Video is now an essential component of any online marketing strategy – it is no longer a luxury. The Hubspot study, State of Video Marketing Report 2018, is only one of the many indicators that video is beginning to take over digital marketing. 81% of marketers use video, a more than 20% increase year over year. Of the 19% that did not use video last year, half of them are eager to use it this year.
This does not mean that you have to buy a six figure camera and build an AV addition to your headquarters to compete! Quite the contrary. You can easily add low cost video to your digital marketing strategy. Here are a few of the best ways to do so.
Authenticity
Part of being a marketing expert is marketing your own content! If you know that you do not have the best equipment and you cannot outsource, prepare your audience for that experience.
How many videos have you watched, laughed at, liked and shared that were shot on an iPhone or a low quality camera? When you shared this content, you were not worried about the production value, because the author made no promises about production. The value is in the authenticity of the content.
How do you draw attention to authenticity rather than to production value? Your thumbnail and title are important, especially the title. Take your most vibrant, personal shot and place it as your thumbnail. Use the title to draw attention to the emotion in the shot, which will draw attention away from the production value.
Tell a story!
Sound in Video
Believe it or not, the sound that you produce in your video will influence how your audience feels about the video itself. Because more and more people are listening to video content in headphones on mobile devices, they can become very annoyed with poor audio.
Audio is less expensive to produce than video – much less expensive. You can get a semi pro favorite – the Blue Yeti – for under US $150. This and a bit of post production will all but eliminate the clicks, pops and static that makes unprofessional audio so harsh to listen to. If you can do this, the halo effect extends to your video, and your content becomes easier to watch.
Good Editing
The editing on your video can make or break it. You can add humor, pacing and story to your content through great editing. Getting a great editing platform is also much less expensive than investing in expensive cameras.
If you do not have any money at all, you can start with WeVideo. All of the tools on this platform are in the cloud – you do not even have to download much of anything to get started. It is also incredibly easy to use. You can expand your skills by simply looking up the effects that you want to achieve on YouTube.
The best practices above will ensure that you have the video to compete in a world of consistent marketing upgrades. Do not let your digital marketing program fall behind because of the fear of incorporating expensive video. You can absolutely have low-cost video that gets the job done – all you really have to do is look in the right places!
