Hiring a videographer can help your business stand out in what’s become perhaps the most important medium for attracting leads.
You already know by now that digital video content is no longer an optional component of your business or marketing strategy. Whether your company provides B2B services or consumer products (or both), digital video is and should be at the top of your list of must-haves. There are multiple reasons for this, of course.
First, your target audience and potential customers are inundated with content, and choosing which content to engage with is a split-second decision made by today’s split-second attention spans.
Watching a quick video on your site or on social media is often the fastest and easiest way for people to learn about products and services, and as a result, they are much more likely to push a “play” button than to download a book or click through a slideshow. That puts video ads and content out in front right from the start.
Second, different types of videos can be produced for every possible area of your business, and for every audience. Whether it’s a sizzle reel video to get customers excited about a product, an in-depth explainer video, a customer testimonial, or an instructional video for customer support, video can get the job done much more effectively than other available types of call to action.
There are many more benefits to ensuring that digital video is a part of your overall marketing plan (including reaching your target audience directly, hitting those critical metrics, and so on), but since you already understand how important video can be, let’s jump into the next part of the video marketing strategy—hiring a videographer to help you get that video content professionally produced.
Videographer vs. Video Production Company—Which to Choose?
You’ve got buy-in from key stakeholders, you have your information in hand, the video marketing strategy is laid out, and you’re ready to bring in the experts and get the camera rolling. But then you’re faced with another question – do we hire a standalone videographer and producer, or do we contract with a video production company?
While there are numerous benefits to both, here we will focus on some of the key differences, as well as some reasons why marketers might consider a videographer/producer over a full-service video production house.
A videographer is generally a single individual who is skilled in filming, producing, and editing digital videos on their own. Videographers are available to hire as freelancers; however, depending on your organization’s needs, workload, and budget, adding a videographer to your staff might make the most sense. Also sometimes called producer/editors, videographers can handle almost everything to cover your content marketing video needs. They may work with animation and graphics people as well, though, if your project requires it.
A video production firm, on the other hand, is a separate company dedicated to producing video for any and all clients. Video production companies may have multiple staff members dedicated to a project. For example, the person shooting the video footage may not be the person editing it. There will almost always be a project manager involved, and they may have specialized staff as well for animations, digital graphics, post-production audio, and more.
Because of the multiple people or teams involved, along with the infrastructure they are a part of, video production companies generally charge a higher price for digital video services than a videographer.
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Why Hire a Videographer for Your Marketing Efforts?
Hiring a videographer has a number of benefits, and there are several reasons why working with a videographer may be the right choice for your company.
The first two reasons are 1) the scope of the project; and 2) the budget. We talked about the budget above, but it is worth mentioning again that the price difference between a freelance videographer, an in-house videographer, and a video production company is a big consideration, and your available funds for each project may rule out one option (or, conversely, may expand your choices).
If you are simply putting together one or two digital videos for an upcoming trade show, business conference, or tech event, then hiring and working with a videographer on a one-off basis is a great choice. It allows you to accomplish your goals and manage your budget, and it allows you to set reasonable timelines and ensure that you receive the video(s) on deadline.
Similarly, perhaps your organization needs to refresh a recruiting video because you are planning for a hiring blitz. In the same way, hiring a dedicated videographer who is focused solely on your project will ensure that it gets the attention it needs and that lines of communication are direct and open.
Additionally, a videographer may be able to make adjustments to your project based on changes in strategy, goals, or intended audience for the video. The flexibility of working with a video producer can be valuable for startups and small businesses that are just starting to develop their digital video strategy.
Great Video Content for Great Response
Whether you need to boost your company’s engagement on social media, need to create customer testimonial videos, want to enhance your brand awareness and recruitment process, or have a new product or service to share, digital marketing with high-quality video is a remarkable tool that can quickly boost conversion rates and excite potential customers.
Below are just a few examples of great video productions that hit the mark and delivered big in terms of target audience response, metrics, brand awareness, and much more.
Careers with Zappos
Company culture is one of the things that can make a company stand out, and which will make people excited at the prospect of working there. Few companies understand this as well as Zappos, and their recruitment strategy includes numerous examples of great digital videos that show you just what that culture is like.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Think a small company can’t have outstanding marketing videos? That’s simply not true, as evidenced by this great video from Columbus, Ohio-based ice cream shop Jeni’s. Who could watch this and not immediately want a customized ice cream sandwich?
PandaDoc Intro Video
As far as introducing a problem, as well as the solution that your product offers for that problem, PandaDoc’s overview video is a terrific example. Relying on clean, professional animation, this short video tells new customers just what PandaDoc’s products will help you do, and how they will help you optimize your workflow for more efficiency.
Slack B2B Marketing Video
Looking at B2B examples, Slack put together one of the best. Using a real-life story from one of their clients (conveniently, a video production company), Slack created a laugh-worthy video that demonstrates the inefficiencies of a lot of interoffice communication, and how Slack aims to fix those inefficiencies.
Choosing a Videographer
These are just four examples of great digital videos—there are hundreds more out there. With the right videographer assisting your organization to find its voice on film, your brand could be the next great video that is not only entertaining and informative but accomplishes your marketing goals as well.