A Simple Step-By-Step Guide to Making Videos for Small Businesses

Easily define your audience and create amazing videos that engage your customers and incentivize them to buy.

If you don’t have a ton of experience in video production, the prospect of crafting the perfect video ad can be daunting. As a small business, you probably think that you don’t have the budget or the time, either.

We’ve got good news– this is just a myth. Companies launch great video campaigns all the time without a large production, and we’re going to show you how.

More and more small businesses are leveraging the power of video to retain and attract new customers. With 84% of consumers stating that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video, you could be missing a massive opportunity by not using video to promote your brand.

To help you take advantage of video for your business, we’ve rounded up six fundamental rules for a step-by-step guide for your small business to reap the benefits of video ads.

• Step 1: Set a goal
• Step 2: Compose your message
• Step 3: Create your video
• Step 4: Close with your call to action
• Step 5: Review your masterpiece
• Step 6: Promote it on social media
• Summary

Step 1: Set a goal

Whether you’re creating a tutorial, product review, or a video ad, one rule remains constant: you must first set a clear and defined goal. To ensure that you don’t run afoul by confusing your audience with a convoluted message, it is essential that each video has a single goal. If you have more than just one objective that you wish to achieve, that’s fine, it just means that you’ll need to make multiple videos.

Many goals can be achieved through the medium of video, you just need to decide which matches your current business needs. Are you running a promotional campaign and want to get the word out? Do you want to increase engagement on social media? Or simply boost conversions?

Just remember – one goal per video.

Step 2: Compose your message

Now that you understand your video's purpose, you must now ask yourself– "what is the most important message I need to deliver in this video?"

You've structured your video ad's goal upon your business's market needs, to get the best results from your ad, your message should focus on your audience's needs. When crafting your message, you need to think from your audience's perspective. What do they want to hear?

Whatever your goal, you must keep your message short, to the point, and delivered in such a way as to incite a response. Make sure that you finish with a clear CTA which is relevant to your goal. If your goal is to gain more followers on social media, say, "Don't Forget to Follow Us!"

Step 3: Create your video

We've broken down the video-making process into 3-easy steps so regardless of your video topic, you can start creating right away.

1. Choose a template - With your goal in mind, and armed with your recently composed message, it's time to find a template that can effectively share your message. Search AdDirector’s extensive library of cutting-edge templates that are pre-designed for any promotion.

2. Add your message and CTA - Now that you've selected the perfect template, personalize the text with your message and end with a CTA. Whatever you choose to write needs to complement your video, there's no need to write something that you can show visually. Your chosen template will help you keep your copy concise and ensure that it transitions in time with your footage.

3. Swap video or music - Background music can play a vital role in driving the video's narrative. If you don't think the music is right for your audience, change it. The same goes for the footage as well. If you love the motion graphic titles and transition effects, but you still want to add a personal touch to the template, swap the music or footage with more appropriate content – there is plenty to choose from!

You don't need to buy an expensive video camera to create a high-quality video ad. Customize your template with thousands of royalty-free images and videos powered by iStock by Getty Images.

Example:

Step 4: Close with your call to action

Just as the intro is essential in capturing your audience's attention, your video's final frame, otherwise known as an outro, can play a critical role in leaving a lasting impression. Here is where you should prominently feature your company logo and a compelling CTA.

If a viewer has watched your video to completion, they have demonstrated a clear interest in your brand, and you need to prompt them on what to do next. Your CTA needs to be crystal clear and to direct the viewer on the required action. There's no need to get too creative here; keep it simple, and ONLY USE ONE.

You've saved the best for last, and this is where you close the deal, so to speak. Your company logo tells the viewer who you are, and the CTA tells them what they should do next.

Example:

Step 5: Review your masterpiece

If you’ve reached this stage, you should have brought together all the different elements in this guide and have a video ad fit to represent your business. But before you send it out into the ether, it’s wise to double-check your work.

Watch and review the video a few times to ensure that there aren't any silly errors that could hinder the user's experience and detract from your message. Ensure that the text, fonts, and colors are consistent throughout the video and there are no typos. Pay close attention to the visuals, copy, and music. Do they complement each other and enhance your message? It might be a good idea to show it to someone else and get an outside perspective.

Spend a little time contemplating how your audience might view this video. If they're likely to view your video on social media, then you should be aware that most videos are watched on mute. Ensure your video's intent is still clear without sound and consider adding closed captions as well. It will do wonders for your SEO.

Step 6: Promote it on social media

Now that you’ve composed your masterpiece, and any little errors have been removed, now it’s time to get your video out there. Make sure to upload your video in multiple locations such as your website, any blogs that you’ve published, and your email list. But for ultimate market saturation, the best place to upload your video ad is on social media.

Multiple platforms are frequently used by businesses for marketing purposes. Still, it’s up to you to decide which platform is best for your business. Video content performs exceedingly well, often generating many times more shares than any other medium of communication. Plus, many platforms provide advertising tools that allow companies to target their ads at specific demographics.

Easier than you thought, right?

There you have it, six simple steps to making fantastic video ads that are bound to engage your viewers. Whether you want to increase your sales, boost engagement, or increase your company's profile online, you can follow this guide to create videos that grow your business.

If you found this article useful, why not venture over to our ultimate guide for video marketing? Our guide covers everything you need to know when creating ads or promotional videos for your brand or business.