7 Benefits of Hiring an In-House Videographer vs Outsourcing

Video marketing has become essential for businesses that want to build trust, educate buyers, and accelerate their sales process.

Successful companies are building a sustainable video engine that attracts the right leads, helps prospects move through the sales process faster, and positions your company as the most known and trusted brand in your market.

But if you're a business leader weighing the decision to hire a full-time, in-house videographer, you're probably asking yourself: Is this really worth the investment? Can we justify a full-time salary for video? Should we just outsource instead?

These are reasonable questions, and the answer depends on your goals. If you're serious about implementing the Endless Customers System™ (creating trust-building educational content that transforms your sales and marketing) then hiring in-house is often the smartest move.

While we have other resources that share the "how" to hire a videographer, this article will focus on "why" hiring an in-house videographer can very likely be one of the best moves you've ever made as a business.

Specifically, we’ve found there are seven major benefits. Let's dive in.

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7 Major Benefits to Bringing on an In-House Videographer

1. Cultures are rarely developed when the key people are outsourced

We’ve all heard how we must become media companies as the digital age moves forward. With this being the case, developing video as a “culture” is essential.

But when something is outsourced, and the main players are not a part of the day-to-day operations of the organization, creating something lasting that goes beyond “checking the boxes” is nearly an impossibility.

2. In-house video can be way, way less expensive than outsourcing

That is if you plan on doing a lot of video going forward (which you should if you're serious about implementing the Endless Customers System).

According to current Payscale data, the average videographer salary is $58,289 per year, with a typical range between $42,000 and $80,000 depending on experience and location. Now, let's compare that to outsourcing.

We recommend producing 2 long-form videos and 2 corresponding short-form videos each week. That's approximately 208 videos per year.

Video Cost Comparison | In-House vs. Freelance vs. Production Company:

In-House Videographer:

• Average salary: $58,289/year
• Cost per video: ~$280 (based on 208 videos/year)
• Benefit: Unlimited flexibility, iterative improvement, cultural integration

Freelance Videographer:

• Day rates: $800-$3,360 per day
• Hourly rates: $100-420/hour
• If hiring a freelancer at even a modest day rate of $1,200 for just one shoot day per week: ~$62,400/year (and that's before editing)
• Add editing at $70-180/hour, and costs quickly escalate to $80,000-$100,000+ annually
• Cost per video: $385-$480+ (not including the hassle of coordinating schedules)

Production Company:

• Per-video costs: $5,000-$20,000+ for professional production
• For 208 videos at even a heavily discounted rate of $2,500/video: Over $520,000/year
• Most production companies charge $5,000-$10,000 minimum per video, making 208 videos cost-prohibitive at $1-2 million annually

The math shows that an in-house videographer producing consistent, high-quality educational content is not only dramatically more affordable, but it's the only financially sustainable way to create the volume of content needed to dominate your market.

3. In-House video allows for magical moments

Some of the best videos a company will ever produce are the ones that aren’t planned, but rather, happen out of the blue and end up getting exceptional results. This also includes live video on social media. By having the videographer always present, the ability to turn any act, at any time, into a video and visual story is very, very real.

4. Video is a skill. The more everyone does it, the better they get

Again, this goes back to the culture element, but if you’re going to get to a point where you have multiple subject matter experts who are good on camera, they’re going to need experience. They’ll need practice. With an in-house videographer, they can get the needed practice without feeling like, “Today’s our only day to get these videos done!!”

5. Your video content will be more “real-time”

Timeliness matters in digital marketing. When you work with an in-house videographer, you can capture and publish content as opportunities arise. Perhaps that's responding to a trending industry question, showcasing a new product, or documenting a customer success story.

Instead of waiting weeks for an outsourced videographer to have openings in their calendar, you're able to stay on the cutting edge and remain relevant to your audience.

6. In-House allows for more experimentation

Just like individuals and organizations have their “writer’s voice,” there is also a need to develop your company’s “visual voice." This includes tone, style, approach, etc.

Only by experimenting with this on a consistent basis can you truly understand who you want to be on camera, and also just how far you’re willing to go to stand out and get results (i.e. get creative).

7. The planning, scripting, and editing process is more fluid

Too often, there is a lag time between a video’s planning, scripting, and production phases. By doing in-house video, hypothetically, you could knock out all three in one day.

If you're really ambitious or need a video fast, you can do the planning, scripting, and storyboarding in the morning, and then move directly to the shoot after lunch. This way, everything is fresh in everyone's head, and you maximize efficiency without waiting days or weeks between stages.

With an outsourced videographer, you're typically locked into their schedule. This means you might plan and script one week, shoot two weeks after that, and then wait even longer for editing. An in-house videographer eliminates this friction.

Ready to Build Your Video Engine?

As you might imagine, there are many other benefits to doing video in-house for your organization. But make no bones about it - this isn't necessarily easy. If it was, every company would be crushing video and have an established visual culture already in place.

But the effort is well worth it. Video is today what websites were in the late 90s.

At IMPACT, we help businesses implement the Endless Customers System™ through our coaching program. This includes guidance on hiring and training your in-house videographer, developing your content strategy, and creating the trust-building educational videos that transform your sales process.

If you're ready to become the most known and trusted voice in your industry, learn more about the Endless Customers Coaching Program and discover how we can help you build a sustainable video strategy that drives real business results.

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