Create corporate videos: agency vs. in-house (vs. StoryBox)

How do I achieve lower costs and more content?

The web is full of them — company videos in the form of social media posts, image films, or direct messages. Because without moving images, nothing works anymore in both B2C and B2B. The demand for video content in companies is increasing from year to year. Companies usually have exactly two options for this: to take charge of video production themselves (as DIY, optionally with in-house production) or to outsource, for example to an agency. Recording videos has never been easier, after all, every employee has a smartphone. We show the details of the costs and duration of video recordings and give other facts that show the difference between agency and do-it-yourself video projects.

Do-it-yourself or agency?

Time, budget, and skill set are the three decisive factors that have probably also been decided in your company in the past whether you recorded videos yourself for customers, applicants, or for self-presentation or had them designed by an agency. In addition, there are the requirements for quality, access to materials, and, above all, the amount of content you want, which is also decisive for the decision. 

While an agency relieves its capacities, more must be invested elsewhere. With in-house videos, on the other hand, the quality can suffer, especially if you don't use the right technology. More about that below. The reality is: At the latest, anyone who regularly needs shorter clips, will get rid of the agency quickly.

Anyone who decides to take the project into their own hands now has two options: to set up an in-house production or to rely on video software.

The pitfalls of DIY with in-house production

• Staff capacities must be able to cope with the costs of in-house production. This includes resources for video design, recording, editing, and publishing. In addition, time and budget for training courses or the like when software is used and technology such as lighting and sound must be adjusted correctly.
• There are costs for recording and editing programs.
• With a lack of expertise, common programs on the market are often not manageable. This means that both time and budget are required for training.
• Depending on quality requirements or planned projects, additional equipment is important (However, we are proving the opposite here!)

The pitfalls of the agency

• Due to preliminary and post-meetings and due to the high quality, the preparation by an agency requires a lot of time, almost 5 times more time than in in-house production.
• Agencies incur high costs, some of which are unmanageable. These ensure that video projects usually do not scale towards the end.
• Large individual projects are easily possible with agencies, but collaboration is rather problematic for the daily work of marketing teams or recruiters.

Overview of time and cost differences

Agency vs. in-house for 1 video each:

production time 5 working days vs. 3-4 working days‍

expenses ~4.000 € vs. ~2.000 €‍

In-house but different: videos with StoryBox that scale in every way

Our founders were also faced with the challenge of “lower costs but more content” with planned video projects. That's why they created StoryBox. Our video software is intended to replace expensive, non-scalable agency videos or complex DIY projects, especially when the customer regularly needs output. This is the case with almost every company today. At the same time, the purchase of expensive equipment for in-house productions should be avoided and the demand for an infinitely large amount of video content should be met. StoryBox delivers all of this and much more!

Overview of additional time and cost differences

Agency vs. in-house vs. StoryBox:

production time ~5 working days vs. 3-4 working days vs ~1 hour‍

expenses ~4,000 € per video vs. ~2,000 € per video vs. 600€/month

‍number of videos 1 vs. 1 vs. infinity

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In addition to the required working time, costs, and quantity, many other factors also play a decisive role in the successful use of videos in companies. This includes, for example, that employees without extensive training be able to produce different videos independently in everyday working life. Depending on the content, these should be approachable simple video contacts with applicants or contain a meaningful message for social media posts.

Anyone familiar with the most successful company videos on the Internet will know that Music integration is a crucial component. Anyone who has ever tinkered with a video themselves will also know that only one person is rarely responsible for the project. All of these criteria, and many more, are taken into account by our video software.

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Here is a detailed comparison with all relevant must-haves:

In principle, agency videos or videos in in-house productions are not wrong, but anyonewho relies on regular output, which isimportantfor the success of marketing activities, isrightwith software such as StoryBox. We will also provide you with an experienced video expert who will answer any questionsyou may haveabout your video projects.

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