As seen with YouTube, professional marketing videos are ever-growing in popularity. They’re not necessarily free to make, however. Depending on the size of your business and budget, creating and editing a video can be expensive!
That is why there are many low cost or even free ways to create professional quality videos. In this article, we will go over some easy ways to edit a video you have already made.
Once again, do not worry about looking fancy while filming your video or using advanced camera settings. We will keep it simple so anyone can do it!
Given that most people use laptops and smartphones for film making these days, almost any device capable of running software such as Photoshop or similar design programs can produce great footage.
Here are 10 free (or cheap) photo editing apps that can help you give your videos that professional look.
Different types of videos
Videos can be made for many different purposes. They are typically categorized into one of several common styles, including product reviews, how-to’s, announcements, explanatory, motivational, and testimonials.
Product review videos are usually focused on telling the audience what products they should consider buying by talking about the features and benefits of the product.
How-to videos teach a specific or series of steps to be done in a certain way. For example, you could make a how-to video teaching people how to bake the best chocolate chip cookies.
Announcement videos tell the audience something important that they need to know. For example, if your company was being announced with the rest of this year’s winners at an awards ceremony, then it would make sense to create a promotional announcement video celebrating all those achievements.
Explanatory videos explain things. An explanation video might be for someone who is trying to understand the difference between active and passive listening.
Testimonial videos feature individuals speaking about their experiences with a company or product. These are very popular because they appeal to both consumers and marketers – anyone can watch a testimony and be inspired or motivated to try out the product or service mentioned.
These types of videos are very effective as marketing tools since most people enjoy hearing personal stories about cutaneous diseases or how well some new health supplement works.
Touchpoints in marketing videos
What is a touchpoint? A touchpoint is an activity or channel through which to interact with your audience. They are events, such as announcing a new product or service, promoting an event, holding a Q&A session, or introducing someone else.
These touch points occur throughout the length of a video and are important parts that bring attention to a specific topic. Your audience will watch the video until they find out what the next touch point is!
Touchpoints can be anything from talking about products, giving testimonials, showing how the company uses the product, etc. An example of a touchpoint would be when Amazon introduces their newly released smartphone.
They may talk about the features, use a few examples on the phone, or even show footage of people using the device. This is a direct advertisement for the product so it touches on why the product is needed and an incentive to buy one.
There are many ways to make a business promotional video but this does not mean it has to be expensive unless you do not want that quality. You can create your own by filming yourself or others and editing it together.
Create marketing videos based on the following topics
Videos that promote products or services are referred to as advertisements. Marketers use advertisements to get your attention, but they should be careful not to influence you too much.
As we all know, advertising is powerful and effective. But there’s a difference between an advertisement and a marketing video. A marketing video is more in-depth than a short commercial. It is usually longer than two minutes and it is typically designed to inform, motivate, or inspire. It will probably include content or descriptions of what you can find or buy at the end.
These types of videos match our definition of professional marketing videos because they meet the criteria we listed above. They are informative for you to learn about the product or service, motivational to give you motivation to perform a specific action, and inspiring to show you how others have done similar things before.
Producing a marketing video does not necessarily mean filming a movie or running around with expensive camera equipment. Many people do this already so you could possibly contribute something new by experimenting with different settings and levels.
Some of the most common ways to make a promotional video are shooting documentary style footage, creating a narrative, using still pictures or illustrations as part of the story, and recording voice over. There are many free and low cost software programs that can easily edit these stories down to size!
Held up like a flagpole behind every successful business is an incredible amount of creativity.
How to start a marketing video business
Starting off as an independent filmmaker is not hard, but it does require some initial investments. These can be in the form of equipment, editing software, or even just to learn how to use these tools.
There are many ways to make money online by filming and selling videos. Some people create their own YouTube channels where they upload entertainment-focused videos. This way, they get paid per view which can add up very quickly if your followers watch lots of videos.
Other businesses will pay you to promote their product or service so that others can find them. You would need to put together a quick two minute pitch about the product before uploading the video for it to really work.
Some small business owners hire professional videographers to help spread the word about their company. By doing this, they have someone else take care of all the kinks of producing a video while also being well trained in promotional filming.
Oftentimes, marketing videos are not a strong suit for B2B companies
Most business to business (B2B) products require no in-person interaction with other people. Technology has made it easy to produce rich content that can be connected to online resources or forums to influence action.
That is why most B2Bs do not really market through video. When you watch TV, you will see very few commercials that feature a product alone.
Instead, they use storytelling to draw attention and promote action. A well done story can connect with your audience in a way that nothing else can.
Video stories typically start with an event or situation that needs explanation. Then, a character comes in and talks about their experiences related to the event.
This creates a flow of information because the viewer is constantly waiting for what happens next. For example, watching a movie could involve learning a lesson while also getting insights into how certain characters relate to each other.
Some tips for marketing videos
The first rule of making a professional looking video is to make it look like it took lots of effort to produce. You want to include touches such as lighting, props, and media coverage that makes your production seem expensive.
Blend in your hands, clothes, and accessories naturally and clearly. No one will notice if you have to put extra emphasis into what you are talking about. Use appropriate strength levels for your voice.
Never use automatic speech recognition (ASR) software because they do not adjust their settings and can sometimes even become distracting. Use a native English speaker’s voice instead!
Don’t overdo it
Your video should be two minutes or less unless your product or service warrants longer than that.
Tell a story using videos
Many people start their marketing efforts with creating advertisements or commercials. While this is great to see, it may not be the best way to promote your product!
Marketing through advertising is very focused. The advertisement tells you nothing about who the company is or what they offer beyond its function- it sells you products!
This can be boring for potential customers that want more information. It also does not tell them anything special about your business or brand values. This could make them leave without doing any shopping!
Business owners must learn how to tell stories via video to better reach out to others. Product announcements are still important, but telling a tale can create interest in your services and products.
Your audience will watch your videos because they enjoy listening to stories. Yours need to be well written and emphasize qualities of your business/company.
You can use graphics and pictures to add detail and emphasis. Keep it natural and conversational to achieve this.
Create videos based on these topic
Creating a marketing video that people will actually watch is more than just knowing how to use Adobe or Microsoft software! It’s about picking engaging, interesting topics that appeal to your target audience and creating content designed to emphasize and strengthen your message and brand.
That’s what made the first few minutes of Your Life Just Started so compelling for us. You see, you have a very important life change coming up – something that affects you, your family, and potentially even the future of this world.
And in those three minutes, Robert Herjaveur brings his unique style to bear by offering some helpful tips and insights.
He offers practical advice like “Start with a goal” and “Create an action plan,” as well as some funny stories.
His tone is casual, approachable, and he seems to genuinely care about his audience, which makes him really connect with others.
