Episode 7
AI vs. Human Video: How Small Businesses Win with the Hybrid Content Strategy
Content anxiety is a real struggle for local small businesses, especially when you see competitors effortlessly cranking out engaging videos daily. Today, we're diving deep into this issue, drawing insights from Lorita Marie Kimble, founder of New Media Local. We'll break down the tough choices small business owners face when deciding between traditional video production and the emerging landscape of AI content tools. It's not just about picking one over the other anymore; we’re discussing how to strategically integrate both approaches to get the best of both worlds. Join us as we explore how to maximize your content output while maintaining quality, ensuring you stay visible and relevant in today's fast-paced digital environment.
Navigating the modern landscape of content creation can be a daunting task, especially for small business owners. The pressure to keep up with competitors who seem to effortlessly churn out high-quality videos on social media can create a sense of anxiety. As we unpack the insights from Lorita Marie Kimble, founder of New Media Local, we recognize that video content has become a necessity rather than a luxury. This episode delves into the stark realities of traditional video production versus leveraging AI tools. One major takeaway is the cost disparity; while traditional video production can set businesses back anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 for a single video, AI tools present a much more economical range of $50 to $300 per month. This financial aspect is crucial for small businesses that need to maximize their marketing budgets. We explore how these AI tools can produce videos in mere hours, contrasting sharply with the weeks that traditional methods often require. The discussion does not shy away from the complexities of quality and emotional resonance—elements that AI struggles to replicate. Ultimately, we emphasize the importance of integrating both approaches: using AI for scaling content while reserving traditional methods for those key moments that require a human touch. The hybrid model emerges as a strategic solution, allowing businesses to maintain a consistent online presence without sacrificing the authenticity that builds trust with audiences.
Takeaways:
- This podcast delves into the content anxiety local small businesses face when competing with high-volume, professional video production.
- We discuss the stark financial differences between traditional video production and AI-driven tools, highlighting costs ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 for a single video.
- The episode emphasizes the importance of video content, noting that video posts can generate nearly 50% more engagement than text alone on social media.
- We explore the concept of a hybrid model, combining the efficiency of AI tools with the emotional authenticity of traditional video production for maximum impact.
- Consistent video content is essential for small businesses to stay relevant, suggesting that regular good content trumps occasional perfect pieces.
- Lastly, we encourage businesses to strategically assess their content needs and explore AI as a way to achieve more with limited budgets.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- New Media Local
- Lorita Marie Kimble
Transcript
Welcome to the local Content Studio, an AI generated podcast sponsored by New Media Local.com, an AI powered digital media agency.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:If you run a local small business, I bet I know exactly what your content anxiety feels like.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:You know, you look over at social media, you see competitors posting these like really slick, engaging videos every single day, and you're thinking, is this person secretly a full time influencer?
Speaker A:Do they just have like five grand hidden under the couch for daily video shoots?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:How is it even possible?
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:That sheer volume, that quality, it just feels completely out of reach for most of us.
Speaker B:Totally.
Speaker A:And you know, that feeling, that content scarcity, that video fomo, that's precisely why we needed to do this deep dive.
Speaker B:Especially now.
Speaker A:Especially now.
Speaker A:And we're digging specifically into the insights from Loretta Marie Kimball, who founded New Media Local.
Speaker A:We talk about this kind of strategy stuff a lot on the local content studio, but today we're really getting under the hood.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Looking at the tech and the money.
Speaker B:Trade offs.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker B:So our mission today really is to cut through all that noise and just unpack the.
Speaker B:Well, the kind of brutal choices you face.
Speaker A:The money, the time.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker B:The money, the time, the quality.
Speaker B:Quality stuff.
Speaker B:When you're deciding between, you know, traditional human LED video production and this whole new world of AI content tools, it.
Speaker A:Feels like a huge decision.
Speaker B:It does.
Speaker B:But if there's one thing Loretta Marie Kimball makes really clear in her analysis, it's that it's not really an either or question anymore.
Speaker B:For businesses that actually want that daily visibility, it's really about like strategic integration now.
Speaker B:And this source gives us three really core comparison points.
Speaker B:You kind of have to weigh up when you're building out your content engine.
Speaker A:Okay, lay them out for us.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Because I think the numbers are probably the first big shocker here.
Speaker B:They absolutely are.
Speaker B:So first you've got the stark financial reality, the cost.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:AI tools, you're generally looking at maybe 50 to $300 a month and often for like high volume.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Per month.
Speaker A:Per month.
Speaker A:Whereas traditional production, that's a significant chunk of change.
Speaker A:Often between say 1,000, $5,000 per finished video.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Per.
Speaker B:Per video, that's a massive difference.
Speaker B:Huge.
Speaker B:Then second is time.
Speaker B:You know, AI can take a script and turn it into a finished video in maybe hours.
Speaker A:Hours.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Traditional methods, you're looking at days, sometimes weeks.
Speaker B:You know, pre production, filming, editing, waiting for revisions, the whole cycle.
Speaker B:The whole cycle.
Speaker B:And the third piece.
Speaker B:And maybe the most critical is quality and use case.
Speaker B:Like, are you mostly trying to just scale up and be consistent.
Speaker B:Or are you saving your budget for that?
Speaker B:You know, authentic human connection, the nuance, emotional stuff.
Speaker A:What's the actual goal of this specific video?
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:That's the axis we really need to explore today.
Speaker A:Okay, let's unpack this.
Speaker A:That framework makes perfect sense.
Speaker A:So let's start with the basic problem driving this whole debate.
Speaker A:Why is video such a non negotiable now?
Speaker A:And why does traditional production cause so much, well, pain?
Speaker B:Yeah, video is just foundational now.
Speaker B:I mean, the stats are everywhere.
Speaker B:Loretta Marie Kimball points out video posts get nearly 50% more views than just plain text on social.
Speaker A:50%?
Speaker A:That's huge.
Speaker B:It's huge.
Speaker B:And maybe even more critical for small business owners.
Speaker B:If you put a video on a landing page, like a quick product demo or an explainer that boosts conversions by massive.
Speaker A:Any percent.
Speaker A:Okay, so it works.
Speaker B:It absolutely works.
Speaker B:Your audience just demands dynamic content now.
Speaker B:Static text, it just doesn't cut through the noise anymore.
Speaker A:But okay, the moment you accept I need video, you run smack into that traditional production wall.
Speaker B:The friction, it's.
Speaker A:The friction is the logistics.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Nightmare.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:You got to find a pro videographer, check their availability, book the shoot, hope.
Speaker B:They have an opening soon.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And then you, the business owner, you have to block off like half your day for the shoot itself.
Speaker A:Then you wait.
Speaker A:You wait for the final cut, and wait and wait.
Speaker A:And if you're trying to jump on like a current news trend or announce a quick flash sale that week or two, waiting for the editor, and it can totally kill the opportunity.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And the moment's gone.
Speaker A:The moment's past, the content's ready after.
Speaker A:The thing you wanted to talk about is already old news.
Speaker A:You're just always playing catch up.
Speaker B:And that delay, that frustration, that's exactly what drives so many people into that, you know, the dreaded DIY trap.
Speaker A:Oh, totally.
Speaker B:When the cost and the time just feel overwhelming, people think, ah, forget it.
Speaker B:I'll just film it on my phone.
Speaker B:I'll edit it myself.
Speaker A:I think we've all been there.
Speaker A:And you know exactly how that goes, right?
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:You film like a dozen takes, then you spend four hours fighting with some free editing software you downloaded, wrestling with it.
Speaker A:Totally wrestling.
Speaker A:Only to realize the final thing has like awful lighting.
Speaker A:The audio echoes because you're in your empty office.
Speaker B:Yeah, sounds like a cave.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:And the result just looks amateur.
Speaker A:It doesn't reflect the quality of your actual business at all.
Speaker A:It's a massive time sink for something that actually undermines your brand.
Speaker B:Good point.
Speaker B:Undermines it yeah.
Speaker B:So that tension, right, the absolute need for video, but coupled with the crushing friction of doing it the old way, that's the vacuum that AI tools just.
Speaker A:Rust right into offering speed and volume.
Speaker B:Volume above everything else.
Speaker A:Okay, so let's break down traditional production first, then, because we need to understand what you're actually buying.
Speaker A:When you shell out that, say, $1,000 to $5,000 for one video, why does it cost so much?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:You're not just paying for the camera rental and the person's time.
Speaker B:You know, you are paying for expertise and risk mitigation.
Speaker B:Really?
Speaker B:That buys you maybe 10, 15 years of creative experience.
Speaker A:Okay, the know how.
Speaker B:The know how.
Speaker B:It's someone who knows how to frame you so you look good.
Speaker B:Authoritative, maybe.
Speaker B:How to use light so you don't look washed out or tired.
Speaker B:And crucially, how to capture clean audio that sounds professional, not echoey.
Speaker A:The sound is so important.
Speaker B:It's huge.
Speaker B:It also covers things like insurance, the cost of all that specialized gear, Lights, mics, lenses, and then the custom editing, taking all that raw footage and actually sculpting a story.
Speaker B:That works.
Speaker A:Right, the storytelling aspect.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And if your video is complex, like say, a technical product demo that needs specific staging or multiple camera angles, you really need that human direction on set.
Speaker B:It's an investment, not just, you know, buying a commodity.
Speaker A:Okay, so the trade off is clear.
Speaker A:High cost, high time commitment.
Speaker A:But the payoff is supposed to be that professional quality, that genuine human impact.
Speaker B:Yes, the idea.
Speaker A:The source mentions that middle ground, too.
Speaker A:Hourly studio rentals.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Which saves you buying the gear.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Can be a good option.
Speaker B:But even then, you still need to bring the plan, the content idea, and, you know, the actual human performance yourself.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Still takes work.
Speaker A:Okay, now let's pivot.
Speaker A:Let's talk about the counterpoint AI production, the content factory, as you called it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Here's where it gets really interesting.
Speaker A:When we look at the speed and cost advantages here, it is truly disruptive.
Speaker B:It's utterly transformative, especially when you think about the sheer output speed the source material highlights.
Speaker B:You could feed in a script, maybe something you dashed off in five minutes.
Speaker B:And the AI software can generate a finished video.
Speaker B:It might use stock footage, synthesized voiceovers, even those digital avatars.
Speaker A:The avatars.
Speaker B:And under an hour, we're talking about a workflow measured in hours, not weeks.
Speaker A:That's insane.
Speaker A:And the cost structure just fundamentally changes the game for a small business, right?
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:If I can pay, say, 50 to $300 a month for potentially unlimited videos, that immediately shifts my whole Strategy, it's all about maximizing volume.
Speaker B:Then it makes daily visibility suddenly seem, well, achievable.
Speaker A:Yeah, but I do have to challenge that unlimited claim a bit based on our talks around this Source.
Speaker A:Is that $50 truly unlimited or do you find you quickly hit caps on like HD resolution or rendering time if you start doing anything complex?
Speaker B:That's a really sharp challenge.
Speaker B:And yeah, the source definitely implies some skepticism there.
Speaker B:Often those lower tier unlimited plans, they're kind of designed for simple, maybe lower res videos.
Speaker B:Good for TikTok or Instagram stories, maybe.
Speaker B:Okay, if you need that high res longer video for your website banner, you're probably jumping up to the $300 plan or you'll hit some kind of technical limit.
Speaker A:Got it.
Speaker B:But that said, even the high end AI subscription is still radically cheaper than commissioning just one high quality professional video.
Speaker B:The price really favors volume over everything else.
Speaker A:Volume and spe.
Speaker B:Volume and speed.
Speaker B:These tools are incredible for that.
Speaker B:They can clone your voice, your likeness, maybe after just one recording session.
Speaker B:They auto generate captions, spit out multiple formats for different platforms.
Speaker A:Okay, but here comes the catch, right?
Speaker A:The source materials immediately warn about quality.
Speaker A:This swings the pendulum right back toward human value.
Speaker B:Precisely.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:If you're using those synthesized avatars or even some of the really sophisticated voice cloning tools, the audience can often pick up on subtle imperfections.
Speaker A:Like what?
Speaker B:Well, the report notes things like the lip syncing might be just slightly off, or the avatar's body movements can look a bit too smooth, maybe unnaturally fluid.
Speaker B:We're still dealing with that uncanny valley.
Speaker A:Challenge, Right, where it's close but just feels wrong.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:But the real issue, the deeper one, is emotional resonance.
Speaker B:AI still struggles massively with nuance, with spontaneous reactions, with, you know, authentic emotional delivery.
Speaker B:A script read by an AI voice, even if it sounds exactly like you, it often lacks the subtle pacing, the inflection that a human director would guide you to find.
Speaker A:So people can tell something's off.
Speaker B:They might not consciously put their finger on the robotic movement, maybe, but they often sense something isn't quite right.
Speaker B:And that immediate lack of authentic connection, that can erode trust.
Speaker A:Yeah, trust is key.
Speaker B:That's where the professional videographer's creative vision, their ability to capture genuine emotions, really justifies that higher cost.
Speaker A:Okay, that makes the strategic decision much clearer.
Speaker A:It's not about just picking the best quality or the lowest price.
Speaker A:It's about choosing the right tool for this specific job.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:So how does a smart business actually strategically mix these two approaches?
Speaker B:Well, the big emphasis in the new media Local analysis is really on strategic application.
Speaker B:You need kind of a mental checklist for your content goals.
Speaker B:Okay, if your goal is scale, volume consistency, keeping your feed active every day, you lean heavy heavily on AI.
Speaker A:Makes sense.
Speaker B:Think about the prime AI use cases.
Speaker B:High volume social posts that just need to be current, quick SEO videos for landing pages.
Speaker A:Wait, why AI for SEO videos specifically?
Speaker A:Is quality less important there?
Speaker B:That's a great question.
Speaker B:It's not that quality isn't important, but the primary goal there often isn't cinematic perfection.
Speaker B:It's indexability.
Speaker A:Ah, getting found by Google.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:You need to quickly test different keywords, different angles, different short explainers to see what Google or YouTube actually picks up and ranks fastest.
Speaker B:AI lets you test say 10 SEO concepts in the time it might take to produce one traditional video.
Speaker A:Got it.
Speaker A:Low risk, high volume testing.
Speaker A:And repurposing too, right?
Speaker A:Like turning a blog post into clips.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:Repurposing is huge for AI.
Speaker B:Turning a long blog post or even a podcast snippet like this into 15 short social clips.
Speaker B:Perfect AI job.
Speaker A:Okay, now contrast that with the traditional use cases.
Speaker A:These are the ones you saved the big budget for.
Speaker B:These are your video VIPs, your absolute must haves for human touch.
Speaker B:Think the main homepage brand video that defines who you are.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:The big one.
Speaker B:The big one.
Speaker B:Genuine customer testimonials.
Speaker B:You absolutely need authentic reactions there.
Speaker B:You can't fake that well.
Speaker B:Complex product demos that need careful staging or showing physical interaction and behind the scenes culture, content, anything where authenticity, physical presence, the real emotion of your team needs to build that deep, unshakable trust.
Speaker A:That's when you go traditional.
Speaker B:That's when you invest in traditional.
Speaker A:So the real power move here seems to be what they call the hybrid model.
Speaker A:This is how businesses can get that daily visibility without the daily crippling cost.
Speaker B:Precisely.
Speaker B:It shifts the whole focus.
Speaker B:Instead of constantly thinking, I need to produce another video, you think, how do I create strategic assets?
Speaker A:Okay, explain that.
Speaker A:Like instead of hiring a videographer for just one video, right?
Speaker B:Instead of hiring them for one specific finished piece, you hire them to create one incredibly high quality, maybe long form master asset.
Speaker B:For example, let's say a 30 minute really well shot professional interview.
Speaker B:Perfect lighting, perfect sound.
Speaker B:You nail it once.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:One great recording set.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:And then that master asset becomes the raw material, the feedstock for all your AI tools.
Speaker B:You take that one 30 minute file and you use AI to slice it into say 15 short social clips.
Speaker B:You auto generate transcripts, pull out quotes for graphics, maybe create 10 different blog post snippets with embedded video, maybe even two or three different voiceovers for targeted Facebook ads.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Okay, so one expensive, high quality human session ends up feeding the high volume AI pipeline for weeks.
Speaker B:That's the efficiency, that's the leverage.
Speaker B:It's a level of output that was just out of reach before.
Speaker B:For most small businesses, that makes so much sense.
Speaker B:And what's really fascinating is seeing how the production industry itself is adapting.
Speaker B:Professional studios, they're evolving to actually support this hybrid workflow.
Speaker A:How so?
Speaker B:Well, they're filming with pro gear, of course, but they're consciously optimizing the files they deliver.
Speaker B:They make sure they hand the clock client master files that are like, easy for AI tools to ingest and chop up.
Speaker A:Ah, so they avoid those technical headaches you used to get trying to mix old and new tech.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:It's about being AI ready from the start of the professional shoot.
Speaker B:So for any business listening, trying to figure out how to move forward new media Local recommends starting with a simple audit.
Speaker B:Just ask yourself, what volume of content do I really need to compete effectively right now?
Speaker B:What's my actual total content budget per month?
Speaker B:Yeah, and crucially, who is going to manage this whole workflow?
Speaker A:Yeah, someone has to run the process.
Speaker B:Someone does.
Speaker B:If you truly only need one massive brand video each quarter, maybe traditional production alone is still okay for you, but.
Speaker A:That feels rare now.
Speaker B:It does.
Speaker B:If you need that daily visibility, which, let's face it, most small businesses now require just to stay relevant, then AI becomes pretty essential.
Speaker B:The reality though is most businesses probably land somewhere in the middle needing that hybrid approach.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:They need the consistency from AI and the impact from traditional.
Speaker A:Okay, so practical starting advice without getting totally bogged down in picking the perfect software tool right away.
Speaker B:Yeah, don't overthink the tools initially.
Speaker A:What should they do first?
Speaker B:You don't need a massive investment right out of the gate.
Speaker B:Maybe just try a few AI tool free trials, generate a handful of test videos, see for yourself how robotic that avatar really looks.
Speaker B:Or how well the repurposing tool actually works on your content.
Speaker B:Just experiment a little.
Speaker B:Or alternatively, alternatively, book one really efficient session at a local studio.
Speaker B:Plan it well.
Speaker B:Film multiple short pieces in a single day.
Speaker B:Maybe a few quick FAQs, a short intro video, Perhaps grab a quick customer testimonial while they're there.
Speaker B:Batch recording, batch recording.
Speaker B:Then the most important part.
Speaker B:Track the results.
Speaker A:What metrics matter most?
Speaker B:Don't just track vanity metrics like views or clicks.
Speaker B:Track the engagement metric.
Speaker B:That really tells you if people care.
Speaker A:Watch time how long they actually stick around.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:If people are watching 50% or more of your video, whatever it is, you've probably created something engaging.
Speaker B:Doesn't matter as much how it was made at that point.
Speaker B:Let the data guide your next step.
Speaker A:Let the data decide.
Speaker A:Good advice.
Speaker B:And here's maybe the final, most crucial piece of advice from the source, which really speaks to why this hybrid model works so well.
Speaker B:Remember that consistency beats perfection.
Speaker A:Say that again?
Speaker B:Consistency beats perfection.
Speaker B:Regular good content outperforms occasional flawless pieces.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So you use AI to guarantee that regular good content.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:Keep the lights on, stay visible, and.
Speaker A:You reserve the professional budget for those few flawless pieces that really need to make a major impact.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:That nails it.
Speaker A:Okay, that summarizes the core finding perfectly.
Speaker A:I think the businesses doing best aren't ditching one method for the other.
Speaker B:No, they're blending.
Speaker A:They're using AI for that crucial job of scale, consistency, testing things out.
Speaker A:And they're saving the professional human talent for those big strategic moments that need deep, genuine brand loyalty.
Speaker B:Yeah, the high impact stuff.
Speaker A:So what does this all mean?
Speaker B:Well, it means this hybrid model fundamentally changes the game.
Speaker B:It lowers the barrier to entry for achieving that daily content visibility.
Speaker A:How so?
Speaker B:By strategically offloading maybe 80% of your sheer volume needs onto AI at a relatively low consistent monthly cost, you can now actually afford to invest properly in those few high quality professional videos, the ones that truly move the emotional needle for your audience.
Speaker B:It lets you achieve a level of content output, of presence that was just financially or logistically impossible for most small businesses just a few years ago.
Speaker A:That's a powerful shift.
Speaker B:It really is.
Speaker A:And okay, this leaves us with maybe a final provocative thought for you, the listener, to consider as you think about all this.
Speaker A:If AI can now reliably handle, let's say, 90% of the daily high volume content demands, doesn't that make the remaining 10% that pure, unreplicable human authenticity, that genuine emotional depth captured by a skilled professional videographer?
Speaker A:Doesn't that make it exponentially more valuable?
Speaker B:Interesting question.
Speaker B:Like scarcity increases value.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:If scale becomes automated, easy, cheap, maybe the future of really powerful brand video production is less about churning out volume and far more about maximizing the impact of that rare true human connection.
Speaker B:That's definitely something to mull over.
Speaker B:Where does the real value lie Now?
Speaker A:Something to think about as you optimize your own content pipeline this week.
Speaker A:It.
