Are you looking to get high-quality video marketing content without having to hire a professional or learn a bunch of new technical skills? It’s hard having a grand vision on an entrepreneur’s budget.
Regardless of the industry, using video marketing is a wise choice. According to data collected by Optinmonster, more than 80 percent of video marketers say video increases ROI, lead generation, traffic, and sales. Studies show video is more likely to hold a person’s attention than text.
Although video marketing is effective, creating polished video content takes time, effort, and money. There’s no doubt that video content is worth the cost, but that cost doesn’t need to be as high as you think.
You don’t need to hire a professional videographer — you just need to know how to produce easy, affordable content.
Work out your budget after you know all your options
It’s no secret that professional videographers charge around $1,000 to edit a 30-minute video. That adds up when you’re producing consistent content for webinars and YouTube. You’re paying for a professional videographer’s expert editing skills, but those are skills you may not even need.
Find out what editing options are available before generating a budget to avoid overspending. You might have a $100,000 budget, but producing video content doesn’t need to cost $100,000. With today’s tools, you don’t have to create your marketing videos from scratch. You can also do your own editing without learning complex pieces of software.
For example, you can create professional, high-quality marketing videos on Promo.com for a low monthly or yearly fee. With video templates made by professionals and loaded with royalty-free stock footage, all you need to do is customize the content.
Avoid focusing on special effects
Video content doesn’t require special effects or fancy editing tricks to be effective. In fact, some of the most effective video content is produced by people who put an iPhone on a tripod, talk to the camera, and make a few jump cuts.
Whether you use an online video service or edit your videos on your computer, don’t worry about fancy special effects.
Stay focused on video quality, audio quality, and message clarity
Audio and video quality are the most important aspects of video marketing. Message clarity comes in second only because that message is lost if the audio and video quality are bad.
If you’re going to spend good money on video marketing, spend it on a professional camera, tripod, microphone, backdrop, and lighting setup. Start by watching equipment reviews on YouTube to find the best tools for your budget.
Think Media compiled a video of interviews with successful YouTubers, asking what equipment they use and why. Another video explains the specific equipment you should get for an inexpensive full setup.
Learn minimal video editing skills
You can edit your own videos if you can learn how to create a smooth jump cut, fade music in and out, and add transitions. It sounds difficult, but this is where YouTube comes in handy again. No matter what video editing software you buy or what you’re trying to accomplish, there’s likely a tutorial on YouTube.
First, find the video editing software that matches your budget and skill level. Some video editing software programs have simple user interfaces, while others are highly complex. For example, Windows Movie Maker has a simple user interface, while Adobe Premiere’s UI is far more complex.
To get an idea of what’s available for all budgets (including free), this review of multiple video editing programs available for Windows and Mac offers some ideas. Once you know which program you want, watch video editing tutorials on YouTube to get a feel for the interface before making a purchase.
Invest the money you save back into your marketing efforts
Use the money you save on video editing to increase your marketing budget. For instance, you might increase your ad spend on social media, start an advertising partnership, or plug the money into your content marketing efforts.
You could also use the money to buy high-quality video equipment, instantly increasing the quality of your marketing videos.
Videos are necessities, like luxuries, in today’s marketing landscape. But you don’t have to have the budget of a behemoth to make the most of them.