Pros and Cons of Filming Marketing Videos Yourself

Are you thinking about using video for your business? Video is an extremely powerful business tool with businesses going online. My live interview with Daniel Calleja of VPA shows there are both pros and cons of filming marketing videos yourself. So, familiarise yourself with these first before you go about making any videos.

Quick Overview of Video Content for Business

With more and more businesses going online naturally the demand for video content has grown. But before you dive deep and start creating videos for your business you must understand:

• Your purpose (the why) for creating videos in the first place
• Your budget (spending ability)
• Your audience (their needs and expectations)
• Your customer journey (what stage are you in? – awareness, consideration, loyalty etc)
• Your production is almost always the last step in video content creation

Have a Video Content Strategy!

You must have a strategy for your video content. This is essentially the pre-production stage.  It’s about understanding what you need to create to help your business. You must know your audience and their needs and then market to them with video. Videos come in different types:

• Testimonials
• You speaking on camera
• Explainer video
• Animation video
• And more…

Pros of Filming Marketing Videos Yourself

Filming your own marketing videos brings with it a host of benefits including:

• No need for expensive video equipment. Just use your phone!
• No breaking of the bank- a low investment of money.
• A video coach can help you with the right strategies and tips. You do the rest.
• Great opportunity to test your customer journey and audience yourself.
• Your loyal customers don’t care as much about the quality of your video.
• If you have good content, it can override the quality of video.
• Simple and basic videos are great for DIY (DO IT Yourself)
• DIY videos are also great for social media (content changes so fast).
• You are in total control of the process – strategy, scriptwriting, editing etc.

Cons of Filming Marketing Videos Yourself

Filming your own marketing videos also brings with it a host of challenges including:

• Not always a professional look that you get with a video production studio.
• You must do it all – scriptwriting, audio, lighting, makeup, editing etc.
• You need both technical know-how and time on your hands.
• If writing isn’t your strength your wording can come out confused.
• You are limited with visual appeal. A studio is great for bringing out visuals.
• Difficulty with reading scripts. A studio uses a teleprompter to help you.
• You are just too busy running your business so doing a video is another to-do!

So, as you can see there are both pros and cons to filming your own marketing videos. It’s important to be aware of these before you start creating your content. Ultimately it comes down to understanding your goals, your audience, your customer journey, and your budget. From here you can decide which avenue to take. For help with video content strategy book your Video Strategy Session.