Freelance vs Production Company: Who should I choose to create my social media video marketing?

Social media video marketing has been weighing on your mind lately. Perhaps you just realise it’s time to take the plunge and you want to do it right. Or, maybe you’ve done it before, but it didn’t quite work the way you hoped. Either way, you need some help to get it done right.

You want a plan that actually brings clients through the door. There are a number of different options to consider when bringing an external video marketing expert to the table. Essentially though, your two primary options are to hire a freelancer, or to engage a strategic social media video marketing agency like 500.

To help make your decision, you need to weigh up the pros and cons. While we can provide this generic list, the ultimate decision will depend on your unique needs, and your budget. A dedicated freelancer or an experienced video marketing agency can both work, it just depends on what you need from these experts.

Video marketing agency

First up, let’s consider the video marketing agency. From the range of expertise they provide, through to proven results and accountability for delivering those results, there are a number of advantages to hiring an agency. However, you also need to be aware of the disadvantages. While the higher cost of working with an agency is an obvious one, the bigger risk is actually choosing the wrong agency for your needs.

Let’s break it down so you’ve got a list of pros and cons when engaging a professional strategic video marketing agency.

PROS:

• You have access to an entire team of experts. This means you are tapping into a broad range of specialised skill sets that are available during business hours.
• They will have a wide range of tools on hand to ensure they can understand your business as well as the demands, interests, and habits of your consumers.
• Your involvement will typically be hands off, freeing up your time to focus on more strategic issues.
• It opens the door to strategically partnering with plenty of other clients. You can learn and gain insights from these clients to help boost your campaign.
• A strategic video marketing agency understands that it’s really about strategy, not just executing a nice video. Don’t make the mistake of simply hiring a video production agency who ignores the strategy.
• An agency focuses on developing an entire campaign, as well as future campaigns. It’s worth reiterating that it’s not just about producing solid videos. They understand that it’s important to build content banks, get the most out of your filmed assets and utilise video concepts that can be ongoing and developed further. Your initial video campaign is itself just a part of the overall picture.
• An agency can scale based on your needs. This can usually be done across mediums, including TV, web, and social platforms.
• The agency will be accountable for the results. They are driven to deliver real results and ROI, and let the numbers do the talking.
• They want to work with you long-term. When it works for you, it works for them. This means that delivering and exceeding your expectations is vital.

Sounds pretty good, right? Now let’s have a peak at some things to consider before working with an agency.

CONS:

• An agency can be more expensive. That’s because you’re buying a whole team of experts and a wealth of tried and tested tools. It costs more to invest with a team instead of one person. More importantly, you are investing in a complete strategy that simply costs more than hiring someone to point the camera and shoot.
• Some agencies are less agile and flexible. If they have poor processes in place, less oversight, or an unmanageable client base, this will negatively impact your campaign. Make sure you take the time to  understand the agency processes and how they work, before you select them.

If you invest with the wrong agency, it can end up costing you a lot of money, with little results. Make sure you know what you’re looking for in an agency, and consider an agency like 500 who focuses on strategy that generates results.

Freelance videographer

A freelancer may fit the bill if you want a lower cost option for filling the holes missing within your team. They will be dedicated to your business in a similar way to an employee. This may seem like a simpler solution, but it can  also mean more work for your business. That’s not a problem if you already have a dedicated in-house team focusing on the marketing and platform strategies. Let’s weigh up the pros and cons.

PROS:

• A freelancer is generally cheaper than an agency.
• They can fill those holes that your firm is missing. For example, if you have everything else covered by your in-house team and you’re just missing a video creator, then the freelancer could be exactly what you need.
• A freelancer will also want to work with you long-term. This means they are equally dedicated to producing video content that fits your brief.
• Potentially flexible work hours. As an independent contractor, they may be able to work outside of regular business hours. This can be a benefit if you need to finish a project quickly or fix something at an irregular time.  

CONS:

• A freelancer is usually unable to provide a holistic approach. They can just plug the holes that your existing team is missing.
• A freelancer a jack-of-all-trades solution from one person. They may be able to get the job done, but it is likely to be inefficient, and potentially unprofessional, if they are not a specialist.
• Since they are a one-person-band, they will have limited availability. For example if they get sick, get busy, take a holiday, or even go AWOL, there is no one around to fill in for them.
• It is less likely that a freelancer will understand the broader strategy involved in your marketing campaign. Since video production is their forte, the broader strategy may not be something they fully grasp and the final video might miss the mark.
• It is extremely difficult for one person to successfully execute every component of a video. Scripting, filming, editing and other parts of video production require different skill sets to perfect.
• Limited creativity to what they know. Without a team to bounce ideas off, draw inspiration from, or gain different perspectives, your video concept will not go through the full creative process. While they can grow through external means, a freelancer will have more limited opportunities to train and expand than a full team of experts in an agency.
• They can require more hands on involvement, which means your time is more likely to be tied up running or overseeing the video production.

Hiring a freelancer is similar to hiring an employee. They can step in as an expert for a particular role, but they can’t provide the complete package on their own.

An agency provides a complete strategic solution. A freelancer fills the gaps.

It’s not necessarily a mistake to hire a freelancer. It can work really well for your business, if that’s what you need. The difference is that an agency will provide a complete strategic solution for your video marketing campaign. They will provide a full team of focused experts to cover every part of the process. It essentially means your business has a dedicated branch providing a range of experts to work on your video production and strategy. More importantly, they’ve been there and done that for other clients. They know what works and they won’t need you hold their hand through any part of the process.

That’s why engaging a strategic video marketing agency like 500 simply makes sense. You can relax knowing that they’ve got you covered through the entire process, even if things go wrong. It is, however, essential that you choose a video marketing agency who is focused on strategy and generating real results.

Want a holistic solution to your social media video marketing campaigns? With 500’s focus on strategy and proven results, you can be sure to get more traffic through your business door. Contact us today!

500 Digital Media is a Melbourne-based production studio with a national focus. Fluent in every stage of production – from concept and creation to social media strategy – we provide a full-scale and integrated end-to-end service delivered by our team of in-house experts.

‍