Videos are essential to your company’s success and ability to connect with your audience. It doesn’t matter if you consider your industry “boring” or don’t have a huge budget; brand video is an essential marketing tool that can provide big, positive results for your bottom line.
So the question becomes: “Should I hire a professional or DIY it?” There are arguments for both. Regardless of which you choose, there are a few things you should know.
The Real Cost of Video
Obviously, your video production budget is always a concern when doing anything business-related. When it comes to video, it’s important to consider the real cost. This doesn’t mean calculating how much it is to hire a professional versus taking a video on your phone (clearly the former is more expensive). Instead, consider the costs associated with DIYing your video, such as:
- Man hours spent shooting and editing the video
- Need to re-shoot the video due to poor production quality
- Equipment failures causing video to be unusable
If you’re just shooting a quick “Hi, how are you? Check out our new blog,” then DIY may be a good option. But if you’re looking for the best ROI from your video, you need to conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis before you break out the tripod.
Timelines Influence Your Options
In a perfect world, videos are planned out months in advance with scripts that have been nailed down and actors ready to go. But this is real life we’re talking about and not everything runs smoothly. If you’re facing a short deadline or a timeline that really doesn’t leave much room for error, you’re taking serious risks if you choose to DIY your brand’s video. In situations like these, it makes sense to work with a video production company that can guarantee a professionally edited, stunning video on a deadline.
Quality is Key for User Experience
Do you have a budding Tarantino on your staff who wants to get some real-world experience under their belt? While this may be an asset and potentially the perfect solution for a training video or quick retreat highlight reel only seen by in-house staff, it may not serve your customers well.
There are plenty of videos on the internet competing for the attention of one pair of eyes. When you’re producing video designed to be seen by your target audience, choose whichever method is going to provide the highest quality and best viewer experience.
Don’t Give Up on DIY
What? A video production company encouraging DIY?! Yes. DIY video has its place in your business. For short, spontaneous videos that are meant to quickly connect with your viewer or showcase an “in-the-moment” scene, DIY can be great. But for professional, quality videos that are directly tied to your business goals, don’t sacrifice expert prod
