Pete walks through making a promotional video on a budget. Keep it around 2 minutes, size it 401-600 pixels wide on your landing page, and use cheap tools like Fiverr or Biteable to produce it without big upfront costs.
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Hi, I'm Pete from HubSpot and today I'm going to talk about how to create a professional promo video on a budget. If you enjoy this video, don't forget to like it and subscribe to our channel. Post any questions or suggestions you have in the comments below. Let's get started Right now, content creation is moving toward video based mediums. Even for landing pages, videos have shown to convert better than text. So why isn't every single business exploring a video strategy the biggest barrier? Videos have a reputation as an inaccessible form of marketing, especially for businesses on the smaller side. And while it's partially true that videos are usually more time consuming and more expensive to create than text based content, smaller businesses can still have success investing in them. But not all video content converts. You can't just throw up a random video on your landing page and expect it to increase conversions. Not to worry. Today we'll look at a few of the most important elements of a converting video. Let's get started. Keep it short and sweet. This is perhaps the most important element in driving conversions with video based content. People are growing more impatient when it comes to online content. We all want answers now. ASAP. Yesterday according to YouTube, it's totally normal to see a gradual decline in audience retention after the first few minutes of your video. This just means viewers are losing a bit of attention over time. At HubSpot, we've found that the best performing videos clock in around two minutes. As a basic rule of thumb, the longer you take to get to the main point, the fewer people will stick around. But if your video strategy needs to be long form, don't sweat it. You should focus on providing the best, most informative experience for your viewer. Avoid fluff, but don't rush through important information. Take the time to explain your point completely and your viewers will stick around. Number 2Optimize your video size and placement. Size, placement and dimensions are three important factors that can influence your video's conversion rate. In another study from Wistia, they took a look at 95,000 different pages to understand how video size impacts conversion rates. To achieve this, they divided the typical landing page into seven distinct zone zones. As per this image, video content that appeared in zones displayed above the fold got more plays than those that appeared below the fold. Check out this chart to visualize the drop off in views across zones. Video height and width are two important factors that impact play rates and conversions. According to Wistia, videos with a width between 401 to 600 pixels and and a height between 301 to 450 pixels tend to drive more plays as these dimensions won't dominate your screen or appear too small to click. 3 Develop a compelling script the first step in producing any great promo video for cheap is coming up with your own script. Most marketers will hire a company right out of the gate to develop a video script, but to save money, you can complete this step within your own team. You need a video script that resonates with your audience. Luckily, you can often come up with a script based on your existing written content pages. To break it down, here are some of the key factors to include in your script. First, use an intriguing opening line to capture attention. Then use visual social proof to back up those claims. Next, show how easy it is to use your product. After that, show what your product does and what benefits it provides. Finally, explain how the user derives value from it. More conversions, Better sales. Name the problem it'll solve. 4. Find the right style for your target market. You'll also need to figure out what style of video is best for your target market. For example, a video for a GoPro is going to be vastly different from a SaaS product, right? The GoPro video will show the product in use in real time, showing actual footage rather than animated clips. The SaaS product video will likely show the application in use and animated shorts to add style and appeal to the video. The key here is to understand your market and what they want to see. To get started, conduct some basic competitor research or search from the top companies in your niche. For example, if you have a mobile app, you can search for the top applications of 2017. The goal here is to get familiar with the most popular companies in your niche to create video that performs just as good as, if not better than, theirs. Once you've done this, it's time to get the video produced. Number five Produce it for cheap to minimize risk. Creating compelling video content isn't cheap. Agencies can cost thousands of dollars to produce a single video for your business, but a good video shouldn't come at the risk of bankrupting your budget on one that doesn't resonate or convert. Minimizing risk is key when introducing a new medium to your content marketing plan. The goal is to identify ways to produce your video with a small budget, allowing you to test the waters before diving in headfirst. A great place to start is by heading to a freelance service like Fiverr. Depending on your needs. If you need an animated style video short for your landing page, click Fiverr is your best bet for getting it done. On a budget, you can quickly find great video animators and production specialists at a low cost. If you can't find a good production specialist on Fiverr, try locating one on Upwork. You can also post a job listing to have qualified freelancers apply to your job. If you prefer to make your own animated video, you can easily do that using Biteable, a free software online that allows you to create amazing animated promo videos and product explainers. It has tons of pre crafted animation slides that you can drag and drop to create a fantastic promo video for your business. Remember, video content doesn't have to be expensive, but as marketers continue to find new ways to reach customers, it's not always easy moving your budget into new mediums, especially those that have a reputation as costly like video marketing. But in this case, it's necessary and doesn't have to break the bank. Looking for even more help with your video marketing efforts? Click the link in the description to learn more. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this video, be sure to like it and subscribe. Let me know how you're doing in the comments below.
