Tips for Producing Effective Marketing Videos on a Budget
We all know that video can not be an afterthought for your marketing campaigns, right? According to HubSpot Research, more than 50% of consumers want to see videos from brands, a trend that is pretty consistent across the globe. Additionally, according to Vidyard, businesses see a 500% lift in email conversions with personalized video and a dramatic increase in landing page conversions rates.
While it sounds like a no brainer to add video, we also know that most B2B marketing campaigns do not have Hollywood budgets. So, how can you cost-effectively produce marketing videos for your next marketing or sales project? Use these tips and best practices to make your videos engaging and effective.
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Can’t watch now? Read the transcript.
Say you have an idea for a video and set out to make it but you don’t have anyone to help you, or you don’t have any professional equipment – do you give up or find a large budget for a professional crew?
Hi, I’m Greg, I’m the Creative Director here at SmartAcre® and I’m going to help you create a video on a budget.
Start with planning in advance with a script. Keep the script under a page and make sure to break up the text into smaller chunks so it’s easier to read.
Create a brief storyboard on what type of shots you will like to capture. This also helps with organizing your clips for pre-production.
Now you can create your agenda for the actual day of the shoot. Make sure you give yourself enough time per scene for multiple takes.
No matter what your budget is, keeping some simple tips and techniques in mind will dramatically increase the quality of your work.
Be sure to have the light in front of you, not behind you.
Make sure the phone is close enough to the subject to pick up the audio and be aware of any outside noise such as cars.
If you have a few bucks in the budget, pick up a lav mic for your smartphone and your overall production quality will greatly improve with better sound.
Now read your script, 1 short paragraph at a time. You can always do multiple takes and easily edit out the bad ones.
Once you have the footage, you will want to import the clips in a timeline.
Mac users can use iMovie, while PC users can use OpenShot. Piece together the best takes to recreate your script. Use the storyboard you created in pre-production as a visual aid to help put the video to life.
Remember when your planning, shooting, and editing to always keep your primary goal in mind. What do you want your viewers to learn from your video? What action do you want them to take after they’ve viewed it?
Now it’s time to export the video, upload it to YouTube, Wistia, or Vidyard and share it!
Remember, you can always rinse and repeat the video, by posting to your site, creating a blog, and by cutting up short clips and sharing on social.
In the next series, we’ll share some tips on how to take your videos up a notch by adding talent, a few cool tools and some sizzle in post-production. Now get out there and start recording!