In-house content production: Context

In-house content production is being discussed in more and more marketing and communications departments. Companies such as Merck, Lufthansa, with its subsidiary Oscar Bravo, or the retailer Breuninger are already relying on in-house content production. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of this concept and for whom does in-house make sense? In this article, we take a closer look at the options you have as a marketing manager when it comes to content creation and examine the advantages and disadvantages of the four most common implementation options.

Content production with internal professionals

The great advantage of classic in-house is that knowledge about products and formats is developed within the company and (at least in theory) remains there. The support provided by experienced colleagues and the avoidance of changes in contact persons - which are frequent at large agencies in particular - ensures that the project know-how remains in place. One disadvantage, however, is that not every top creative wants to work for just one client, as this restricts their creative freedom. In addition, agencies are usually more productive because they want to retain and grow a client. Permanent content creators don't necessarily have this interest to the same extent. In the event of illness or vacation, you as the employer must solve the organizational problem, not an external service provider. It should also be noted that setting up an internal content production department is not cheaper in most cases. An in-house content department should at least include special positions for producing, camera and editing. This means at least 3 positions with annual salaries of 40-70 thousand euros gross. You get a lot of agency services for that.

Video production and content: internal amateurs

This is one of the (unfortunately) most widespread modes of content production, especially in smaller companies. Marketing managers who do not have much experience in content production create content more poorly than well. Sometimes with completely unsuitable hardware due to a lack of experience. Often, due to this lack of knowledge, no basic strategic concept is developed or a target-oriented dramaturgy of the videos is created. The results are regularly below average. Even if the costs in this mode are very low, every euro invested in a non-functioning marketing tool is too much. In the end, you have neither fish nor fowl. Training the relevant employees promises only mediocre improvements, as content creation is not a "part-time" activity. So, if possible, simply avoid this approach or don't expect anything from it.

Content production: implementation with external amateurs

This mode is the classic: "We have a student who will do this for us for 250 euros". Don't get me wrong, that's how we started many years ago and companies always need to give newcomers a chance to prove themselves. However, if we take a closer look at this implementation mode, we realize that although better results can be expected here in the foreseeable future than in the previous mode with internal amateurs, the standards of a professional company should be higher. Especially colleagues who are still at the beginning often have difficulties in organizing productions in complex corporate structures and critically reflecting on the given ideas. However, this is an important pillar of content production, translating strategic objectives into content ideas and concepts. Although these colleagues are often highly motivated, in many cases they lack proven structures for self-organization and often experience problems with unreliability or communication.

Realization of photo and video production with external professionals

Admittedly, this mode is our favorite. But there are also advantages and disadvantages here that we need to discuss. Experienced providers such as content agencies or video production companies know exactly why, how and what they do. They can quickly assess the usefulness or uselessness of ideas against the background of economic implementation. Another important factor when working with external service providers is that, as a content agency, we always work for the reference of the project. This means that our standards for the final quality are usually even higher than yours as a customer. After all, a good project helps us to convince other clients in your industry to work with us.

Professional video productions are backed by a team of experts. Illness-related absences are compensated for, ensuring a high level of reliability so that productions take place as planned. Compared to in-house solutions, external production teams may not be as closely integrated with the company—at least not initially. However, over time, they can develop familiarity and deep knowledge of the company’s products and stories.

One aspect you, as a client, often have little control over is changes in contact persons and the overall quality of the external team. That said, in an in-house content department, the departure of team members can also lead to a loss of knowledge (“brain drain”). From a cost perspective, in-house content production is often more affordable than external production due to economies of scale and better utilization of the team and equipment.

Content production: finding the right path

You have now explored the various options for content production, particularly the trend of in-housing, which is increasingly being discussed among industry professionals. We have introduced you to the advantages and disadvantages of the four most common implementation methods and found that the biggest advantage of traditional in-housing is that knowledge about products and formats is developed within the company and (at least in theory) remains there. However, a downside is that in most cases (i.e., when working with professionals), it does not end up being cheaper than collaborating with an external video production company or content agency. If you’d like to get to know us as a content agency and are curious about how we would approach your specific challenges, let’s set up a no-obligation introductory meeting to assess whether working with us as your content production partner makes sense for you.