One-off Projects vs. Monthly Retainers: What’s the Difference?

So, you’re a business owner and you’re seeing more and more of the folks in the same industry as you making video content. What used to be held only for people on TV and big, big business running commercial campaigns is now available to everyone.

Like anything in business, video content is an investment, and it’s going to cost you money. How much money depends on the level of professionalism you’re receiving, the experience the company you’re hiring has and the perceived value of the outcome of the video(s).

Now this brings us to the next variable – one off projects vs. monthly retainers. Let’s take a look at what the difference is, and what may be a better option for you.

If you’re in business for yourself, then the chances are that you aren’t planning on going anywhere. You’re building this thing and scaling it however you can – and this fact really sheds some light on the value of hiring a video company on a monthly retainer.

Every business should be investing 30% of its profits back into marketing – and while this is a surprising number, it makes sense.

To hire a video company to make a one-off video makes sense in the beginning of your business’ life – but as time goes on, your investment will pay you back more to create a good volume of content over the period of 6 months to 1 year with one specific creator.

Let’s maybe compare it to a romantic relationship. Yeah, sure – you can sleep around and have multiple partners in a year – and while it may be fun for a while, the novelty will wear off pretty quickly.

Most people tend to settle down – to pick one partner and stick with them, through thick and thin.

Now, coming back to business and working with filmmakers for your business, it honestly just takes one more worry off your plate to build a relationship with one person or one group of people to create your content for you.

This way, they can get to know you on a personal level – and then portray your business to the general public in ways that you didn’t even know existed.

Now, having this kind of relationship will take communication and upfront transparency. From the onslaught, you’ll want to negotiate the deliverables from each side, and pick the number that works for both parties.

This could include 2x shoots per month, with 4 social media posts per week – delivering unlimited photo + video content, with the rights to the content shared between both parties for $3k per month.

Now – every marketing campaign should be practiced with consistency in mind, and if you’re thinking that doing a bunch of one-off videos with randoms over the course of each quarter is a good strategy, I’m sorry but you’re sorely mistaken.

Remember, you may be a creative person – and that’s awesome. But your business needs so much more than overbearing micro management from you. So, leave the creative part to the professionals, and let them document you well – so you can focus on the business as a whole.

By jumping into random one-off video projects multiple times per year, you’re dragging your attention all over the place, and distracting yourself from the big picture. Content creation is a must in a modern business – that’s no secret.

So quit playing and make a commitment to a fulltime content creator. Videographers and photographers have decided to make it their job to be creative for people.

So, treat them like a subcontracted employee, which I guess they technically are. You hire sales teams, and customer service reps and service providers. You hire maintenance people and assistants and other such individuals.

So, do the same for your content creation. Take it seriously and invest into yourself. No, your cell phone isn’t good enough. And no, you don’t have the time to do it yourself.

Good luck on your journey with creative marketing strategies. I hope this has helped to answer some questions for you, and I hope you can find the right fit for a content creator that works with your business regularly.

To Your Success,

Jay Ashcroft

Ashcroft Media Co.