Get Your Boss to Say Yes to DIY Video (Episode 197)

video marketing podcast Jan 17, 2025

If you’ve ever struggled to convince your boss that investing in video production is worth it, you’re not alone. In this episode of the DIY Video for Professionals podcast, Chris Schwager cuts through the noise and lays out exactly why a professional video studio is a smart investment. From streamlining workflows to slashing costs, Ridge Films’ DIY Video Program provides everything businesses need to produce high-quality content without the hassle.

Chris highlights the transformative impact of having a dedicated studio, sharing these key advantages:

Effortless Workflow Management
A professional video studio eliminates common production headaches by offering a controlled and ready-to-use environment. No more scrambling for equipment or scouting locations—just seamless video creation when you need it.

Cost Efficiency
Investing in an in-house studio can lead to significant savings. By reducing reliance on external production services, businesses can save time and money while maintaining full creative control over their content.

Consistent Quality
A dedicated studio ensures every video meets the same high standard, boosting brand credibility. Whether creating marketing content or internal communications, consistency is key, and a professional setup makes this achievable.

Empowered Teams
With Ridge Films’ DIY Video Program, team members gain the tools and training to produce professional-looking videos effortlessly. This empowerment fosters creativity, reduces bottlenecks, and enhances team confidence in video production.

In a world where video dominates communication, waiting to invest could mean falling behind competitors. A professional video studio is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity for businesses that want to stay relevant and impactful in their messaging.


Follow Chris Schwager: Stay updated with Chris’s insights by connecting with him on LinkedIn.

Explore Our Video Training Programs: Unlock your business’s potential with our expert-led video production training.

DIY Video ProgramCreate professional-quality videos effortlessly with our easy-to-use DIY Video Program.

Convince Your Boss: Download our guide to help decision-makers see the value of video marketing.

Watch on Ridge Films YouTubeCatch new episodes of DIY Video for Professionals on YouTube. Like, comment, and subscribe!


 

Video Transcription:

[00:00:00] Okay, welcome to the show. You are listening to DIY Video for Professionals and I'm your host Chris Schwager. If you're in our resources area in this video, I'm going to show you all of the reasons that you can be convincing your boss and get them to make a decision not based on what you're trying to convince them of, but what I'm trying to convince you of, right?

[00:00:26] It's sometimes Easier to have somebody else sell it for you. And that's what this video is intended to do. You understand the benefits, you understand the value, you understand how important it is for your marketing and for your communications of your business. Just selling it up to the decision makers and the people that are signing the checks is another task.

[00:00:46] It's another thing for you to do and I'm going to help you through it. So let's kick off with Unlocking a cost effective, high quality video production and why investing in do it yourself video program is a smart investment. 69 percent of companies are creating DIY like videos for control and flexibility and I would argue cost savings.

[00:01:10] Oh my god, imagine having an in sourced resource ready to go whenever you need it. Okay. Now, there's different ways that companies can deploy insourcing and outsourcing, right? And let's just have a look at that for a second. So companies can bring in a videographer to be able to have on hand access, ready to go.

[00:01:34] Hey, come and shoot this talking head video and let's rip in and we'll get it done. Hey, you're going to pay 80, 000 a year for that, okay? Maybe even more, depending on their skill set. And, they're either going to have to bring gear in, or you're going to have to pay for the gear. And, not to mention, there's a whole bunch of processors.

[00:01:57] that need to be put in place. Now you can rely on your videographer to do that for you. Yes, that's fine. But when he leaves, what are you left with? You're stuck back to where you were employing again and starting from scratch. Maybe with a bit of extra gear this time, but you don't know how to use it, right?

[00:02:15] And This is about understanding what your business actually needs and what's going to be the best solution for you. So let's talk about outsourcing opportunities here. So outsourcing to a professional video company, it comes with its own challenges. Okay. So one can be cost. It can be costly per video.

[00:02:32] You can pay a lot more than hiring an internal resource. You. At the mercy of that video production company's schedule and being able to get their availability that can take months and also the time that it takes to get the output that you desire. So in all, we are a video production company, right?

[00:02:51] We've, we are that company that can take three weeks to book us or months to book us or several months to get a turnaround of the video, right? Cause we're busy. There's lots of going on, right? So that is part of the The evidence that we had over the years that they're the really the two only options that businesses have apart from scrapping around with their iPhone and doing a kind of a dodgy job, they're it.

[00:03:18] There's no conduit between those two areas, but there is now. Hey. Cause we're around DIY video for professionals, right? Taking a lot of the back break that a videographer would have to do, like setting up a talking headshot, right? All the desktop video studio does that for you. And it's ready to go whenever you want.

[00:03:36] You don't need the time. To inform your team and schedule it in and the costs associated with that. It's ready in your room or at your desk, whenever you want boom. Away you go. You're producing video content. Okay. So let's have a look at why video is a great tactic just on its own. It's enhancing sales and marketing communication efforts.

[00:03:57] It's connecting with your audience. And it's doing it in a personalized way. Again, there's more and more people going through the on camera training process, going through scripting and learning about how to present themselves and their message succinctly so that they can get on and digitize themselves and the business and their processes.

[00:04:14] So they can be more video centric about what they're doing and also leading to a higher conversion, higher awareness, higher education. You can see some of those stats laid out there. Why is professional DIY video important versus. Hey, isn't it professional enough picking up the iPhone? More and more people say no.

[00:04:34] Okay. iPhones have mobility and that's great. And also the flexibility, right? You can get a video uploaded within seconds, but it comes at a cost and that cost is quality. That cost is quality, right? You just never going to get consistency from your iPhone and that speed that you can get. From this solution.

[00:04:58] So let's look at the [00:05:00] challenge. Many brands struggle with the high costs and complexity of traditional video production. Surprisingly, 84 percent of businesses recognizing that they need to improve. They need to improve their video quality and they need to be more consistent and they really are failing to achieve it.

[00:05:14] So what is the solution? The DIY video production solution. So having access to the equipment and going at it yourself and learning the skills not only simplifies and speeds up the. Content creation process, but also significantly reduces costs. The empowerment allows your team to consistently produce engaging, high impact content, transforming your communication marketing efforts with measurable improvements in ROI.

[00:05:42] The method behind it is pretty straightforward and actually goes back to early cinema. Think about it, right? When. Films were made, crews went out, they set up the lights, they set up the camera, they set up the sound, they got the talent in, the talent stood in front of the camera, and they shot the scene.

[00:06:01] Okay. Now, When that's going on, they, what they have is this thing called lockdown. Like when everything's set up, they say, lock it down. This is what I learned from my very first experience assisted directing a feature film, lock it down. Okay. Meaning. Don't anybody touch the equipment or anything or the props or anything right because it's set and ready and we spent all this time setting it up let's leave it alone shoot the same because it's beautifully lit and it's ready to go and then we can all get out of here now that's where we go to we go out to the setup stage and then we leave it alone not just for the day forever.

[00:06:46] And I've got another episode that's coming out called Tinkering. Don't tinker, leave your gear alone. So of course, in cinema, we're in the wrong location. They pack it all down. They move to the next location and they repeat the process. And that is what takes a film. Time that's why films are so expensive ads expensive cuz guys crews are out there setting up and packing down every single day.

[00:07:12] So what we want to do is avoid that avoid the videographer pottery around the bloody office setting up and packing down stuff that could have been done by you. Moving three meters into the communal room and shooting the video yourself. And Hey, if he wants to edit the video, go ahead. So it's just, let's look for easier, more streamlined way.

[00:07:34] So if we go to our methodology, streamlining professional, high quality video system, it's going to simplify the creation process and it's going to do it in a couple of different ways, and it's not. Just the equipment. Let's just be real about it, right? Equipment at the desk for anybody that doesn't have the right knowledge and education, understanding of how to use it will always be equipment at the desk.

[00:07:54] Tech is tech. It's the vehicle. If you don't know how to drive it, you don't have your license yet. Guess what? The car doesn't go anywhere. Okay. So video scripting is our next thing. I'm going to give you some information on how to do that. to video script. It is an art form. It does take a learning curve, but we're going to give you the templates.

[00:08:13] We're going to give you the simplification of how to knock up scripts. Yes, you can code chat GPT a script, but I've never seen it quicker than learning the skills yourself because you're always at the mercy. Chat GPT will Always require human intervention, right? At least in 2024, that's where it's at now on camera presenter training, hugely important.

[00:08:33] Again, we saw the stats around why this is important because we want to make sure that. After we've gone through all this effort of setting up gear, writing scripts that we want to make sure it's presented correctly so that it actually gets through and connects with your audience. And then we're looking at editing and publishing to make sure that the video is finished.

[00:08:53] It's out the door and it's where it needs to be. So the distribution and the delivery, where the video lives is all very much identified. And then some ongoing coaching for those that are ambitious about what they'd like to achieve. I've got clients that are talking about doing 80 videos. I'm not. going to leave them alone, they need ongoing coaching.

[00:09:12] And we're proposing up to six months of coaching one on one on a weekly basis to make sure that these things are getting done and that the client is accountable to making sure that this done, this is done right. The easiest thing in marketing services is for someone to say, Oh, I got busy. And therefore.

[00:09:30] Marketing is the thing that gets sacrificed. And that's not just in video. That's in all digital, right? Oh, I couldn't post this week because I was so busy. There needs to be discipline built into this thing. Otherwise, what are we doing here? You're constantly riding this seesaw of going, Oh, we got busy and the money was coming in and then money left.

[00:09:47] And we had to get back to marketing and do more marketing and then, back and forth. And that's how life goes sometimes. But when you start to look at the diversification of what an asset, like a dollar is, Desktop video studio can [00:10:00] bring to your business. Hey man, this is not just about doing your course.

[00:10:05] This is not just about looking sexy on a zoom call. Look at all the ways that you can use it for multiple platforms and reach a wider audience, social media, video ads, websites, blog. This is just one element, right? Webinars, live events, product. It goes on and on. There's so many different, beautiful ways you can leverage it, distribute to the channels.

[00:10:26] And it means a high conversion rate and better results overall. This is the thing, lots of businesses, most people and individuals and businesses don't know what's possible. They're thinking about websites. They're thinking about video on the homepage. They're thinking about video on social media.

[00:10:43] They don't understand proposal walkthroughs. They don't think about using video in sales processes. I don't know how many videos I record on a daily basis for proposal walkthroughs, connecting with a client and making sure they're clear on the value, on the price, identifying my expertise and why I'm the best guy for the job.

[00:11:03] These are all ways you can stop people skipping to a bottom of a proposal and Looking at just the price, right? This is the diversion technique of having video in place and same with video and email gentle highs, welcoming introduction to yourself preparing people for ongoing meetings. Man.

[00:11:23] Get in my head, it's fast, there's over 50 video types that are possible, 50 plus right, there are endless amounts of opportunity and again, when you're trying to do that yourself with your own little bit of pitter patter gear, disparate gear or equipment, or you're trying to A video company to do it, it's not that economical, right?

[00:11:43] It's not that easy to do that. But when you've got your own gear at your fingertips, at the click of a button, ready to go from ideation to recording, that's how quick this can be. When executed correctly, a professional in one desktop studio really does enhance your brand's presence in video calls, in creating captivating social media content, and impactful sales and marketing content.

[00:12:12] Video content will work for you to deliver an ongoing return on investment for years and years. We've worked with lots of different clients and there's more and more household names that are appearing in our portfolio, which gives indication that this thing is spreading not only for individuals and the, the consultants and coaches that are spending a lot of time.

[00:12:37] Trying to prove the value of their product and service for their clients. But it's also for larger companies as well, hitting. Organizations and getting them to start understanding about their company cohesion, the way that they're presenting themselves in the different satellites of their offices around the world.

[00:12:56] So one of our clients launched our desktop studio in Canberra, Sydney, and Auckland with ongoing plans to do more in their other offices as well, because they're getting consistency, right? Who's championing those studios in those locations, the organization in those locations have accessibility to be able to record videos or go live or be ready whenever they want to respond to a market update or a change in the market.

[00:13:29] So they can do that on a whim at the flick of a switch, ready to go. Okay. Why investing in Rich Films is the best way to go in terms of the DIY video program. There's a couple of just basic things that we've got on our site here. Creating hundreds of high quality videos in the first year.

[00:13:45] You're regaining 20 plus hours per month, streamlining video creation, and you're going to save thousands of dollars. There's just no question. You're going to save it. On the studio cost per shoot on hiring crews on time right getting can you think about getting more time that you're not spending on investing in video equipment or trying to build processes you can just invest in this and get back to your job that pays you.

[00:14:12] So this is actually about being more productive in your business and having your employees be more productive. This is a compelling reason to invest. And the ROI is clear, right? You're not stuffing around anymore. You're being efficient. And you're overcoming this kind of Australian home renovation, DIY concept of trying to do everything yourself and just giving it to someone that's already done it for years and years with evidence based results of it working.

[00:14:46] And literally you do not have to do a thing. You do a little bit, right? Take a photo of your office that you want to set it up in, and then let us do the rest. Frame it up, get you organized with your sound, get you [00:15:00] connected to your computer, make you look and sound perfect, get the lighting organized, then leave it alone.

[00:15:05] Don't be a tinkerer, right? And then away you go. You don't pack it down and it's ready whenever you want to use it. For the future morning, noon, or night, a couple of examples of who we've helped our sales coach friend, Greg Gladman in Brisbane, saving four to 6, 000 in studio costs per shoot, huge advantage to him.

[00:15:29] And he also just talks about the, taking the pressure off, not having to worry about packing six months of social media content into one studio shoot, right? So he's reducing his production costs, he's enhancing viewer engagement and he's streamlining content delivery because now he has it at his desk, in his home, ready whenever he wants at the flick of a switch.

[00:15:52] Andrew Zbik, a good friend as well as client who cut his engagement. Time by 67 percent boosting his business efficiency. He's doing SOAs that statements of advice for his clients. He, because he's recording it as video that is documentation. And now that's considered documentation, but the big benefit to his financial planning clients is that they can review that video rather than this, 100 page bloody document of gobbledygook that is literally going to sit in the drawer and never get viewed again.

[00:16:27] Clients can review areas of the video to further understand what it is that they've paid for. They've paid for a plan. And the explanation of that plan from Andrew is now what's adding a hell of a lot more value. Within 24 hours, clients watch his videos in their entirety. He's saying he's shortened his average engagement time with clients to just two weeks, I think from six weeks was pretty phenomenal with many clients only needing a 30 minute zoom meeting, right?

[00:16:58] So think about it. This all adds up over the year, man. It's like full on. We're going to make it easier and more affordable for you to get your self Organize, creating professional quality video content, boosting your camera competence and empowering you to captivate your audience and enhance your business impact.

[00:17:18] Hopefully this has been of use to you in helping decision makers get across the line. Thank you so much. And subscribe to this channel again. Tell your friends, are you needing to convince your boss that video is the way to go? Perhaps shoot them this video or the podcast and let them decide for themselves.

[00:17:36] Does this provide enough evidence that video is the way to go? Let us know your thoughts. Drop it in the comments. I'd love to have a chat. Keep filming and keep engaging and see you next time.

 

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