How to Make Good Marketing Videos Even If You’re Camera Shy

Brendan Schneider
Aug 8, 2017 · 4 min read
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We all know by now that videos are the most powerful tool for marketing in today’s online world. The best way, by far, to drive client engagement and enrollment is through visual imagery and storytelling. The magic of education comes alive by sharing stories through compelling tales of your student’s transformational journey. Every school has a story to tell — what’s yours? Click here to learn how to ask the right questions to tell your school’s story.

Whether you’re new or experienced marketing for your school, if you’re like most people you shudder at the thought of pushing “live” on Facebook Live. If this describes you, you’re not alone!

First of all, you don’t have to look like a supermodel to appear on camera. So let’s get that out of the way. People relate to real people. It’s OK to be yourself on camera. But if you’re not comfortable, I suggest you make practice videos (you can always discard them) and spend time studying videos you like for inspiration. (Here are some tips to help you get started, including suggestions for the right equipment.) Remember that videos should be short (90 seconds is ideal) and you should direct your narrative to one person — your ideal customer.

Since audiences are 10X likely to share videos on social media (Content Marketing Institute) and we know that video content increases engagement and results in enrollments for your school, animated videos can be an excellent alternative and a great way to draw people in to engage with your blog and social media networks.

There are many ways to create marketing videos. Here are 5 alternative types of videos you can make besides talking directly into the camera.

  1. Powerpoint or Keynote Video

A very popular type of video is the narrated PowerPoint (Keynote if you’re on a Mac). It’s a simple type of video. Use your presentation software, add your voice narration and, presto, you’ve got a video! Need step by step instructions on how to do this? There are lots of YouTube “How to” videos on this topic.

  1. Screencast Videos

Screencast videos are very popular (and powerful) so they are definitely something you want in your video marketing arsenal.

Here are a few screen recording tools to consider:

These apps include editing features:

  1. Photo Montage

This is a very easy and effective type of video for school marketing. Turn your photos and video clips into a professional slideshow in minutes. There are even free apps to use! Here are some of my favorites:

Free Download: How to Make Good Marketing Videos Even If You’re Camera Shy
Free Download: How to Make Good Marketing Videos Even If You’re Camera Shy
  1. Explainer Videos

Explainer videos (also called whiteboard videos) are short (60–90 seconds) online marketing videos that are used to explain something. Usually, they follow a script that goes something like this:

The Problem: describe the problem or pain your school solves for parents and students

The Solution: introduce your school as the answer

How It Works: explain how parents can enroll in your school. Can they come take a tour and talk with someone before enrollment? What is the enrollment process?

Call To Action: tell parents what they should do next.

That’s it — short and simple!

Explainer (whiteboard) video creation tools:

  1. Animated Videos

People make lightning fast decisions about what to pay attention to as they scan their newsfeeds. Animated videos add movement that will attract the eye and add value immediately. This is especially true when making video ads. A case study by Veeroll found that ads with animation actually perform better than a talking head video. (DigitalMarketer)

Animation video tools have advanced in the last few years to be more than a fun tool for teenagers. Animation works for just about any type of video you want to make. Prominent marketing companies like Hubspot, Video Brewery and Switch Video have recognized the benefits of this trend.

Here are some great animated video tools to get you started:

As you can see, there are lots of tools and information out there to help support your video marketing efforts, even if you’re a little camera shy! And, once you have your video created, use this post to help you get your video seen in Facebook newsfeeds.

What type of videos do you want to create for your marketing program? Which tools interest you? What favorite tool do you use that I missed? Please leave a comment below.


Brendan Schneider

Written by

I help schools and non-profits use #inboundmarketing and #socialmedia at SchneiderB.com.

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