullframe Creative Agency, with offices in Geneva and Lausanne, we’ve spent over 15 years delivering world-class video productions to clients ranging from Nestlé to National Geographic and various UN agencies. But success in this industry doesn’t just come from stunning visuals or cutting-edge technology. It comes from relationships.
As someone who’s been in sales and marketing for over 15 years, I can tell you with confidence: your ability to build trust, communicate effectively, and collaborate with your clients is just as crucial as the gear in your bag.
Start with Trust
The first conversation you have with a client sets the tone for everything that follows. Start by understanding their vision: Why are they creating this video? Who is the target audience? What outcome are they hoping for?
Showing a client that you understand, and above all that you are on board with their ambitions and wish for them to succeed as much as they do, is key. And here’s an existential tip: make it real! It’s a funny thing about human psychology that, if you try, you actually can care enough about someone you don’t know to work hard to make them happy. Making people happy makes you happy. Their success will be yours. It’s the old garbage in garbage out syndrome. The less you invest, the less you will get out of it, and, of course, the less the client will feel like your worth a second run.
On the more down-to-earth level, discuss timelines, budgets, and constraints transparently. Don’t be afraid to ask questions that show you care about the outcome: Who has final say on the deliverable? Will we be able to showcase the video afterward? Are there internal deadlines or stakeholders we should be aware of?
Asking such relevant questions not only helps you engage fully, it also shows your experience, as well as the fact that you are starting to genuinely care about the outcome. When you align on goals early, you shift the dynamic from client-vendor to creative partnership. And at Fullframe Creative, our experience has shown that the best results come when clients feel like collaborators, not just customers.
Define Clear Deliverables
Unclear expectations are the fastest route to disappointment. Define exactly what you’ll deliver—and what you won’t.
Will you provide subtitles? Social media cutdowns? Color grading and audio mixing? Behind-the-scenes stills? Outline it all in writing.
And if it’s a client’s first time commissioning a video, walk them through a “menu” of options. Helping them understand what’s possible (and what’s practical) positions you as a guide, not just a technician.
From experience, I can tell you that many clients lack the experience working with a video production company to do the right things, ask the right questions, and, above all, to feel confident about the choices they, and you, are making together. That’s where good and clear communications comes in. Make sure you flesh out the steps, from preproduction to post. No need to wear them out and confuse them with 10,000 details, but do explain each phase clearly when relevant.
At Fullframe, we make sure every client receives a detailed scope of work document. This includes format delivery (16:9, 9:16, etc.), versioning for different platforms, and any auxiliary content we agree on. This avoids scope creep and keeps the project aligned from day one.
Speaking of scope creep, it is wise and in good faith to take this sort of thing from a client with a grain of salt and with patient understanding. The temptation is great to immediately see it as usery: a client trying to get as much out of you as they can now that the quote has been approved. But the fact is that most of the time, scope creep occurs because the client is unaware of the impact their request are having on your workload.
So don’t chew their face off or instinctively reach for the contract to put them back in their place. Just calmly and politely explain the realities for those on the frontline. Offer solutions, alternatives, options. Try to show your client that you are already going the extra mile (and you always want to do that, by erring on the side of the client when assessing workload versus the quoted scope), and that, naturally, you must draw the line somewhere.
Strange as this may seem, we have often seen scope creep turn into scope expansion. This is what tends to happen when this phenomenon is handled competently by the agency: the client ends up understanding and accepting that their growing request are legitimate grounds for updating the quote, and, now better aware of the benefits they will reap from this extra work, they more readily assent to revising the cost estimate upward. Win win!
Collaborate on Post-Production
Post-production is where great ideas become polished stories. It can also be where projects go off the rails without clear processes.
Establish your editing workflow early. Define milestones, feedback points, and review tools. Whether it’s Google Drive, Frame.io, or a platform like Simon Says Assemble—choose a system that works for both of you.
Make the client’s role in this phase clear too. Will they review drafts? How quickly? Who needs to sign off? Flexibility is key, but clarity is king. Try hard to raise awareness with your client that the old adage, Too many cooks spoiled the broth, applies in earnest to this phase of production.
Ask, beg, plead with them to get one focal point, one decision-maker on their side who will pool feedback and act as the reference for your video editor or producer. Explain that, as it’s well known and documented in the army: order, counter-order, disorder! This does not work in the client’s favour either, as it puts meeting deadline at risk, not to mention holding to the budget.
On that note, it’s a smart thing to do to have this point in your agency’s general conditions: work, or a plan, that is approved and executed may lead to extra cost and time in production if it is subsequently contradicted or revised. Few clients have a hard time understanding and accepting the logic and the justice of this. Having it in writing, though, allows you to point to this should you fall on someone in bad faith. They do exist; we’ve all been there.
At Fullframe Creative, we also offer guidance to clients on what we expect (and require) of them at the various phases of production, notably in post-production when giving feedback. We elucidate what they should focus on, how to organize comments, and what kind of feedback will actually help improve the edit and so on. It’s good, sensible practice, and it helps gives the client the sense that you care and that you have been here before, many times.
Communicate Consistently
Production moves fast. One missed update can mean hours of wasted time.
Maintain regular, professional communication throughout the project. Use a mix of calls, emails, and visual updates. Be proactive about solving problems before they escalate. And most importantly—listen. Clients often reveal their priorities in what they don’t say. Ask thoughtful questions and let them speak. That’s where the real value is uncovered.
Staying organized is also key. Productions can be unwieldly affairs, with bit and bobs coming in at all hours and from all sides. I can’t stress enough the importance of having established, tried and tested workflows and tools to handle that flow. At Fullframe Creative, we use Notion for project management and Frame.io for feedback in post-production. Combined with well managed emails, calendar and perhaps a WhatsApp thread for last minute comms, this is a good combo to make sure all information can be stored where it needs to be to allow proper follow-up.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you want to know more about how we structure our video production process.
On a last note regarding this point, we recommend assigning a dedicated project manager to act as a single point of contact. This ensures a consistent communication flow and keeps both internal and client-side teams aligned. If the client is a regular, at Fullframe, we end up assigning them a key account manager, with whom they will develop a close relationship. Again, trust and the human touch!
Stay Adaptable
Even the most well-planned shoots go sideways. Schedules shift. Interviewees cancel. Creative ideas evolve.
The best production teams are the ones who adapt without losing their cool. When you stay flexible and solutions-oriented, you build client confidence. You show them that their project is in safe hands, no matter what.
You also show them, again, that you are listening to their concerns and building on their input. At Fullframe Creative, we have often run into situations where client concerns or constraints ended up leading to an even better idea. So keep in mind that change can mean a blessing in disguise.
That said, this sort of thing can also derail a production and threaten to yield results you know will not please the client. If you’re sure of this, or even if you strongly suspect it, I would advise you ask the client for a meeting in which you can calmly and clearly present your reservations about the turn of events.
Again, much is about managing expectations, and we’ve found that, when it comes to video production service, clients often assume that anything is possible, particularly in this age of AI. Gently disabuse them of this and explain the best course of action. Be mindful to stay constructive and to provide solutions, not just expose the problems.
At Fullframe Creative, we’ve filmed everything from last-minute press conferences to documentary scenes in remote mountain locations. Our ability to adapt while staying focused on quality is one of the main reasons our clients come back.
Go Beyond What’s Expected
As mentioned above, going the extra mile is a must. It’s those little extras that leave the biggest impression.
Add a few bonus clips for their social media. Provide thumbnail stills. Offer suggestions on how to promote the video post-launch. These gestures don’t cost much, but they signal partnership.
Put yourself in your clients’ shoes and ask what you would like an agency to do for you if the roles were reversed. Clearly no one is expecting you to work for free, but everyone is expecting you to show that you’re not penny picking. Try to find and walk that fine line and you will be rewarded.
At Fullframe, we often create teaser trailers, social shorts, or behind-the-scenes montages even when they weren’t part of the initial brief—because we know they add value. Clients appreciate the thoughtfulness, and it sets the stage for future collaboration.
Ask for Feedback and Testimonials
Once the project wraps, ask for honest feedback. Not only does it help you improve—it shows that you value their opinion. Testimonials are golden in this industry. A few sincere lines from a happy client can carry more weight than a reel of awards.
You can put these on your website, of course, but it’s a smart move to ask clients to do up Google reviews for your agency. Why? Because that does wonders for your digital marketing and SEO. If you’re not yet on Google Business Profile…well, you need to call us, because, believe me, this is a key part of getting noticed by new prospects punching in those precious keywords, “Video production company near me.” And having client reviews on your profile goes a long way to making you stand out in search results.
If possible, ask for a video testimonial. This is not just powerful content for your brand—it’s proof that you build real relationships. A solid reference letter works well too. When I pitch to a client, I will often include a couple of relevant recommendation letters obtained from clients for similar mandates. This is valuable proof of competence and experience and it will often tilt the scales in your favor.
Finally, we often include feedback sessions as part of our wrap-up process, asking key questions about the experience. Many of these insights end up shaping how we work with clients moving forward.
Maintain the Relationship Post-Project
The final delivery is not the end of the relationship. Check in a few weeks later. Ask how the video performed. Share case studies or ideas for future content.
And don’t underestimate the power of remembering the personal details: birthdays, work anniversaries, even the names of their kids. This is how you move from being “the video guy” to becoming a long-term partner.
Clearly this requires work, and depending on how busy you are, it may simply not be feasible to do this with all your clients. They get it. In that case, prioritize! Keep up with those you have the best connection with, and, naturally, those who harbor the most promise of future work.
Ideally you can afford a digital marketing officer; someone who can manage your CRM. At a certain point, keeping up with clients through personal emails, calls, newsletters and so on becomes a full time job. The trick is to know when you’ve reached that critical mass as a company to invest in hiring someone for the job.
Invest is the operative word here. Initially, they may cost you more than they generate, but bit by bit, a steady CRM will start filling the pipeline for production, and everyone will gain. Next thing you know you’ll be hiring another videographer because you can’t keep up. At Fullframe, we’ve maintained client relationships that started with a single video and grew into multi-year collaborations with full campaigns, event coverage, and brand storytelling series.
Align Creative with Strategy
Too often, creatives focus only on visuals while forgetting the strategic purpose behind the content. And yet, the best visuals can lead to a dead end if not created in the right context.
At Fullframe, we always start by asking strategic questions: What’s the KPI? Who is the audience? What platforms are we targeting? This allows us to shape the creative in a way that actually serves the client’s business objectives.
When clients feel that your creative direction is helping them achieve their goals, the trust deepens—and so does the collaboration.
Offer Marketing Support
Video doesn’t live in a vacuum. Once delivered, it needs to be activated.
That’s why Fullframe offers a full-spectrum creative and digital marketing service, alongside production. It’s in fact one of the reasons we evolved from strictly video production company to broad-brush creative agency: we couldn’t stand watching clients waste their time and money-making videos that didn’t fit into an overall marcom structure that made sense.
From advising on and delivering social media marketing to website design, AR and VR production services, photography, graphic design, brand marketing and much more, we help our clients make the most of their investment.
Offering support beyond the production phase positions you not just as a vendor, but as a true partner in their growth.
In Summary
Client relationships are the backbone of a successful video production company. Quality work opens the door, but relationships keep it open.
At Fullframe, we’ve built our reputation not just on outstanding videos, but on being a reliable, human partner in every collaboration. Whether we’re working on a UN campaign, a brand launch for Nestlé, or a nonprofit impact story, we bring the same approach:
Listen well. Communicate clearly. Deliver with excellence.
Do that, and your clients won’t just come back. They’ll bring others with them.
If you’re looking for a team that understands both the art and the business of video production, reach out to us at fullframe.ch. Let’s create something impactful—together.