Hiring videographer vs. hiring: which is the best choice for your business?

You only have to open any website or social media app and it's clear: video is booming.

In fact, YouTube has become the second largest search engine in the world after Google in recent years, and it is the platform people go to when they are looking for reliable and visual information.

So you can't get out of video anno 2024 if you don't want to fall behind your competitors. Whether you are b2c or b2b, or sell products or services: your customers also want to see videos.

So the question is not whether to get started with video, but who is going to make those videos.

Anno 2024, you can't avoid video if you don't want to fall behind your competitors.

As a They Ask, You Answer coach and video trainer at Buzzlytics, I find that companies often find it a high hurdle to hire a full-time videographer. They've already had a corporate video done by an outside agency and, as a result, think it's very expensive to hire someone who can make several videos a week - if they consider it at all.

In this article, I examine whether this assumption is correct. I will discuss the pros and cons of hiring a videographer vs. hiring your own videographer, paying extra attention to the cost picture. That way, by the end of this article, you can make an informed decision whether to hire a videographer or outsource your videos.

Most companies that want to get started with video hire a freelance videographer or video company. This has several advantages.

First of all, of course, an outside videographer is flexible. You don't have the fixed cost of someone working 40 hours a week for you, but you can hire the videographer whenever you have a specific job for him.

First of all, of course, an outside videographer is flexible. You don't have the fixed cost of someone working 40 hours a week for you, but you can hire the videographer whenever you have a specific job for him.

First of all, of course, an outside videographer is flexible. You don't have the fixed cost of someone working 40 hours a week for you, but you can hire the videographer whenever you have a specific job for him.

You can use an outside videographer flexibly when you have a specific job for him.

However, hiring a videographer also has drawbacks that you should be aware of.

First, an external videographer involves higher costs than an in-house videographer. If you want to make videos on a structural basis, which I recommend you do given the importance of video in this day and age, you will be much more expensive with an external videographer than with an in-house videographer. I explain this later in this article using a cost example.

Furthermore, an outside video company must divide its attention between multiple clients. You are therefore dependent on the availability and priorities of the video company. Because of this, there may be times when a completion date has to be postponed.

Also, with a video company, you may have to deal with different employees who have to learn about your company over and over again or who are very insistent on their own methods. This can affect the quality of the end result.

Another disadvantage is that with a video company, you usually only get the finished product and not the raw footage. So you can't build a database of raw footage that you can reuse over and over again in new videos.

Another disadvantage is that with a video company, you usually only get the finished product and not the raw footage. So you can't build a database of raw footage that you can reuse over and over again in new videos.

With a video company, you usually don't get the raw footage, so you can't build a database of footage that you can use over and over again.

There are also several advantages to hiring your own videographer.

First of all, an in-house videographer can participate in marketing and sales meetings, build relationships with his colleagues and easily schedule appointments. So he goes all the way into your company's internal structures, which benefits collaboration.

In addition, an in-house videographer is also flexible, but in a different way than an outside videographer. Sometimes an interview doesn't go quite right and the shoot needs to be redone. An in-house videographer can then go on longer or schedule another moment the next day or week. An outside videographer usually does not have that flexibility.

Finally, an in-house videographer quickly gains more knowledge about your company and your products or services. As a result, he can better portray the story of your company or your offerings.

An in-house videographer goes all the way with your company's internal structures, and that benefits collaboration.

But of course, having your own videographer also has its drawbacks.

The first disadvantage of hiring a videographer is that you often end up with someone who has just graduated in multimedia or journalism for this role. This person often has a basic knowledge of videography, but needs to develop further to become a really good videographer.

A second disadvantage is that hiring and inducting a new employee, whether a videographer or another position, costs time and money. You don't have to hire an outside videographer and you can put them to work immediately.

Third, of course, there is always a risk that the appointment will not turn out well. For example, the videographer hired does not fit in with the team or turns out not to have the right qualities.

We often see this happen with the role of content manager, a role that is "traditionally" more common in salaried roles. Then a company wants to launch They Ask, You Answer and the content manager they hired turns out not to be the right person for this role.

This is why we advise companies to hire a content manager and/or videographer only after they have started with TAYA Mastery. This is because then we can help you find the right people.

Also read: What is the right time to get started with They Ask, You Answer?

Furthermore, like any employee, an in-house videographer must be managed. This applies to an external party, of course, but even more so with an in-house employee.

What makes it extra difficult in the case of a videographer is that video is an expertise that is not usually otherwise found in the company. So there is no one to support the videographer in learning how to work with certain equipment and software programs, or to help him improve his interview techniques.

This is another thing we can help with in our TAYA Mastery track. In this track, we teach videographers how to use video to its full potential and provide feedback on the videos they create.

Finally, you need a clear marketing and sales strategy (such as They Ask, You Answer) before you start using video. Only then will the content it creates contribute to your business goals, and only then will the investment in a videographer pay off.

I already touched on it above: if you want to work with video structurally, you will be much more expensive with an external videographer than with an in-house videographer.

Below I demonstrate this using a calculation example:

For a standard corporate video you will spend from 3,750 euros ex. VAT. For an advanced video, this is currently as high as 5,500 to 8,500 euros. The costs for videos for social media, which are often somewhat shorter, range from 500 euros to 2,500 euros.

As indicated, we at Buzzlytics recommend investing structurally in video.

A salaried videographer can make 150 videos a year. The salary range of a full-time videographer is between 30,000 and 54,000 euros per year. In addition, of course, you have to consider the investment in video equipment. That ranges from roughly 1,800 to 10,000 in the first year.

So for the first year, you can assume an investment of up to 64,000 euros.

But if you were to outsource a mix of 150 commercial videos and social media videos to a video company, you'd soon spend 100,000 to 150,000 euros.

So if you want to make videos structurally, you will be much cheaper with an in-house videographer.

The choice between hiring an outside videographer and hiring an in-house videographer depends on your budget and your company's needs.

If you are serious about using video and believe it will make a difference in your company's sales and marketing, an in-house videographer is often the best choice. While this involves an investment, it also has a much higher return in the long run. With an in-house videographer, you structurally build a video culture, can publish about 150 videos per year, and work more efficiently because your in-house videographer knows all the material.

But if you do not fully embrace video culture, or if video is not that important to your business strategy, I recommend working with an outside party. In that case, choose a video partner who can not only create beautiful videos, but who also knows what type of video contributes to your revenue goals.

If you are serious about using video and believe it will make a difference in your company's sales and marketing, an in-house videographer is often the best choice.

At Buzzlytics, we help companies in our TAYA Mastery program implement They Ask, You Answer. Hiring and training an in-house videographer is part of this.

Wondering if TAYA Mastery-also something for your business? Then read our article Does They Ask, You Answer work for my business? or schedule a consultation with one of our certified They Ask, You Answer consultants.