Content Marketing School · 2026-03-17 · 9 min
The episode contrasts traditional agency-driven video production - polished, infrequent, and expensive - with an in-house content creation model where employees become the faces of the organization. Using real estate as a key example, Richmond demonstrates that authentic videos of an agent walking through a property and sharing genuine insights dramatically outperform generic corporate videos in engaging potential buyers. She cites Wiseall's 2026 State of Video Marketing Report showing 91% of businesses now use video and 93% of marketers consider it essential, yet 24% avoid it due to perceived expense. The solution centers on developing content pillars and topic clusters that align with what employees already know, eliminating the "we don't know what to say" problem that keeps teams stuck. By leveraging employee networks - which LinkedIn data shows are 10 times larger than corporate social accounts - organizations unlock the reach benefits of employee advocacy while building authentic human connection. The technical requirements are minimal: a phone, wireless lavalier, and basic lighting become the studio, fundamentally reducing costs while increasing frequency and authenticity.
Most businesses use the old outsourced agency model because it's perceived as more professional and branded, but this creates costly, infrequent videos that feel corporate and impersonal rather than authentic. The new approach treats video as communication rather than studio production, using employees and minimal equipment to generate frequent, genuine content that actually builds trust with potential buyers.
Develop content pillars around what your company wants to be known for, then create topic clusters beneath each pillar. Your team rotates through this existing expertise, answering questions clients regularly ask, explaining industry insights, and sharing how they work with customers - eliminating the need to invent ideas weekly.
In-house production requires minimal equipment - a smartphone, wireless lavalier microphone, and basic lighting - versus thousands per video with an agency. This cost difference allows teams to post frequently (weekly or more) rather than once per quarter, dramatically increasing visibility and reach.
Employee networks on LinkedIn are on average 10 times larger than corporate social accounts, so when employees share their own video content, it reaches far more people than corporate channels alone, amplifying visibility and engagement with minimal additional effort.
Authentic videos showing employees discussing real work connect emotionally and drive conversions - like an agent filming a property tour - while corporate branded videos feel impersonal and are often ignored, even by ideal prospects who need the information being presented.
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
Send us Fan Mail Video marketing is no longer a nice-to-have, which is why most businesses (91%) use video as a marketing tool according to Wyzowl's State of Video Marketing 2026. And 24% of those who don't say the reason is that it's too expensive. That's because they think of video in the "old way" as a production. In this solo episode, I share how moving video production in-house can save time, save money, and, maybe more importantly, build trust with potential clients. Takeaways Old vs.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: Quick heads up. Before we get started, if you're struggling with video, check out my smarter, faster, fun, self paced video Boot camp that you can join anytime. Find it at sff video boot camp.com that's sff video bootcamp.com now let's dive into the show. Hi, I'm Annette Richmond. Welcome to Content Marketing School where we will dive into content marketing strategies specifically for B2B professionals, consultants and entrepreneurs. Discover how to confidently create engaging content and leverage content marketing to elevate your brand and grow your business. And if you enjoy the show, don't forget to hit that follow button. Now, uh, let's dive in to today's episode. Hi, I'm Annette Richmond. Thanks for joining me for this episode. Today, I want to talk about something that comes up constantly when I speak to teams, actually with a lot of consultants too. It's the way most organizations think about video, and more specifically, the old way versus the new way of doing video. Because a lot of businesses are still doing it the old way and it's costing them not just in visibility, but in trust, connection and reach. So let's dive in. The old way looks like this. You hire a video or marketing agency, they come in, they plan, they send a crew in to record and then back to the agency to edit. You get a polished studio quality video, sometimes one, sometimes a series. And that looks great. Very professional. The branding is consistent, it's very corporate. And then it goes out maybe once a month, maybe a few times a year. Now, not long ago, I was chatting with a real estate agent, somebody I know from a local networking group. Of course, I've been encouraging her to do video to showcase the properties that she's selling. And yes, she resists because she hates being on camera. Besides, her company produces monthly videos for agents to share. It's polished and branded to the real estate company. It checks the video box for the company and the agents. But here's what I know about people and as a home buyer myself. The video that actually engages potential buyers is the agent recording while walking through the property. The videos that show the lovely beach nearby or the trendy restaurant road downtown. Those are the videos that help the buyer feel what it would like to live there. The polished firm video says, here is our brand. The authentic video says, here is your potential life waiting for you. And that's the one that sells the property. And this isn't just for real estate. Think about a consulting company, a law firm, or your professional services firm. Nobody wants to sit through a five minute corporate video Talking about your services, not even your mother or your best friend. What people want is to hear from a real person, someone who knows the work, someone who can explain in two minutes or less what they're seeing in the industry, how they work with clients, answering one of the many questions that they get asked every single week. It's likely someone who can do that works at your company right now. When it comes to video, the data doesn't lie. Let me give you a few numbers from Wiseall's 2026 State of Video Marketing Report because they tell an interesting story. 91% of businesses now use video. 93% of marketers say it's an essential part of their Strategy. Now, the 24% of the businesses that don't use video say that it's just too expensive. The idea that it's too expensive, well, that's for those who think about video the old way. Hiring an agency every time they want to put a video out. If your only model for video is fancy, outsourced production, yes, that gets expensive fast. For the most part, even reluctant businesses are starting to see the value. 67% that didn't use video last year plan to start using it in 2026. So this conversation is happening. The question is whether you want to be ahead of it or just catching up. So what is the new way? Well, the new way is bringing video in house, training your team not to be video influencers or to perform on camera, to be themselves, but showing up consistently on camera, in short videos, talking about what they already know. And here's what changes when you do that. Your people become visible. It becomes about who they are and not about your company logo. The people, the ones your clients will actually work with. When it comes to social media, their networks will increase your reach. That's what's often referred to as employee advocacy on, um, LinkedIn. For example, employee networks are on average 10 times larger than a company's corporate social following, according to LinkedIn's official employee advocacy guide. And the bonus is you get different voices, different perspectives, more human in your marketing. Go look at your company website right now. If you have posed photos of your team, or worse, stock photos of people in conference rooms who don't even work there. You already know what I mean. Boring and fake video can fix that fast. Not with a production crew or big financial investment with your people. Then comes the, uh, what do we even say? Problem. This is where most people, you know, the people who make up teams, get stuck. It's one of the most common things that I hear we don't know what to say. Now that's not a creativity problem problem, that's a content construction problem. The key is to develop content pillars, things that your company actually wants to be known for. Then develop subtopics or uh, topic clusters underneath each pillar. Your team is no longer having to invent ideas every week, they're simply rotating through the expertise they and your business already have. And that's the difference between random content random and content strategy. And then you can begin mapping your content to where your potential buyers are in the decision making process. Now that's a topic for another day. Before we go, let's put it all together. The old way treats video like studio production planning. The crew coming in to record, back to the agency to edit. Not often because it's frightfully expensive. More corporate than human. It's a new way to treats video like communication. The studio is a phone, a wireless lavalier, and maybe a light, consistent and human created by the people who know the work, talking to the people who need it. Your team already has the expertise they already have the stories they already have answers to the questions your clients are googling. They just need a system and the confidence to use it. Thanks again for joining me today. I hope you found this episode helpful. If you did, please share with a friend. I bet they'll thank you and I'll see you next time. To continue the conversation, connect with me on LinkedIn, just mention you found me on my podcast. And if you find Content Marketing School valuable, please follow the show and give us a five star review. That's the only way I'll know that I'm on the right track. Thanks for tuning in to Content Marketing School with me, Annette A.H. richmond. If today's insights have inspired and resonated with you, please share this episode with a friend. And if you haven't already, hit that follow button to keep learning and growing with us. Wait. Before you go, don't forget to check out my Smarter, faster, fun, self paced video Boot camp at sff videobootcamp.com. that's sff videobootcamp. Com.
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