It’s no secret that video content is one of the most important items in your online marketing tool kit, but your wallet might be feeling the sting of production costs. Outsourcing your content marketing is always more expensive than bringing things in-house, but setting up your own video production facility can seem overwhelming. Here’s what you need to know about the process to help you make the decision.

You need to beat the competition. Look to how others in your industry are publishing videos online, as this is the benchmark you need to achieve. Your video needs to be more effective in generating leads and moving your potential customers further into the sales funnel. If you don’t think you can produce video content as well as your competition, you’re probably better off outsourcing the process.

Equipment is important, but technique is priceless. When you’re considering setting up your won video production facility, cost is definitely a factor. However, you can’t expect prospects to arrive at your door simply by spending a lot of money on equipment. Developing your production talents and fine tuning your technique is also crucial.

You can’t afford to be cheap. It’s true that expensive equipment alone won’t bring you customers, but you do need to invest wisely when you want to bring video production in house. Many times, companies buy inexpensive equipment that they think will serve their needs, only to find out they need better technology within a year. If you’re serious about doing your own video production, invest in gear that you reasonably expect to last at least five years.

Getting the job done is the number one priority. You’re already busy running your own business, so carefully consider whether setting up your own video production facility is something you have time to do. Your first priority should be producing high quality videos frequently and consistently. You need to decide whether this goal coincides with running a successful company.

The focus is on quality control. Before you make the decision to produce video content yourself, go for a trial run and create something from scratch. Then, take a step back and look at the material through the eyes of a customer. You need to be professional and provide value, but you also need to be personable and trustworthy. The quality control process must be a part of every video you produce going forward.

Recognizing your audience takes attention to detail. You can produce a fantastic video with an excellent script, but it does nothing for your company if you don’t understand your audience. Find out what topics they’re researching online instead of publishing material you think should be useful to them. You need to realize what problems they have before you can position your company as the right solution.

Now that you know the ins and outs of setting up your own video production facility, you can decide whether it’s the right move for your company. There’s more to the process than just churning out content and hoping for the best; you need to produce quality work, monitor the results and tweak things where necessary. It’s a balancing act as you weigh whether outsourcing video production is a better option than keeping it in-house, but these factors should help you with the decision-making process.