Video Production Options: A La Carte Vs. DIY

When editing your video, you have a lot of options. You can hire someone to do it for you; stream live on the go; purchase pre-packaged plugins, video templates, music, and images; or do it all on your own. Each of these have their strengths and weaknesses, and this article serves to look at current trends and technology that might influence your decision in how to edit your video.

Video Marketing Trends

Video marketing has taken on a life of its own as one of the most effective advertising tools available today. Social media influencers are a prime example of just how effective video marketing can be. Even a cursory look at the beauty community on YouTube will demonstrate how marrying marketing with social media can have amazing results, with many of the most popular YouTube beauty celebrities partnering with huge cosmetics companies to release personally branded products.

Live Video

Live video streaming has also had a significant impact on the marketing world. Companies like Samsung and the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team have used live video streaming to unveil new products to the world at large, turning what would normally be a bland release of information into an interactive event. Even the Paul brothers hyped up their live boxing event through YouTube. It is not uncommon to see Twitch or YouTube streamers with thousands of people watching them at any given moment plug or discuss products during their streams. You can find this same trend on Facebook live, Instagram, and nearly every other mainstream social media platform that allows for video streaming. The best part is, live streaming is far less time consuming that editing a full video in post-production. Once it is live, it is posted and done.

AR Video Overlays

Instagram offers up a unique and ingenious new mode of marketing with their filters and stories. While similar to a video template can add a bit of flare to your videos, Instagram has developed filters for free that are hyper-focused on targeting either a business or location. Now, everyone from social media influencers to the average joe can engage in marketing through an overlay on their videos and pictures, showing off a place or product that they endorse. It has almost become the new standard to use a filter, sticker, gif or hashtag when arriving in a new city, and the potential to reach new customers is staggering.

Stories can also be a marketing powerhouse. Social media influencers that are affiliates for businesses have the opportunity to organically mention and even demonstrate products or services to millions of followers in an instant. The casual nature of Instagrams video stories feature is incredibly useful, as it can zero in and market relevant products and services to the masses with very little effort put in by the company.

VR & 360˚ Videos

We are at an unprecedented age of technology, where the bleeding edge of tech has become the norm, and we consume and adapt to new tech rapidly. For instance, a decade ago VR and AR were the stuff of science fiction, while now anyone can pick up a high performance VR rig for relatively cheap, and companies are dipping their toes into widespread use of AR. With this change in perception comes the ability for companies to use this new technology to conduct market research.

Immersive, 360 degree video has also gained a lot of traction in the past couple of years. Especially prevalent on Facebook, companies can now give users a full view of their product, whether it is a music festival, a beach resort, or a Grand Canyon tour group. This gives customers the ability to interact with a marketing campaign like never before, giving them a sense of closeness that would otherwise never have existed. And, it comes at a low cost. You can access heaps of stock 360˚ videos to build your social story.

While 360 degree video cameras used to be quite expensive, representing a barrier to entry for your average person, recently inexpensive and user-friendly 360 degree cameras have become widely available. These cameras are small, and their affordable price-point puts this powerful tool in the hands of creators of any pedigree, not just large companies. This access allows anyone, anywhere, to live-stream 360 degree video which lets their audience engage in a way previously unheard of.

Faster Editing with Templates

While all of these new methods can be outsourced to firms that specialize in them, there are also plenty of options for the intrepid at-home video editor to do it all themselves. Though it can seem challenging at first, with the help of intuitive tutorials you will have your own videos looking professional in no time flat.

There are also gorgeous, editable video templates available for download that will get rid of the hard work of making your video pop. Professional templates will give your video a polished, unique look and can help drive consumers to your product. Not only will you see a boost to your profitability, but you’ll also save a significant amount of money by doing everything from 360 degree video tweaks to bulk file management it on your own.

Try these Envato Elements video templates. Get unlimited templates, photos, stock video for a small monthly fee.

You can often find resources and tutorials for free, but the old adage “you get what you pay for” applies here, and parting with a small amount of capital to make your video attractive to your customer will pay itself off tenfold.