These days there are millions of content creators, and no matter if you are working to start your own brand, or if you are a part of a large corporation, we are always looking for ways to improve our content and draw more people in. We are visual creatures, and we are more likely to be interested in a product or a service if they can attract us with something beautiful. Because of this, creators have to be on top of new trends all the time and create things that will visually stimulate their potential customers.
As we all know, it is not easy to do this, recording our own videos can take too much time and not everyone has the needed equipment or skills to make amazing footage. Using footage that can be found online is allowed to a point, but the most famous videos usually need you to pay fees for them, and in some cases, you are not allowed to use anything popular that other people have created. Luckily, there are things that you can use for your content that is legal, beautiful, and high quality. Stock video footage, by definition, are the pictures and videos that one can use to create their video, without having to pay royalties or fees.
In this article, we are going to talk about the stock shots and if they are the right thing for your content. We will list some of the pros and cons of using them, and we will give you some advice on what you need to pay attention to. So, if you are a new and aspiring content creator, or if you want to take your business to another level and attract more people, this is the article for you.
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1. Affordable
Source: waves.com
The first pro of getting this type of footage is that it is affordable. Nowadays there are a lot of websites that will let you download their content for free, and there are also places that require some inexpensive subscription fee, so anyone can afford these videos. In case you are already using some of the most popular platforms for video creation, you can already use the video templates they have there and create unique content.
2. Time-saving
Not everyone can afford to make their own videos, and even if you have the right equipment and skills to edit the footage, it is still going to take a lot of time. It is said that for a one-minute clip, you will need to film it, edit it and work on it for at least one day. If you want to produce a lot of content, the whole process can take weeks and even months. When compared to the library shots you can easily download, we can see that the latter will save you a lot of time and help you create the content you want.
3. High-quality
Source: toplistin.com
Now let’s talk about the most important thing on this list – the quality. As we mentioned before, users want to be amazed by what they are seeing, and you cannot create great content without having high-quality videos. According to raw.film, when you use stock footage, you can easily download shots that are with premium 8K quality. Even if you make the clips on your own, you won’t be able to produce this kind of quality clips and to do that, you will need extremely expensive equipment.
4. Impersonal
Even though there are many pros for this kind of footage, there are also some negative sides to it. The first thing that many people see as negative is that no matter what you create it is going to be impersonal. Stock footage is easily recognized and your customers will be able to notice it. There is a difference when you sit down and make the whole content from scratch, and when you just download clips, audio and copy the text from somewhere else and put together something you sell as unique. If you really want to attract your audience, you need to put some effort into it and do everything on your own.
5. Not too many options
Source: makeuseof.com
Even though there are thousands of websites where you can download the stock clips, the number of choices is still limited. This is especially true in case you are using free clips, and on almost all the sites that offer this type of video, you can find the same footage.
So, when you want to create something new, unique, and exciting, you won’t be able to do it, because chances are, your audience has already seen the same clip used in some other video.
6. Best quality requires a lot of money
The last thing we are going to talk about is money. We’ve mentioned that this footage is free or you may buy it for less than a few dollars, but the reality is if you want to be different, and if you don’t want your audience to notice that it is the same clip they can see everywhere, you will need to pay a lot of money. The quality is crucial in marketing, and if you want a clip that is of the best quality, you will need to forget about saving a few pennies here and there.
These are some of the pros and cons of using stock video footage. The reality is, there is a reason why so many people use these library shots. They are interesting, they can help you create your content in minutes and they are easy to find. If you are trying to make your way into the business, you should start with them, and you should use them to your advantage. They will save you a lot of time and money, and when you combine them with your unique words, you can raise awareness or pass on the message you want to send.
If you think that too many places are already using these clips, and if you want to show your audience that you care about them, you should try and create videos on your own. The last word is up to you, and you should try both things and see which one is better for your business and brand.
