When your business reaches a certain size, you start contemplating bringing in experts to help with marketing. The main differences between a B2B video marketing agency and an in-house team are that agencies often provide specialized skills, guidance, and scalability, whereas in-house teams offer more direct control over content.
Whether you’re looking for an agency to use B2B videos to generate leads or want help making content that will establish your brand as an authority in the field, there are a lot of factors that will drive which direction you go. Read on to see some of the details at play.
The Details
Video is a cornerstone of B2B marketing, but it’s nestled in one of those areas all brands know. It’s something that’s too important to get wrong, but expensive enough to hesitate making the leap.
In the debate of agency versus in-house team, the state of the company, its goals, resources, and priorities all play a factor in determining the better choice. Even that language is misleading; there isn’t a cut-and-dry ‘better’ choice. The question is which option fits your business.
In-House Teams
In-house teams are subject to direct oversight of the company they’re producing content for, letting the brand set priorities, approve creative directions, and push and pull timelines. This comes with a few benefits:
- Cultural fit, as the marketing team is immersed in the brand’s tone and style
- Immediate access, meaning stakeholders can make needed changes, and the in-house team to pivot quickly
- Long-term investment, where the in-house team is prioritized to produce the best (and most representative) work possible, as it directly impacts their future success
Some of the challenges include cost, as in-house teams are pricey and often outside the scope of possibility for smaller companies. In-house marketing teams can also unintentionally hobble a company or a campaign when a sudden success or influx of resources means they can’t keep up with demand and adequately scale.
Marketing Agencies
Marketing agencies are experts at what they do. They often collectively have a massive amount of history and experience across their teams, and they often provide a complete production line. Quality agencies can be hired to make a marketing plan, produce the necessary content, launch the content (using optimized SEO), and then study the analytics to inform a repetition of this process.
External agencies are often highly qualified, and that qualification is often present at all steps of the process. While it can take extra time for external agencies to get a sense of a brand’s tone, this can also be a good thing.
The fresh perspective provided by outside professionals can be priceless. Finally, these agencies are often flexible in their timelines and scale, able to add or subtract from the team as workloads expand and contract.
Some challenges include that there can be a lengthy discovery process in which the agency learns the brand’s values and voice. It also requires trust to work with agencies that will shape the voice and presentation of a brand.
While in-house teams can be prohibitively costly, independent agencies can also be expensive, depending on the scale and timeline of the work. This fact is an example of why there’s no easy answer.
In-House Video Teams vs. B2B Video Marketing Agencies
Which One Is for You?
Deciding which path your business should take involves a few factors, including where you are in your video content journey.
- New creators: These brands often benefit from an established agency helping them build a road map from ground zero.
- Established creators: These brands may have a consistent vision and strong instincts, but lack a team to execute at scale. If they can afford an in-house team, it could be a perfect fit, but an agency is more likely to be in their range, especially as a trial run.
- Large brands: These brands can benefit from their large capacity by building teams themselves. The benefits of outside perspective and expertise never go away, however, so they might still see upside from hiring an agency to consult on certain projects.
The Right Path
Choosing between an in-house video team and an external marketing agency is a question of alignment. Where is your brand in its lifespan, and where is it hoping to go next?
No matter what, brands have to figure out how to stand out with B2B video content. If you’re ready to see what an independent agency can offer you, Grouphugs is ready to show you how we can optimize your content, build better SEO, and make a blueprint for long-term success!
