Let's face it, promoting a business in 2021 is no cakewalk. Modern-day consumers are smart -- anything that looks salesy to them is rejected immediately. To effectively promote your business, it helps to know how to make videos that can either entertain or educate them. Anything that can keep people hooked will be a success.
But is there any such strategy? Luckily yes, and that is "video marketing."
Video marketing can be used for multiple purposes -- from promoting your products or services to building customer rapport. Additionally, videos can also serve as a way to share:
- How-tos for use of your products
- Customer testimonials
- Deliverable content that can help your audience
Not only will this promote your business products or services, but it’ll also help you engage with your audience more. The more they interact with you, the more likely they are to keep coming back again and again.
3 steps to creating effective videos
For many micro-businesses and small ventures, money is tight. However, anyone with a smartphone can create a video. If you want to know how to create videos without spending a bomb, just follow these steps.
Step 1: Decide your video type
Do you want to promote your products, or do you want to show your company culture? To start a successful video marketing campaign, you first need to decide your goal behind creating the video. Below are a few types of videos you can use to promote your business:
- Explainer videos: These videos are used to explain how people can use your product or services. They work great on landing pages.
- Product demonstration: Unlike explainer videos, product demo videos are used to show off the performance of your products.
- Company culture videos: These videos help highlight the ethos of your company. The intention here is to promote your business and its owners, employees and suppliers rather than your products solely.
- Behind-the-scene videos: If your company has an exciting process behind manufacturing, development or distribution, use behind-the-scenes videos to show customers your inner workings.
- Customer testimonial videos: If your customers love you, ask them to submit video reviews. Share the best ones on your website and social channels (with their permission).
Remember, you want to post video content that connects with your audience. Make sure to make your video choice impactful and visually captivating to hold your viewer’s attention.
Step 2: Choose your video style
Once you're done with deciding the video type, the next step is to choose the style that will go along with your type.
This is a crucial step to avoid conveying the right message in the wrong way.
To choose the right way, you need to decide which style will help you share your message in the best possible way. Here are the video styles you can choose from:
Live-action videos
In simple words, live-action videos involve either still or moving objects. Such videos consist of real humans or real locations rather than digitally created things.
Animation
Animation videos are made from many still images. The images are played one by one at a fast pace and give the illusion of movements.
The best thing about animated videos is that they don't require a film crew or actors. Anyone with the right tools can create animated videos. Also, animated videos are one of the most preferred formats for creating promotional videos.
Whiteboard videos
Whiteboard videos are used to tell stories with images drawn on a whiteboard. With whiteboard videos, you can explain a complex process in a digestible way. For instance, you can show how a product is made in your factory easily through whiteboard videos.
Motion graphic videos
Motion graphic videos are animated videos that use text and images or shapes to convey the message. The GoDaddy Pro video below is a good example of this type of video marketing. These videos don't tell any stories and can be used to communicate simple information creatively.
Typography videos
Using words to express an idea or tell a story is what typography videos are. Such videos are great to grab the attention of your audience and convey your message.
These are the top video types that can help promote your brand effectively. Once you’ve narrowed it down, it's time for the next step.
Step 3: Choose the right tools and start creating
You've decided what kind of videos you want to make and now, according to the type, you need to choose the right tool.
There are plenty of tools you can use, but since this article is about how to make a video on a shoestring budget, let’s select a tool that is free or allows a free version. Here are a few free video creation tools that you can consider:
- Clipchamp Create
- FilmoraGo
- Typito
- Animaker
- Animoto
- Biteable
- Adobe Spark
- Wave.video
Now that you've got all the essentials for creating videos on a budget, you can start the process of creating videos.
You could hire an expert to do it, but that might cost a little too much. It's better to try it yourself first.
Also, the tools listed above are easy to use and don't require any expertise. Dive in!
Related: Now is the time to get serious about selling on social media
4 benefits of video marketing for businesses
There are many advantages to using video marketing for your business. Below, we'll discuss all the benefits of making and sharing your own videos.
1. Boosts engagement with your target audience
Sharing a message through videos is quick, easy and effective -- especially when it’s through social media. You can use the following social media platforms to help your business gain more reach:
- YouTube
Posting on any of these platforms will also help you interact with likely customers and promote your business effectively.
2. Helps in generating leads
According to a report from Wyzowl, a whopping 84% of marketers say videos have helped them generate leads. The same report states that 78% of marketers agree that videos directly help boost sales.
3. Improves organic search engine rankings
Videos can also help your website rank higher on the search engine results page (aka SERP). The amount of time a visitor spends on your website, after arriving from the SERP, impacts your rankings. So the more time a visitor spends on your page, the higher your ranking will be. The duration is known as a dwell time, and it is a crucial ranking factor for Google.
4. Increases public awareness of your business
Nothing works better than snack-sized content, which is easy to remember and imprints your business name on the viewers' minds. With video content, you can position your brand as a thought leader and boost brand awareness in a way they’re more likely to remember.
Tips on how to make an amazing video
By now, you know how to make a video. But for a successful video marketing campaign, it's critical to understand what kind of videos your audience prefers. Here are few tips that can help you enhance the chances of success:
- Keep it simple: Bombarding your viewers with too much information at one time will never produce good results — communicate one thing at a time.
- Consider your purpose: Do you want to promote your products or educate your audience? Choose a purpose and then proceed with the idea.
- Tell a story: People love stories, and when you master the craft of telling stories through videos, you will start to develop a real fan base.
- Create an emotional response: Emotional arousal can help you boost social sharing.
- Optimize for search results: This way, you enhance your potential customers' chances of finding your business.
Remember to research your audience’s likes and dislikes. The more you’re able to understand your audience, the better video content you can create.
What's stopping you from going viral?
The answer is just you. Stop making excuses; you've got all the resources you need to make amazing videos and promote your business. Pick a video type and style, choose your tool, and start creating! Who knows, you might end up being an overnight internet sensation.
