While you’re usually encouraged to be hands-on with your business (at least during the development years), there are some aspects that are better off foisted onto another person or a team. Marketing is one such aspect. Getting professional video editing services for all your audio-visual marketing needs can end up more profitable – and more beneficial – than going the DIY-route.
Let’s weigh the pros and cons, shall we?
DIY
DIY video editing is not without its merits. Assuming you’ve got the equipment, the programs, and the technical – plus creative! – know-how to edit your own marketing video, there are definitely some ways you benefit from editing your own videos.
- PASSION – of all the people that will ever touch your raw footage, you’re the one most likely to care the most about the outcome. With your name and your company on the line, the odds of you settling for a crappy, half-assed video are – frankly – a million to none.
- SAVINGS — if you know even just the basics of editing a video, DIY can save you a couple of bucks on professional video editing services. This is especially handy if the editing you need is very basic, i.e., trim a few seconds off the start and end of the video and maybe cut out a blooper in the middle. Spending upwards of $500 for a 2-minute editing task can put a little stress on the budget.
- FASTER – again, if all the editing you need done can be done on YouTube’s video editor, it might be worth it to spend 30 minutes carefully cutting out the parts you don’t need, as opposed to sending the raw footage and waiting a full 24 hours before you get the edited version back.
PROFESSIONAL
Arguably, the pros of hiring professionals far outweigh the cons. Most businesses, whether small startups or established brand names, often have a budget set aside specifically for video editing services. It’s considered part of marketing and/or advertising, and thus is a reasonable company expense.
- QUALITY – given that these are professional video editors, their end result will always be of better quality. They have the equipment, the programs, the experience, and the talent to pull off everything between basic, clean editing to intense, aesthetically-pleasing video footage. You get what you pay for, after all, and free usually leaves much to be desired.
- PERSPECTIVE – whereas you and/or your production team have a vague idea of how to make your brand/video/message stand out, professional video editors can give you something extra: perspective. They’ve seen more marketing videos than you probably have – all from different fields, with different target audiences, and approaching from different angles. If you want fresh, original content, professional video editors can provide as much.
- UP-TO-DATE – given that it’s their field of expertise (and not yours), professional video editors usually keep up-to-date on the latest trends, fads, products, and programs in terms of video editing. Ergo, they’re most likely better informed about things like which styles work and what concepts are overused. For the cost of a professional video editor, you’re also getting free, unbiased market research.
As far as video editing services go, going DIY is fine, but that’s on a case-to-case basis. Choosing to DIY it should really depend on your current situation and options. Otherwise, professional stands to be your best choice for the long run.
