There is no doubt, videos increase conversion rates, aka: sales, downloads, newsletter subscription, new customers etc …
Of course the increase in conversions depends a lot on the quality of the video and on the simplicity and clarity of the message.

That’s why more and more businesses and internet entrepreneurs are looking to create promotional videos, to use on social media channels, such as Youtube & Facebook.

However most small businesses can not afford the 3k+$ for a promotional video or even & 300$ for a budget explainer video or whiteboard animation. But not to worry, we have an answer to:

How to Create a Promotional Video

for Under 100$

Actually, there are 3 options:

1- Get a Basic Explainer Video done by a professional animation agency.
We at AnimationVids, fit this description, Our basic animation rates start at $60 per minute of video, adding a voice narration, HD quality, music and the it would be around $100 for a 1 min basic animation video.
We have better quality packages starting at $250. But our basic videos are pretty good for the price paid.
for this option contact here <<

2- Get a Promotional Video done by an advertising agency.
This consist of an actor presenting the services, or the product, the video is often professionally edited to show or highlight information. In many cases the videos can be of the products without an actor or model speaking.
This option usually costs around 40$/min and can go up to 100$/min.
for this option contact here <<

3- Do it Yourself.
This option is when you really have almost no budget and need to get a DIY solution, be warned, it won’t be easy, and you might have to go through some trial and errors before having an acceptable result. The advantage of the the DIY option is that your video can be as long as you want (even-though we don’t recommend longer than 2 min promotional videos).

DIY Promotional Video

Here are the steps to follow if you decide to do it yourself:

1. Find a creative video idea. Think of something creative, unique, something that will captivate your audience and keep them engaged till the end of the video.
2. Decide the type of videos you want created. You have 3 options, either it is real life –  live action based or graphics based or a mix of both. Real life based, means you either have a person presenting information or a commercial involving humans or real objects. Graphic based, means you rely on graphics and photos.
   In all cases you can also include a screen capture scene, if you need to showcase how to do something online.
3. Write your scenario. Imagine this is a sales pitch, make sure that you explain what your business does in an easy-to-understand way. Try to keep it short and simple, as usually a 1 minute video is ideal.
   The standard way goes like this:
   Present a common need or problem that your typical customer is experiencing;
   Explain how your company can answer the need or fix their problem;
   End it with the company name, tagline and a call to action (e.g. sign-up, call-in)
   Once you finish writing, share it with friends to get feedback, input or even ideas.
4. Write & Record the Voice Over. Now that the script is ready, you will need to adapt it a bit so it would be natural-sounding for voice over artists actors to read in case your video is not showing a talking human.
   If you want to do the Voice narration by yourself, you will need:
   A microphone and an echo free quiet room, For the microphone, a USB microphone, like the Yeti from Blue Microphones is pretty popular and costs around $100-150. However, You can find many free recording tools including GarageBand from Apple, or Audacity for multiplatform.
   Once the voiceover is recorded you can edit it or add a background music within your video editing software, for example LMMS.
   
5. Buy the right equipment. Depending on whether you are creating a live action or a graphic based video production,  you will need different equipment and software, as described previously for the voice you will need a voice recording tool and or a microphone.
   If you want to shoot a live action video, you will need lighting and a video camera.
   If you want to have a graphic based video you will need a video editing software, here’s a list to pick from .
6. Create the video. If you followed all the previous steps, this should go smoothly. Remember to keep it short, no one will sit down to watch a long promotional video! Ask yourself, do you like watching long TV ads? No! So keep it short.
   Remember to Add a call to action. example: visit my website, download my ebook, check out my product, subscribe to my channel, share this video, etc. without having the call to action sound like a sales pitch.
   Once you finish with it, send it to friends and ask them for their honest opinion.
7. Edit your video & Add Music + SFX. Now it is time to fine tune the video, include the audio if it is not already included, you can either edit yourself using the list of video editing software mentioned previously or hire a professional video editor to handle that for you.
   You can also add music and sound effects. To avoid any copyright infringement, i advice you to use royalty free or public domain music and sound effects, Youtube have a nice audio library you can use.
   After you choose the music track and sound effects to use, you will have to add them to your video file in the video editing software, and then adjust the timing to synchronize with the rest of the video.
   • Syncing the Music – Usually a music track is either longer or shorter, you need to cut the music track down in size if it is too long, or position it or even repeat/duplicate it if it is too short. Be sure to have the music track end at the same time as your video.
   • Music Volume – You need  to lower the volume on your music track to be loud enough to be heard, but not preventing the voice from being heard and understood correctly.
   • Fade In / Fade Out – Chances are that your music track is long and you had to cut it. But cutting the track abruptly is a bit amateurish, to make your ending smooth, you can fade out the music at the end. Most video editing software have such an editing function.
8. Upload your video Online / Publish your video. From your video editing software export your video, ideally in high definition (1280×720 or higher). Double check that the video wasn’t altered during the encoding process. Then upload it to free video hosting sites like YouTube, Dailymotion or a paid sites like Vimeo & Wistia. Make sure Your video has:
   • A Good Title – Keep the title short, and might want to include your brand name. You might want to include a keyword as well. For example: Kenzy Accounting – Palto Alto Accounting firm
   • Description – Describe in words what you have just presented in the video, keeping your target audience in mind. Don’t forget to add a link to your site.
   • Tags – Put all the keywords that might be relevant to your video. For example: Accounting firm, Palto Alto ..