Originally posted on BrandGlue
We’ve all heard how important video is for social media. We are expecting that video will account for 69% of all consumer traffic by 2017 and that social will be the front door to capture that traffic (if you want to nerd out over the data check out the Cisco research). But is it really worth it to your bottom line to hire a videographer for your team? What’s the true ROI from video? How can you convince your boss that it’s worth the money you want to spend on video? The good news is that video doesn’t have to be expensive and even if you don’t have a video department, there are things you can do internally to help boost your video presence online. We’ve pulled together some of our favorite examples of clever videos online that won’t break your marketing budget.
15-Second Interview Video
Interviews can be fun even without the wit and humor that this one has, but either way, you can create inexpensive, quick videos that are almost immediately shareable. Since social media moves so fast, this can be incredibly useful with current events, holidays or company activities. People appreciate authenticity and “realness” in the companies they follow, so don’t worry too much about making these polished. Sometimes the imperfections work in your favor — just be sure your audio is good. Show your human side and have fun with it!
Stop-Motion Video
These can be as simple or as elaborate as you want to want them to be. Heck, you can even use a prop that you probably already have on hand >> post-it notes. We’ve seen some incredibly creative video that use stop-motion. Everything from claymation to drawing to images of people. Here are a few of our favorites:
Use Sticky Notes
Use Dots and String
Close-Up of an Action Video
This is one place where you can get really creative and tailor the video to your specific company. Think about something mundane that you could film around the office to get your message across in a different way. Maybe it’s drawing a word, like the video below. Or maybe it’s making a timelapse of the office kitchen, giving your audience a glimpse into the real life of your company. You can also use slow motion on your phone! Everyday activities can morph into something beautiful and intriguing:
How to Video
Another easy idea is to set up recording your screen and create a “how-to” or “product tour” video with practical tips for your audience. These can be as simple as 15-seconds or as elaborate as 20-minutes. Often times your audience needs more hand-holding when it comes to using your product and video is a quick way to get that hand-holding to a lot of people at once. Here’s an example of a how-to video on setting up Instagram (which you should probably do, if you have not already):
Just Make Them Laugh Video
Lastly, sometimes you don’t really need a reason for the video other than just to make your audience laugh. I mean, has a day really gone by where you didn’t watch or share a dumb YouTube video with a coworker or friend? One great example of an inexpensive way to create humor for your audience >> record people making a fool of themselves: