The Benefits of Outsourcing Your Video Production to Professionals
There are approximately 200 million active websites out there competing for attention. Even worse, they draw customers away from your website and your marketing.
At the same time, websites are becoming increasingly video friendly with options for embedding video directly onto the site or embedding video hosted elsewhere. This is good news for businesses because almost 80 percent of people prefer video over reading or photos to learn about products.
Of course, not every marketing company has the skills or equipment in-house for video production, which means outsourcing your video needs. Not sure what benefits you glean from outsourcing video creation? Keep reading for some of the key benefits you'll get from using outsourced video production services.
Script Help
Ask any writer how easy it is to convert an idea into something that people want to see or hear. They'll tell you it's a lot harder than it looks. Things are no different with scripts.
It takes skills and experience to convert the features and benefits of your product or service into a script that captures attention and conveys information without leaving your audience yawning.
A good video production service will often help you write or connect you with someone who specializes in writing scripts.
Equipment
Good video production takes a fair amount of equipment. You need cameras, lights, and microphones, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. That's a big investment for an agency that isn't in the video production game.
A professional video production service will already own the right kind of equipment. Just as importantly, they'll probably own better equipment than anything you would spring for as part of a side project.
Better equipment isn't a guarantee of better results, but it goes a long way toward them in the right hands.
Pre-Production
Even after you have the script in hand, there are a lot of things that must happen during pre-production. For example, are you planning on shooting the video on set or somewhere on location?
If you want it done on a set, what studio will you use? Who will construct the sets?
A good video production service will either have sets you can use or will know the local studios willing to rent out their sets. They'll also know how to assemble a crew to handle any set building needs.
If you need location shooting, the service will typically do location scouting and help you with any paperwork with the local government. Yes, you almost always need permits for on-location shooting.
The production service can also prove helpful in providing or sourcing directors, film crew members, and actors for the video. Tasks with which most businesses possess little or no experience.
The production company typically takes charge of scheduling the shoot within the timeframe you negotiate for completing production.
During Production
One of the biggest benefits you get from outsourcing video production happens during the actual shoot. Since the entire team on-location or on-set will consist of professionals, you'll get a more efficient shoot.
The director will come in with very specific ideas for the shoot and how to get them. The crew will understand how to execute those ideas.
They'll also know how to reset a shot without losing valuable time. In essence, you get more bang for your buck because everyone is working at a higher level of performance.
Post-Production
Another area where you'll see substantial benefits is in the post-production process. Yes, you could potentially find a free or even paid piece of editing software for your video.
The odds are good that you won't pay for something like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro, the high-end video editing software packages most professionals use. It also wouldn't make sense for you to pay for those. Most marketing companies would never recoup the costs.
Beyond that, getting good service from a pro-grade piece of software like that takes time and training. You probably don't have anyone on staff who just decided, on their own time and dime, to become a Final Cut Pro expert.
For a video production service, investing in pro-grade editing software and hiring people with the right training to use it is just part of the business model. They literally cannot do their jobs without offering those kinds of post-production services.
Again, you benefit because the people handling the editing of your video are professionals. Those professional skills will come across in the look and quality of the final product.
Cost Control
While any video shoot can run into problems that drive up costs, you typically negotiate upfront with the company for your total costs. Then, if problems crop up, the burden generally falls onto the production company instead of you.
If you try to handle video production in-house, all of the costs come out of your budget. That can end up being a costly proposition.
Let's say that you're doing a shoot and your main camera goes down. Sure, you can replace it, but how fast? If you live in a big enough city, you can probably find a replacement the same day. If not, you're looking at delays for shipping in a new camera.
Meanwhile, everyone involved with the shoot must still get paid. Even if most of them are part of your regular staff, you're still paying them an hourly wage or a salary to do nothing while you figure out what to do about the camera.
Those kinds of costs add up. It's almost always better to shift the risks to a company better equipped to manage those risks.
Video Production and You
Some agencies do make the choice to create video in-house and, in some cases, it even makes sense. If you're just doing quick interviews with staff, you can probably do that in almost any office with a smartphone camera.
If you need something more complex than that, bringing in a company specializing in video production is your best bet. You'll get a better final product and exert better cost control over the project.
Kestum Bilt specializes in video production with locations in major cities across the nation. For more information, contact Kestum Bilt today.
