As every serious business owner knows, video marketing isn’t a fad that will go away any time soon. Instead, it’s an important and effective channel for promoting your business.
With this in mind, you may be wondering if it’s worthwhile investing in an onsite video studio for your business. After all, if you’re going to be shooting lots of videos, perhaps you should have a dedicated space to do it in.
Like every business decision, there are pros and cons to having an onsite video studio. So in this blog, we lay them out for you to consider.
What is an onsite video studio?
An onsite video studio is a dedicated space on your business premises for filming video content. Usually, it remains permanently set up for this purpose.
Your onsite video studio will probably include a background. This may be a green screen, a corporate background featuring your colours or logo, or an attractive backdrop such as a natural wood panel. Your studio will also probably feature artificial lighting designed for videography, but no natural light, so lighting can be fully controlled. And, of course, it will probably include professional cameras and audio equipment.
You may use your onsite video studio for filming marketing content, filming training content, conducting live streams and broadcasts, or even video calling clients and partners.
Pros
Lower production costs
If you have an onsite video studio at your business, then over the long term you may save on production costs.
That’s because if you have a studio onsite, you won’t have to worry about travel time and expenses for your employees and managers when shooting videos. You may also save on rent if you previously rented a studio for filming.
Democratised video production across your business
With a dedicated video studio, all the various departments across your business will have the ability to create video content.
Rather than having to prioritise certain departments over others due to time and budget constraints, an onsite video studio ensures all departments have equal opportunity to livestream, film product demos, record training videos, and more.
More video
Once your video studio is set up, you’ll have the opportunity to use it as much as you want for your business.
This means you’re more easily able to create a greater volume of videos for all aspects of your business, because you don’t have to worry about scheduling outside vendors, travelling to shoots, or other inconveniences.
Cons
Higher costs
It’s important to note that having a dedicated video studio on your premises may not save you money – in fact, it may actually cost you more.
After all, the initial setup cost for a studio can be anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000, which is a lot of money! You’ll also need to pay staff to operate your video and audio equipment and lighting, and of course you’ll have the costs associated with maintaining an extra room in your building that may be vacant much of the time.
Staffing
Filming compelling content for your business isn’t just a matter of pointing a camera and pressing “record”. If you’re going to have an onsite studio, you’re also going to need sufficiently-trained staff to operate all your equipment.
Depending on the quality and quantity of your videos, the frequency of your shoots, and what you use the studio for, you may need to hire one or two new full-time employees to take care of everything for you.
Location constraints
While an onsite video studio frees you from the hassles and costs associated with shooting at other locations, it also constrains you, as your setup can make it difficult to shoot videos anywhere else.
This means that filming a video at a client’s premises or demonstrating a product in its natural environment may be more difficult, especially if your equipment isn’t suitable for other locations.
What if I don’t want an onsite studio?
If you shoot a large volume of videos for your business and you’re happy to shoot them all at the same location, an onsite video studio may be the right answer for you.
However, if you’re not ready to make the investment in an onsite video studio for your business, or if you’d rather avoid the drawbacks that can come with this approach, don’t worry. You can still create amazing and compelling video content for your business!
Rather than building an onsite studio, it may be very cost effective and convenient for your business to use a professional production company instead.
Because they have the skills, expertise, and equipment necessary to shoot high-quality videos, a production company can help you make great content at a variety of locations, all for a competitive price.
Of course, be sure to only work with a production company that can provide testimonials – and that produces videos you actually like!
Contact Starlight Media
If you want to hire a professional video production company to take care of your business’s video marketing needs, Starlight Media can help.
Contact us today to learn how we can create compelling video marketing content to promote your business.