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• 60% of people would rather watch online videos than television.
• More than 1 billion hours of video are watched on YouTube daily.
• Viewers retain 95% of the messages they receive via video

What does this mean for your business? It means that, in all likelihood, your customers want to consume video content from your brand. And once you give it to them, they’ll be able to remember much more of the information you share, allowing you to build greater brand authority.

Unfortunately, not every organization can create stellar videos on its own. If you want to jump on the video marketing bandwagon, but don’t have the in-house resources to generate this kind of content, you should consider hiring a freelance videographer to help.

But how do you find qualified professionals to partner with? That’s what we’ll cover in this article. Keep reading to learn the seven questions you need to ask yourself before hiring a freelance videographer.

7 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Freelance Videographer

You’ve decided that you need to start producing video content for your company, but you don’t know how. Luckily, there are plenty of professionals online that are willing to help you — for a fee, of course.

As long as you ask the following seven questions, before hiring one of them, you should be able to partner with quality freelancers who know how to create stellar video content.

1. Do I Need to Hire a Freelance Videographer?

Before hiring a freelance videographer, ask yourself if you actually need to partner with this kind of professional. Is video marketing a viable strategy for your brand? The answer is most likely “yes,” but it’s always smart to make sure. If your audience has no interest in video, don’t waste your time and money creating video content.

You also shouldn’t hire a freelance videographer if you have in-house talent who can create videos for you instead. Maybe someone on your staff has a hidden skill set and would love the chance to flex their creative muscles by working on videos for your brand. Assigning video creation duties to current employees is often cheaper than bringing in external partners.

Once you’ve decided that, yes, you need to create video content and, no, there’s no one currently on your staff that can do it for you, move on to question number two.

2. What do I Need a Freelance Videographer to Do?

What kind of video content do you need created? You can’t simply hire a freelancer and say, “Make me a video.” You need to approach this content type strategically.

Think about the kind of videos you want created and how your freelancer of choice will help you bring them to life. For example, maybe you’re able to shoot the footage yourself, but you need a professional to edit the content into an engaging visual experience.

On the other hand, maybe you’re looking for a videographer to help you brainstorm video ideas, capture the footage, and edit it together into a compelling piece of content.

What you need your freelancer to do will dictate who you’re able to work with. Some video professionals only edit animated videos, while others only work with businesses in the local regions.

Decide what exactly you need your freelancer to accomplish for your business so that you don’t waste time looking for videographers who aren’t aligned with your purpose.

3. What’s my Budget and Timeline?

The videographer you hire will expect payment for the work they do — as they should. They are providing a valuable service to your company and should be compensated appropriately. That’s why it’s important to decide on your budget before contacting any freelancers. The amount you’re prepared to spend will dictate who you’re able to work with.

If your budget is small, don’t expect to hire seasoned professionals who usually work for big-name brands. Also, don’t hire an expensive freelancer for simple jobs that any entry-level videographer can do.

Balance your budget with the jobs you need completed and find a qualified freelance videographer who fits your unique needs.

It’s important to note that your timeline will likely affect your budget as well. If you need a videographer to complete a project on a tight deadline, you’ll probably have to pay more for the job. Keep this in mind when evaluating the funds you have to spend on video projects.

4. Where do I Find Qualified Freelance Videographers?

One you’ve decided what kinds of video projects you need completed and the budget you have for them, you can begin looking for qualified freelance videographers to partner with. But where do you find top-notch professionals? You have a few different options:

• Get Referrals: The easiest way to find qualified freelancers is to ask your network for a referral. If someone you trust endorses a videographer who specializes in the kind of content you need created, you should be able to hire them with confidence.
• Post to Online Groups: If your immediate network doesn’t yield any freelance videographer suggestions, consider posting to the online forums, Facebook and LinkedIn groups, etc. that you’re a part of. The recommendations you get from these people are a great place to start when looking to hire a freelancer.
• Search Freelance Job Boards: Job boards like Upwork, Fiverr and others are full of talented video professionals who would be happy to help you with your video needs. Hiring a videographer through one of these sites will allow you to easily see projects they’ve completed for other companies and read reviews.
• Work With a Talent Recruiter: Lastly, you can work with a talent recruiter who will find a freelance videographer for you. While you might have to pay for this service, it will allow you to focus on your business and let another qualified professional discover the perfect freelancer partner.

None of the above options are exclusive. You could, for example, ask your network, post to online groups, and search freelance job boards to find the right videographer if you want.

5. What Kind of Experience Does the Freelancer Have?

At this point, you should have a list of potential freelance videographers to work with. Now it’s time to start evaluating them. The easiest way to do this is to look at the work they’ve created for other companies. Is it professional? Have they done the kind of work you want to hire them for? What do other people say about their experiences working with these individuals?

If the videographer you’re vetting doesn’t have the right kind of experience, has a collection of poor reviews, or creates video content that you don’t enjoy, remove them from your list.

6. Do I Think I’ll Enjoy Working With This Freelancer?

It’s often difficult to tell if you’ll enjoy working with a freelance videographer after a quick phone call or email exchange. After all, the freelancer could be saying all the right things to get the job, but not expect to follow through on any of them.

Still, it’s important to evaluate your experience with each freelancer you contact before officially hiring them. Are they quick to respond to messages? Do they speak respectfully? Do you think their personality can comfortably coexist with yours?

Trust your gut and only hire a freelance videographer who you feel confident in. If you have any red flags, don’t feel bad about moving on.

7. Am I Ready to Hire a Freelance Videographer?

If the answer is yes, pull the trigger and hire the freelance videographer you’ve discovered! Then work closely with them to create video content that boosts your business.

Remember to evaluate your experience with the freelancer. Did the work they created for you exceed expectations or were you disappointed with the results? Were they able to hit deadlines? Did you even enjoy working with them? Answer these questions honestly so that you know whether to hire the freelancer again in the future or not.

If you decide you’re not ready to hire a freelancer yet, no problem. Keep a list of potential videographers in your phone or computer to revisit in the future.

Better Video For Your Company

Stellar video content can do wonder for your business. If you don’t have the resources in-house to create top-notch videos, look to hire an experienced freelancer. But before you do, make sure you ask yourself the seven questions from this article:

• 1. Do I Need to Hire a Freelance Videographer?
• 2. What do I Need a Freelance Videographer to Do?
• 3. What’s my Budget and Timeline?
• 4. Where do I Find Qualified Freelance Videographers?
• 5. What Kind of Experience Does the Freelancer Have?
• 6. Do I Think I’ll Enjoy Working With This Freelancer?
• 7. Am I Ready to Hire a Freelance Videographer?

Need a secure location to store all the video content your freelancer videographer will create for you? Try CleanPix! Our digital asset management software makes it easy to organize, relocate, and distribute your brand’s most important content.

Start using CleanPix for free today and experience its business-boosting power for yourself!