Videographer vs. Video Marketing Agency: Which Do You Need?

By Maylon, founder of Emerald Media & Marketing · November 3, 2026 · 2 min read

If you've decided your business needs video, the next question is who should make it. Two common options are hiring a videographer or working with a video marketing agency. They can look similar from the outside, but they solve different problems.

What a videographer usually does

A videographer films and edits. You tell them what you want, they show up with the gear, and you get a finished video. For a one-off project where you already know exactly what you need, like a wedding, an event or a single brand video, that can be a great fit.

What you usually don't get is the thinking around the video: what to say, who it's for, how it should be used, and what to make next month.

What a video marketing agency does

A video marketing agency starts with the goal: more calls, more bookings, more people through the door. Then it plans the content, writes the scripts, films, edits and, often, helps run the ads or post the content. The video is a means to an end.

The key differences

• Strategy: a videographer executes your idea; an agency helps decide what the idea should be.
• Scripts: with a videographer you usually write them; an agency writes them for you.
• Volume: videographers often work project by project; agencies typically work monthly, so you always have fresh content.
• Ads and posting: most videographers stop at delivery; many agencies can also run your Facebook and Instagram ads and post to social media.

Which one do you need?

Hire a videographer if you need a single, well-defined video and you already know how you'll use it.

Choose a video marketing agency if you want video to bring in customers month after month and you'd rather not be the one coming up with ideas, writing scripts and managing campaigns.

Where Emerald fits

We're both. We're a Lehigh Valley video production and marketing company: we plan the strategy, write the scripts, film at your business and edit finished ads every month, and on Full Service we run them too. Most local videographers only film; we handle the whole month for you. You can see the range in our work, from a launch commercial to 30-second local ads.