Hiring an In-House Videographer: The Pros and Cons

Once a company graduates from “startup mode” and steps into the role of a more mature business, the questions they have about marketing tend to change from whether they should make an investment to how they should go about making that investment.

For a company that invests regularly in video production, the idea of bringing the work in-house eventually arises.

But what does hiring an in-house videographer actually entail? Is it an effective strategy or a complete mistake?

Before going any further, this has to be acknowledged:

Yes, You Betcha is a creative studio offering video production. If every company brought video in-house, we’d go out of business the next day. But that said, we still view this article as completely unbiased. Why?

Because it’s in everyone’s best interest for you to have your needs fulfilled. This might be a bit of a spoiler, but there are some circumstances when it might make a lot of sense to have an in-house videographer. In other cases, not so much. It all depends on what you’re looking for.

In-House Videographer: The Pros

Let’s start off by taking a look at why anyone would consider bringing a videographer on staff in the first place.

The most commonly noted benefit is that an in-house videographer has the opportunity to dive deep in your company – deeper than most freelancers are willing to. A videographer who’s also an employee can sit in on marketing meetings, work within the culture, and fully grasp your brand and what you’re about.

If your company is one that invests heavily in video, you may also see some financial benefit by bringing an in-house videographer on. The typical rate a freelancer charges is sort of like paying a higher price for a monthly software subscription rather than taking a discount to pay annually. You can cancel with the freelancer any time, but their per project rate is probably higher in consideration of this.

So if you know you’re going to invest in producing video-based assets regularly, you might actually be cutting your talent costs by having the videographer on payroll. Of course, if you’re offering benefits, paying taxes, and absorbing all of the other fees associated with employment, you’ll have to consider that in your calculations.

Outside Videographer: The Pros

So why even consider an outside videographer? First, the obvious. Not everyone has video included as a regular component in their marketing mix. In that case, hiring outside is a no-brainer.

But what if you do invest in video regularly? Could an outside videographer still be a good idea?

Yes, and here’s why:

An outside videographer offers a new and fresh perspective. They can look at your brand in a way that an employee can’t – as an outsider looking in. That might sound like a negative, but it’s really a positive for one simple reason: everyone viewing a video marketing campaign is an outsider. An adept videographer can find the perfect balance between downloading details on your brand and adding their own input and creativity to the process as well.

Outside of the creative process, there’s another obvious benefit – hiring freelancers saves you a lot of work. They pay their own taxes, handle their own benefits, and so on.

Outside Videographer: The Cons

The most significant issue most people will ever encounter when working with an outside videographer is the fact that they’re all extremely different and have incredibly different definitions of quality work. Some exceed expectations, others don’t even meet them.

That plays into the “pros” for hiring an in-house videographer. Having someone on staff ensures that they’ll always be available and hopefully reliable as well.

Besides that, another con for choosing not to go in-house is that the person or company you choose to work with may have other projects going on. If their attention isn’t completely on you, it may be frustrating.

In-House Videographer: The Cons

Hiring a videographer allows you a consistent way to produce material that meets a certain quality standard time and time again. The problem is that you might eventually find yourself with material that’s falling into a rut. In this case, you’ll notice that videos are starting to feel stale and lifeless.

That’s something you can typically avoid when hiring a freelancer. Why? Because if they aren’t cutting it, you simply end your relationship with them and move on to someone else. Freelancers are forced to maintain a high quality standard in order to compete with others for each and every project.

Employees, on the other hand, have a certain sense of security.

Another “con” in regards to in-house is this: many forget that a videographer’s salary does not typically account for the entirety of the video marketing budget – the individual will still need equipment, props, and yes, even freelancers on occasion.