ClientPoint Blog

How to create videos for your business without spending a fortune

Written by admin | Feb 25, 2016 5:00:00 AM

We live in a day and age when video marketing is king. The trend of 2016 revolves around videos and animations. In reality most people would rather watch an informational video than read the same information. Yes, we understand the irony in writing a text based blog post telling businesses to create videos for their content. However, the best plan is to do both--create both articles/blog posts and videos. That is what we are doing and it is working well for marketing and lead generation.

In this blog post we are going to teach you how to create quality videos for your business without spending a fortune.

First of all, does using videos on the Internet for marketing work?  In a word, YES!

Here are some highlights and statistics about video marketing:

- Embedded videos on sites, blogs and lead pages can boost traffic by up to 55% and sales by 10%.

- Over 75 million people in US alone prefer to watch a video instead of reading an article every single day.

- By simply mentioning the word “video” in a blog post, newsletter or business plan, can increase open rates by roughly 13%.

- Over 40% of all videos are now watched on mobile devices.

If you are not yet convinced of the huge importance of video marketing for your business and you have not realized that this is a valuable marketing tool for companies of all sizes, here is an infographic to help you. Do not forget to zoom in to see the whole image. (https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/145335/Video-Marketing-Is-King.png?t=1456329016920).

Video marketing is definitely king in 2016 and will probably continue to be the hottest marketing channel in the years to come, along with mobile marketing and app marketing.

Let’s Get to the Point

At this point, you are probably wondering if video marketing is something you can do personally of if you need to hire a video production company. The good news is that any business, regardless of size, industry or reputation, can leverage the power of video marketing.

Here is a quick guide that will teach you how to create impressive videos for your business without spending a fortune.

Online or Offline?

The first question you need to ask yourself is: “Am I planning to do a video for a large event or a TV commercial or simply want to upload a video presentation or an animation on YouTube?”. If you want the latter, you can reach your goal without breaking your budget. Otherwise, you might need to hire a professional team of people and rent some high-end equipment.

You should not let your lack of budget to stop you from taking advantage of video marketing. If you choose to upload your videos online and promote your company this way, here’s what to do next.

Choose the Right Camera

There is a myth which has stopped many businesses from capitalizing on the power of video marketing. This myth was true a few years ago, but it’s not valid in 2016 anymore. It simple said that you can’t use a smartphone to create videos. Apple contradicts that. The creative marketing team from Apple made the headlines when they decided to publish a video recorded entirely with an iPhone 5S. You might want to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsBsPpGYRLc

As you can notice, filming with a smartphone won’t affect the outcome, especially if you use a device with a high quality camera. However, if you are hesitant to use your smartphone or you also want to capture audio, it is wise to go with a DSLR camera that records in true HD.

Video Length

The length of your video is extremely important, and it should reflect your video purpose. For instance, if you just want to promote a new product, showcase a new trend or present something new, a 3-minutes video should suffice. However, if you want to create a FAQ video, put together a testimonials presentation or create a how-to series, you can create videos longer than 10 minutes.

Another two great video ideas are to invite some experts to interview them and create guides and presentations using slides and voice over.

Edit the Video

The trickiest part is editing the video. Once you have recorded a video or you have put together a bunch of slides and you are ready to record your voice, you need to choose the right software for the job. Here are some of the best tools for creating an online video:

  1. Camtasia Studio: definitely the best video making tool for both Mac and Windows users. With Camtasia, you can combine slides and voice over to create some of the best how-to videos and presentations.
  1. PowToon.com: this site enables you to put together an animated cartoon or combine your favorite clip arts into a great video.
  1. Animoto: if you are eager to create beautiful slideshows, all you need to do is to enter Animoto.com, upload your photos, pick some music and create a great slideshow.
  1. Stoome: you can use this tool to add a crowdsourced element to your videos. You are practically uploading videos and clips that you borrow from other users. After you give credit to the owner, you can use the video material to promote your own business.
  1. ReelSEO: this is more than a tool, but a place where you can learn more about video marketing and discover new methods to promote your company using this technique.

Should I Hire a Professional ?

If you think that it still sounds quite complicated to create in-house videos on a budget, you can hire a professional to help you out. However, expect to invest up to 10 times more and be ready with a clear description of what you want so you do not waste time having to redo the video over and over until you it's the way you want it.

All in all, creating videos to market your business is not such a daunting task, especially if you start slow and take your time to discover all the faucets of video marketing. You now know the secret for creating impressive videos for your business without breaking the bank.

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