What is Video Marketing?
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- What is Video Marketing?
- What are the Different Types of Marketing Videos?
- What Crew Do You Need to Make a Marketing Video?
- How Much Does a Marketing Video Cost?
- Conclusion
Introduction
Now more than ever before, videos are the best way to captivate the attention of potential customers. In fact, studies have proven that website viewers spend 88% more time on sites with videos and are twice as likely to share video content with friends than any other media (Olenski; "Video Marketing Statistics").
But what is video marketing? What forms does it come in? And how can you make the most of your production budget to convert viewers into paying customers?
My name is Hannah Robertson: Force Media’s copywriter with years of writing experience. Today, I am going to give you a brief overview of what video marketing is and what you need to know to make one.
What is Video Marketing?
Video marketing is any video designed with the intention of promoting a product or service and, ultimately, convincing viewers to take a specific action that benefits the highlighted business.
These videos range anywhere between advertisements you might find of TV or Facebook to training videos for onboarding employees.
What are the Different Types of Marketing Videos?
1. Brand Videos
As best defined on our designated page, “a brand video tells the unique story of your business in 3-5 minutes and helps convert viewers into lifelong customers. This video is the centerpiece of your website, digital ads, and marketing campaign.”
These videos are a great way to:
- increase leads, sales and conversions;
- establish industry brand authority;
- grow website traffic;
- elevate brand awareness;
- and connect with your target audience.
2. Paid Digital Ads
Paid digital ads are any ads specifically designed for digital marketing purposes on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
Social media video ads consistently:
- increase investment return;
- share your story quickly;
- improve brand awareness;
- and drive traffic to your website or landing page.
3. Custom Videos
Custom videos are any marketing videos that aren’t brand videos or videos specifically designed for social media platforms. Examples of custom marketing videos could include:
- internal onboarding and education;
- customer testimonials;
- sales training and case studies;
- product demos;
- event hype or recap;
- documentaries;
- and much more!
Custom videos are the best tools for saving your business time and, therefore, money. For example, instead of having to train every single new employee that comes in, a series of videos can do it for you.
For more information on each of the three marketing video types, check out this blog post!
What Crew Do You Need to Make a Marketing Video?
Regardless of how many people this equates to, all video productions need these positions covered:
- Director
- Creative Director
- Director of Photography
- Producer
- Gaffer
- Sound Mixer
- Assistant Director
- Camera Operator
- Script Supervisor
- Editor
Each crew member holds an important role in the pre-production, production, and/or post-production stages of video making. Without a good crew, there would be no one to schedule an effortless filming day, set up a good shot, or make sure the finished product matches the vision.
For a complete guide to crew responsibilities, check out this blog post!
How Much Does a Marketing Video Cost?
A marketing video can cost anywhere between $1,000 to $25,000+. I know; that’s a HUGE gap. To determine how much your marketing video would cost, it is important to consider many budgetary factors:
- Complexity of the Video
- Video Length
- Whether You Are Using a Script or Not
- Size of Crew
- Your Media Marketing Agency
Complexity of the Video
The more special requests you want your marketing video to include, the more of an investment is needed to make your vision come to life.
Some budget questions to consider might include:
- Do you want one video or multiple?
- How many days will this take to shoot?
- Will you need a permit to film at your desired location?
- Will you need to hire actors for this video?
- When do you need this to be filmed?
- What is the due date of the final video?
- Do you have any other special requests? (Color grade style, movement style, aspect ratio, frame rate, resolution, camera/lens choice?)
- Do you want any animations? If so, 2D or 3D animations?
- Do you want to include any special effects or copyrighted music?
As you can see, there are many choices to make at each stage of the video production process, and each has the power to take a video’s budget from $10,000 to $25,000 and so on. Understanding which requests are most important for your business will help maximize profits from a budget you can afford.
Video Length
Typically, a longer video means more time on set and, occasionally, more crew to compensate. Even so, there are times where a longer video is a worthy investment, especially if it will save you time in the future.
For more advice on which length works best for your marketing video, check out this blog post!
Whether You Are Using a Script or Not
Some marketing videos, like testimonials, work best without a script to maintain an authentic feel. However, other videos depend on scripts as an excellent way to:
- Plan shots
- Consider the best possible wording
- Speed filming
- Speed editing
Overall, scripts can save you time and money on your marketing video by speeding the process and creating a sense of order on and off set.
Size of Crew
A bigger production means more crew, and more crew means more money. Regardless of production, there are several crew positions that must be covered for a proper shoot as mentioned above.
Even so, a smaller production may be able to have certain crew members double up on responsibilities, therefore making the crew size smaller and, typically, less expensive.
Your Media Marketing Agency
Assuming you do not assemble a film crew from scratch, the media marketing agency you choose to work with will hold the greatest influence on your marketing video’s cost because every media marketing agency offers different rates based on their experience, reputation, and quality of work.
Media marketing agency rates may look something like this:
- $1,000 to $5,000 for a cheap agency.
- $10,000 to $15,000 for a middle-ground agency
- $25,000+ for an expensive agency.
But be careful! Cost does not always equate to the quality of work you will receive. For this reason, it is important to choose your media marketing agency carefully and determine your budget before signing a contract.
Conclusion
Key takeaways:
- Video marketing is any video designed with the intention of promoting a product or service and, ultimately, convincing viewers to take a specific action that benefits the highlighted business.
- There are three main types of marketing videos—brand videos, paid digital ads, and custom videos. Each have proven to establish authority, increase return on investment, and save time.
- It is important that all video productions have a director, creative director, gaffer, sound mixer, editor and more to ensure a smooth production with minimal stress.
- Marketing video costs vary from $1,000 to $25,000+ depending on the complexity of the video, the video length, whether you are using a script or not, the size of your crew, and your media marketing agency.
There you have it! Now you know what video marketing is, what forms it takes, who you need to help you with it, and how you should budget for production. For more detailed information on each topic discussed, visit our blog.
Still feeling stuck? Force Media is happy to help! As a media marketing agency cross-trained in video production, we have helped countless clients transform their video marketing campaigns into tangible profit. Just fill out our discovery form, and our team will be in touch with you within 24 hours.
Thank you for reading, and we look forward to bringing your video marketing ideas to life!
-------------------
Works Cited
Olenski, Steve. "Using Video In Marketing: Why Wouldn't You?" Forbes, 10 Sept. 2015.
"Video Marketing Statistics 2023." Wyzowl, 2023.
