Videos are unarguably one of the most effective forms of marketing and conveying information. They make it easy for you to connect with and leave lasting imprints on the minds of your target audience. As such, it’s not surprising that businesses put so much stock into ensuring they get it right
However, when it comes to the actual act of video production, many are left wondering: Is video production better when done by in-house teams or outsourced to video production agencies?
This post will provide you with all the information you need on the pros and cons of in-house video production. You’ll also uncover vital video production tips you need for consistent quality shootings. Let’s dive right in.
What Is In-House Video Production?
An in-house video production is a DIY approach to shooting videos. It is when a company or brand decides to take control of its video content production process from start to finish. This means you’ll be responsible for buying all the equipment you’ll need, creating your own video production team, scouting shoot locations, developing the script, and so on.
On the flip side, outsourcing your video production process means you’re leaving it up to third-party agencies. You’ll specify the general idea or concept you want for the video and then take a backseat as the video production agency takes charge of the specifics.
Pros Of In-house Video Production
In-house video production offers quite several benefits to those who choose this route. These include:
Better Brand Identity Alignment
Choosing in-house production means your video content needs will be handled by existing (or newly hired) members of your team or company. Of course, it should go without saying that when it comes to specific brand knowledge, no one has it more than you and your employees. As such, you can ensure that every video content perfectly aligns with your brand’s philosophy and image.
Greater Control and Flexibility
Video content projects, no matter how minimal, can be notoriously challenging to shoot. This is because production processes almost certainly have situations where you need to make some adjustments or alterations. In-house video production gives you the flexibility you need to change anything you need to.
Increased Efficiency
As long as the video production projects in question aren’t too complex, in-house production makes it easy to streamline operations for better efficiency. Small video projects are often repetitive, which allows members of the in-house production team to hone their expertise in different processes for better efficiency.
In addition, in-house video production encourages close collaboration between different departments within the organization. This collaboration fosters creativity, innovation, and a shared understanding of project goals, all of which lead to better execution efficiency.
Faster Turnaround Times
With an in-house production team, organizations can produce video content more quickly compared to relying on external vendors. Having production done in-house helps avoid the need to coordinate schedules or wait for availability for new projects to be sourced. This, in turn, leads to faster project turnaround times.
Consistency and Quality Control
Maintaining your video production in-house means you can ensure consistency in style, tone, and quality across all video content. This, in turn, ensures that you maintain and enjoy a consistently reinforced brand identity that helps you stand out in the marketplace.
Cons Of In-house Video Production
There are quite several great advantages when you keep video production in-house. However, it should be said that there are also some pretty serious cons too. These include:
Expensive To Set-up
Some people argue that in-house video production is more economical in the long run. However, the starting cost is often astronomically high. For one, you’ll need to use your own money to buy some pretty expensive video production tools.
If your team isn’t savvy enough, you’ll need to hire experts to organize training for them. Then, there’s also the fact that you’ll still have to account for ongoing expenses like equipment upgrades and maintenance fees.
Team Size and Productivity Limitations
If you only have about one or two videos to produce per month, keeping production in-house is an okay choice. However, the situation takes on a whole new look when you have multiple video production projects to sort out within a month. Then, meeting your deliverables becomes challenging since your production team isn’t likely to be big or experienced enough to handle multiple simultaneous productions with quality.
Limited Expertise
Keeping video production in-house also means you’ll have to rely solely on the creativity and expertise of your in-house production team. However, since the team will likely lack diversity in terms of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences, your content will be too homogenous.
The low specialization of in-house teams also means a lack of specialized expertise or resources needed for certain types of video production. If you need animation, visual effects, or large-scale productions, you might end up working with an external partner anyway.
Tips For Knowing When To Outsource
From the above, it’s evident that in-house production has its perks. However, ensuring you constantly achieve great video marketing results requires that you know when to outsource to a production agency. Here are some tips to help you determine when it’s the right time to outsource:
- Complex projects: If you need to carry out complex video production or you need advanced techniques, you should consider outsourcing. This is because video production agencies are usually made up of specialists with the skill set to deliver the best quality video production results. So you can be sure you’ll get better results than if an in-house team was in charge.
- Tight deadlines: Outsourcing is the right choice to make if you’re facing tight deadlines or need to produce a high volume of video content within a short timeframe. Outsourcing to a video production agency will help you reduce the pressure on your team and ensure that you easily meet your deadlines without sacrificing quality.
- Geographical reach: If your target audience is located in different regions or countries, you’ll need to outsource. This is important because outsourcing to agencies with local expertise or international reach will help ensure that your video content resonates with diverse audiences and cultural nuances. Simply put, it gives you a local acceptance boost your internal production team cannot provide.
- Save Cost: As mentioned earlier, video production with an in-house team can be very expensive. If you’re looking to save money without sacrificing quality, then outsourcing to a video production agency is your best bet, especially if you’re just starting.
Final Thoughts
Outsourcing and in-house video production both have their perks. Ultimately, however, the choice of which one to go with depends on the needs, budget, and other elements of your brand and marketing team.
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