Outsourcing to a video production company vs doing it in-house: Which is best for your business?
Information overload has become the greatest hindrance to effective communication. People no longer resonate with messages communicated through traditional mediums. Instead, audiences are demanding authentic, quality content to keep them engaged.
In this five-minute read, we will discuss the option of using a video production company or using an internal team for in-house production to create compelling content.
- Online video content will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2021 according to Cisco.
- Companies across the world are finding real value in using video for training, marketing, and everything between to communicate messages that resonate with their key audiences.
- Consistent quality is more important than the quantity of video content created. Companies that have published poor quality video content risk creating negative perceptions about their brand amongst their audience.
Whether you’re planning on marketing your company’s offerings, demonstrating a product, showcasing testimonials or driving employee engagement, there isn’t a better way to connect with your audience than through video.
By now many marketers have come to appreciate the role video plays in their marketing and communications strategy, and this is evident when you consider that online video alone will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2021.
So the choice of in-house production versus outsourcing to a video production company to create compelling visual content for your company becomes an increasingly important question. In this blog, we’ll run through the benefits and drawbacks of each, along with when to which route.
Depending on the option you choose, the video production process generally looks like this:
Briefing
: At this stage of the process, your company would either establish the goals and objectives of the video content within the marketing strategy, either with a video production company or with the in-house production team.
Pre-production
: This includes developing the script, scouting for locations, sourcing the equipment and production team and establishing the tone of the video.
Production
: Once a direction has been established, a combination of live footage and animated elements (more often than not) is used to bring the video to life.
Post-production
: Final tweaks and polishing takes place, and optimising the content for various channels.
Outsourcing to a video production company versus doing it-in house:
When deciding whether to choose a video production company or do it in-house there are some key considerations.
How often do you plan on creating video content for your audience?
Keeping your audience engaged can be a challenge. Deciding on how frequently you’re planning on publishing videos should be based on whether your content is aligned to your business goals, and how consistently you’re able to communicate your key message throughout your videos.
What sort of quality do you want?
Remembering that publishing poor quality video content ultimately leads to negative brand perception.
Who is your audience, and what sort of video do you need? Having a good idea of your target market, their needs and what messages resonate with them is always step one to creating compelling video content. Second to this, what sort of video does your company need to create understanding with your audience.
Maybe your company’s offerings are complex and information-heavy? In this case, an explainer video is probably best geared towards your company goals. Or, perhaps your business is operating in a highly competitive market and you need to deliver a message that connects with your audience. Here a marketing video will be your best bet.
What’s your company’s budget and timeline looking like? These are two important factors for your company to consider. This creates realistic expectations around the quality of your content, and how soon your video(s) are likely to be produced.
Once you’ve established which strategy works best for you, it’s time to decide between a video production company or doing it in-house.
Working with a video production company:
Choosing a corporate video production company to create content for your business proves beneficial in many ways.
Firstly, you’ll be working with specialists that understand how to create video content that speaks to your audience. Any established video production company will create a compelling story that captures your audience’s attention while delivering a message worth remembering.
This isn’t forgetting the fact that a video production company will have all the necessary equipment and software to develop consistent video content that drives value for your business.
Other benefits of a video production company include specialised professionals that understand what quality video content can be delivered within a certain budget, as well as an estimated timeline of delivery.
There are, however, some shortcomings to this option as well. For instance, choosing a video production company is an important step to creating the kind of video content you want for your brand. You want someone that understands your brand and company’s needs, giving them full creative control over your videos.
Now, this may sound like a daunting exercise, but if you’re on the lookout for these key points, you should land with the right video production company.
What does the work look like?
Have a look at some of the work the video production company has done in the past. The quality of their videos and the spectrum of their work should help you gauge the company’s technical and creative abilities.
If you like what you see, have a read through some of their client’s testimonials to get a sense of their experiences of working with the video production company.
What does the video production company have to say?
Now that you have a fair idea of what’s available, pick a few video production company’s you’d like to work with, set up some meetings and discuss the vision you have in mind for your corporate videos.
This should give you an idea of the kind of value the professionals can give you. An experienced video production company should give you some decent insights around how best to engage with your audience and what type of video your company should be looking at to achieve your marketing goals.
What’s your budget and timeline look like?
Having a good understanding of your budget for your video content is key to establishing realistic expectations around the quality of work you can get.
Ask your video production company to see some of the past work they have done within a similar price range as your budget. While you’re on the topic, get an estimated time of how long it should take the video production company to produce your video content.
A time frame of two-three weeks to create a final product is the general standard for video production, however, this is all dependant on your company needs.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what you should be looking for in a video production company, then perhaps this guide can help you out.
Choosing to do it in-house:
In-house video production has some big advantages. For instance, you’d have full creative control over your company’s video content, as well as knowledgeable employees that have a good understanding of your company’s brand.
This option gives you full creative content over how the final videos will be packaged, letting you create content that’s in line with your vision for your brand.
There are however some drawbacks to in-house production for you to look at as well. For instance, hiring of experienced staff members, along with the cost of video editing software and equipment is a large initial investment. Above this, uniform creativity becomes present after a while.
If you’re planning on doing it-in house exclusively, the video content may become similar and repetitive after a while, reducing the initial engagement you had with your audience.
If you’re in a creative rut and struggling to come up with new ideas to create video content, it’s a good idea to get a video production company to tell your brand’s story in an authentic, engaging way.
The final verdict – video production company or in-house?
Using a video production company to create high-quality content that’s aligned with your company’s goals is always a good idea. Drawing from a wealth of knowledge and past experiences with different clients, your video production company of choice should give suitable guidance on how best to package video content that drives engagement and a call to action, whether it be for training, marketing or explainer purposes.
Choosing to produce video content in-house is also a good option if your company is looking to create less-polished, raw content to support your marketing strategy. Having internal staff members who understand your company’s brand and values can be a useful tool when creating content that forms an authentic connection with your audience.
Which is the best option for me?
Why not use both? Using a video production company to create high-quality content that drives brand awareness, leads and conversions while creating in-house productions to show some behind the scenes footage is a perfect solution for creating engagement with your audience while achieving company objectives.
If you’re looking at choosing a video production company that’s right for your brand we’ve created a guide of some things for you to consider.
