Considerations for DIY vs professional video content
Sometimes it can be confusing when to hire a professional versus creating video content on your own for your business. Is it worth hiring a professional videographer? Should I record my own content? Should we invest in equipment? It’s not always so black and white. In reality, a healthy video strategy has a mix of both. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when you’re deciding when to use each.
First, think about where the video is going to be shared and how long it’s going to exist. Generally, it’s wise to hire a professional if you’re creating evergreen content like your home page video on your website that is the face of your company to visitors and could be around for the next five+ years. This content needs to fit your brand and make a good impression. Sharing lower-quality content could create a negative impression and actually cheapen your brand.
Whenever you do hire a professional, think about maximizing your investment with additional content. For example, if you hire out to create a testimonial video with a customer, consider getting shorter cuts to share on social media too. Having this awareness content can help effectively onramp followers to view the full video, ultimately increasing its success. It’s best to work with your video production company ahead of time to plan for additional clips.
When you do create DIY content, don’t skimp on putting in the time to get it right. Take time to plan and strategize about what you’re trying to create and why. Invest in some good basic equipment, even if it’s a simple tripod, light and mic that can work with your cell phone. And don’t forget to leave time for editing. People tend to spend time setting up but fall short when it comes to carrying that quality through into post-production. It can be time-consuming, but important to keep your videos from falling short.
Before you jump into video at all, think about what makes sense for you. Don’t put the cart before the horse and focus on creating video when you don’t have a website, or running social ads when you haven’t established your social media channels.
Think about where the video you’re creating fits into your overall marketing and sales strategy. Is it to generate awareness or reach the potential buyer during their consideration or decision-making stages? Are you trying to delight past customers and draw them back in?
Remember these helpful tips when thinking about when to create your own videos and when to hire a professional. When you're spending money, you never want to just jump into something because someone else is doing it or you feel like it's trendy or a silver bullet to boost sales. When you work strategically, you’ll get the best return on your investment. So think about your video strategy and what you want to accomplish overall. Then, you can gauge what kind of content is appropriate for telling different parts of your story.
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