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Mar 1, 2022
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How to Make Videos Without Hiring a

Professional
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by Digital Marketing Institute

Posted on Mar 1, 2022

Videos are a powerful promotional tool that all businesses need to be using in
order to stay competitive. Many consumers prefer to get information through
video rather than text. 

Consumers are continually dealing with information overload, and while they
might be able to click past a new piece of written content, a new video is more
likely to make them stop and watch. Often they are hoping to see if they can
gather new information quickly and in an interesting, creative way.

If you are not using video marketing

(https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/2018-04-25-the-importance-of-
video-marketing), it’s time to learn why it’s so important to the growth and
success of your business. And the good news is that you can learn how to
make your own videos without hiring a professional.
 The Benefits of Using Video
Using video is often the best way to gain the attention of your target audience.
Videos are a way of delivering informative content that, when done right, can
really improve your search engine optimization (SEO)
(https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/what-is-seo-and-why-is-it-
important) and can quickly go viral. Customers are much more likely to engage
with, comment on and share videos than text.

Customers often want to get to know you as a person. You are the voice and
creativity behind your company. They want to be able to put a face to a brand,
and video brings your personality to life and makes your brand seem more real
to an audience. Knowing who you are often makes customers more engaged,
interested, and loyal.

Customers are more likely to watch most of a video than to read the entirety of
your written content. Many are visual learners, and these types of people often
can absorb the information in a video much more easily than written content.
This is one reason why video conversion rates, especially of social media
videos (https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/9-ideas-for-social-media-
videos), typically outperform other types of marketing content.

Get Started Making Videos

While truly professional videos may cost a lot more than you are able or willing
to pay, it’s possible to create videos that can be used as part of your
marketing strategy at a surprisingly affordable cost. Amateur filmmakers such
as YouTube (https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/4-youtube-
optimization-tips-for-digital-marketers) personalities often use nothing more
than their mobile phone to make their videos.
Courses Keyword search... A
A smartphone can actually make a pretty decent video and can be edited
(https://my.digitalmark
using(/resources)
Trending downloadable apps Micro
Articles suchLessons
as iMovie (https://www.apple.com/lae/imovie/).
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(/)
Other equipment that amateurs can use to make videos include a laptop,
tablet Resources
or a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera. RELATED FREE
(https://my.digitalmark
VIDEO LESSONS
Of these choices, the DSLR camera will probably give the clearest pictures, but
Display and Video Advertising

all of these can be used to do the job of creating videos for your website or Targeting
(/resources/lessons/display-
other marketing purposes.
(http://www.facebook.com/share.php? and-video-
u=https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/ajax- advertising_targeting_2vkc)
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YouTube and Social Video

The fact that you are an amateur video creator doesn’t need to be obvious.
Channel Updates
There are several tricks that can improve the quality of the videos that you (/resources/lessons/youtube-
and-social-video_channel-
make using simple equipment. Many people have already learned these updates_494t)
methods through working from home
Display and Video Advertising

(http://www linkedin com/shareArticle? Video Management

(http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle? Video Management
(https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/9-tips-for-working-and-studying-
mini=true&url=https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/ajax- (/resources/lessons/display-
hub/hub_get_logged_in_content/blog/how- and-video-
to- from-home) for long periods during the Covid-19 pandemic and advertising_video-
make-
videos- communicating with the world through a screen. management_0nog)
without-
hiring-
a- Use plenty of light: Use natural light that is available to you, or use artificial View Courses
professional&source=digitalmarketinginstitute.com) (https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/
lighting. Remember, make sure you don’t place your main light source behind view-courses-lesson-box)
your subject. While sunlight is best in early morning or evening, usually when it
(https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?
text=https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/ajax-
is low on the horizon, artificial lighting can be done with work lights or clip
hub/hub_get_logged_in_content/blog/how-
to-
make- lights set up strategically.
videos-
without-
hiring- Set up a tripod or a stable surface: Stabilization of your video equipment is
a-
important to avoid sudden moves or quivers that affect the quality of what you
professional)
are shooting. A phone can be propped up against books or other items to
remain stationary.

Close range: Equipment should be set up at close range for best audio effect.
A dedicated microphone may greatly improve the sound of your video and
minimize any background noise.

Be aware of what may show in the background: If there is a room in your

home that has a white or solid colored wall and not much around that may be
distracting, this is probably the ideal location.

Sound: Choose a small, quiet room for maximum sound quality, and avoid
large spaces with lots of echo. Make sure that the shooting area will be quiet
when you are filming and that people won’t be walking in and out or calling
you on the phone. Turn off nearby appliances, such as fans or televisions.
Make sure children won’t barge in while you are filming. Background noise
such as traffic, sirens, and barking dogs will detract from the message you’re
trying to communicate. If filming on your phone, be aware of where the
microphone is placed, and make sure you don’t accidentally cover it while
filming.

Presentation: If you are speaking, turn the phone so that you can watch
yourself while you are recording. This will help you notice simple problems
such as hairs out of place, a glare on your eyeglasses or a folded collar. Avoid
clothing with tight patterns, or with visual labels, logos or text.

Online Video Creation Tools

Another approach to making marketing videos is to use online video creation
tools. These tools can help to simplify the process of making videos and can
help you to overcome obstacles that may be holding you back, such as
believing that you don’t have the expertise to accomplish this.

Video creation tools (https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/15-04-2018-

top-10-video-editing-tools-for-small-business) allow you to create a variety of
different types of videos. Most are reasonably priced or free, and include:
Animoto (https://animoto.com/) – With this you can take your video clips,
photos and text, and combine them with music from their library to create
online videos. There are also customizable templates available.

Adobe Spark (https://spark.adobe.com/home/?red=av) – This tool allows you

to combine video clips, icons and photos in order to create an engaging video.
Using this tool is a great way to get started, even when you have no design
expertise.

Ripl (https://www.ripl.com/) – This offers an easy way to create short videos to

stimulate engagement. You can add photos or text that you want to include
and choose a design. Then you can simply write a caption, add hashtags and
share.

Vyond (https://www.vyond.com/) – Create media that moves such as

whiteboard animations or animated GIFs. Get started with pre-built templates
and customize with color, text and characters.

Camtasia (https://www.techsmith.com/video-editor.html) – This software can

be used to create video tutorials and presentations using screencast.

Canva (https://www.canva.com/video-editor/) – Already a great resource for

creating graphics and lots more
(https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/videos/walkthrough-guide-
canva), Canva also offers customisable video templates, where you can drag
and drop videos clips and utilise stock music, elements, and images.

Powtoon (https://www.powtoon.com/) – Powtoon allows you to create

animated or live-action videos using ready made video templates, animated
characters, designed elements, and royalty-free images, footage, and
soundtracks.

Bitable (https://biteable.com/) – With a free plan available, Bitable offers

template animations and stock footage, with collaboration features available
on paid plans.

Using these tools will allow you to create videos that are much more affordable
than traditional video productions. You can create tutorials and other
informative content that is dynamic and engaging for a more responsive and
interested audience.

Get Ready to Create a Video

Before you sit down and try to film a video, have a clear idea of your theme or
focus. Your video should focus on the value you are trying to provide to your
customers rather than coming across as a sales pitch. What is the message
you are hoping to deliver? Do you have a way to help your audience achieve a
desired result in a quick or simple way that they might not have thought of?
If you shoot a test video of a few seconds before you film the actual video, you
may notice distractions or problems with lighting or audio. Write out a script
ahead of time and stick to the script as much as possible. Try to avoid
rambling and going off on a tangent. If you need to, place post-it notes at key
points within your line of vision, so you don’t lose your train of thought. Waiting
a few seconds before you start speaking, and leaving a few seconds before
you hit ‘stop’ will make editing a lot easier.

Add humor if you can and avoid speaking in a monotone or sounding boring. If
you do, you are sure to put people to sleep, or worse, they won’t hang around
to watch the video at all.

Final Thoughts
People have a limited attention span, so your video should be reasonably short
and get right to the point. Give your target market a reason to pay attention. If
you find that when you actually film your video, you get completely off-track,
you can just film it again.

Try to make your message helpful and fun. At the end of the video, ask your
viewers to like, comment and share your video if they enjoyed it. When filming
is complete, review the footage and edit it if necessary. There are several video
editing apps available for iPhone. Make sure the lighting and sound is good
quality.

When you are satisfied with your video, share it online. Embed it on your blog
and share it on social media (https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/11-04-
2018-the-ultimate-guide-to-video-marketing-on-social-media) to ensure
maximum exposure. Get into the habit of posting videos on a regular basis to
increase your web presence.

The first video you make and share will be the most challenging, but once you
have gotten the knack of it, you will find that making videos is a great way to
be creative, communicate your message and promote your unique brand.

Article updated 2022

Related Articles
↗ The Best Super Bowl Ads of 2022

↗ An In-Depth Look at Marketing on TikTok

↗ 9 Ideas for Social Media Videos

↗ 10 Ways to Grow Your YouTube Channel

↗ The 10 Creative Fundamentals of Video

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