The uncertainty of our economy has dominated the conversation in recent months. In these turbulent times, business owners are forced to economize, to trim the fat, to get back to basics.
But how do we do that without undermining our marketing strategies and jeopardizing ROI?

We hunt for budget solutions.

And because video marketing has such a proven track record for providing stellar returns now is not the time to ignore one of the most effective marketing tactics available today.

So to help you find balance between leveraging this medium and reducing your overall costs, we’ve pulled together a few of our favorite budget-friendly video creation tools and tips.

Animated GIFs

Yes, this does count as video and we’re loooong-time supporters of using GIFs in as many ways as possible. Thankfully, in recent years GIFs have made a major comeback. Plus, they’re dirt cheap and stupid-easy to make with the help of tools like:

Picasion – a free tool with some pretty advanced features that allow you to not only customize the speed and size of each frame, but to also create GIFs without those pesky watermarks.

MakeaGif – ‘the free and easy way’ is this sites tagline and the tool doesn’t disappoint. Use it to quickly turn YouTube, personal and webcam videos, as well as photos, into animated GIFs. And their handy new Chrome extension even lets you add GIFs to your Facebook comments!

And instead of creating your own, you could just as easily snag free, ready-made GIFs from libraries like Giphy or Tenor.

For ideas on how to use your GIFs most effectively, check out our guide here.

User-Generated Content

In a recent study by KoMarketing Associates, 51% of marketers indicate customer testimonials have the biggest impact compared to other video types.

So why not engage your most loyal customers and ask them to submit a quick testimonial. Then post that free video footage to your website and social media channels, spreading the love for you both. It’s a win-win!

DIY Videos

In the same study, tutorial videos won the coveted runner-up spot for most effective video with 50% of the vote, and demo videos came it at #3 with 49%. Which couldn’t be more perfect because you can shoot either video type using something as simple as your iPhone. We dug up this guide filled with best practices and easy tricks for shooting quality video with an iPhone.

Let’s be honest here, if millennials can make boatloads of cash shooting YouTube makeup tutorials in front of their bedroom mirrors using a cameraphone, I think we can all master it too.

Upcycling

If you’ve invested in video production in the past, don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ve created a single-serving video. Work with your production team and seek their advice on how you could repurpose your existing video to create something shiny and new.

Here are some common upcycling options we provide our clients:

• splicing out the intro and/or outro logo animation for use in emails, on social media or on their website
• creating a 15-second teaser video using splices of the original content
• reusing the original illustrations to create a second video with slight script changes can help reduce the production costs for a second, possibly more targeted, video

The key to leveraging video in a way that’s easy on your bottom line, is to get creative. It’s never been easier to point, shoot and upload a fully customizable video to pretty much anywhere. So take advantage of these easy to use tools and start creating your videos today!