These days, brand videos are everywhere. Over the past few years, video has quickly become the favorite marketing medium for brands and consumers. Many people say that watching a video is their preferred way to learn about a new product or service.
If you're looking to create a video for your brand, the first thing you're probably going to ask yourself is, "How much is it going to cost?" So, let's break it down.
What is a branded video?
Simply put, a branded video is a video created to drive brand awareness. It is often distributed across social media and company websites as a way to introduce your company to your audience. This type of video helps consumers understand your company and its offerings, and contributes to your customers' perceptions of your business.
Rather than promoting your product or services, a branded video is specifically meant to showcase your company's overall brand. It explains what your business is about and can exponentially help its success.
Costs of creating a killer brand video
Generally speaking, two major factors affect cost when making a marketing video: talent and tools.
Talent
The talent, or expertise of the people involved, will determine how much your video will cost and the quality of the final product. If you go to a video production company, you're likely to meet plenty of talented individuals who are passionate about video marketing. But this amount of experience and drive comes at a price.
On the other hand, if you're looking to save money, there's no solid rule that you must use professionals! If you feel confident in front of the camera, you could create a quick video blog and post that as your brand video. It's simple and cost-efficient.
Tools
There are so many devices you can use to create videos, from smartphones to state-of-the-art video cameras. Which tools you should use depends on how much you are willing to spend.
You can get a slick, professional video created in just a couple of weeks from a production company. All you have to do is hand over a couple thousand dollars, and they do everything for you with their own instruments – video cameras, editing software, professional voiceover recordings and perhaps even animation software.
However, not everyone has a couple thousand dollars to spare. So, it's great that there are tools at your disposal to assist you in creating your own brand video, for almost no cost at all.
You can always film yourself and market that as your brand video or, if you're camera shy, create a video about your website or app. In this case, you would simply record your website on one of your devices and edit the footage using free editing software.
Let's delve deeper into the types of brand videos you might create to determine the actual costs.
Types of videos and their associated costs
When you decide to make a video, you can make one on your own or spend more money to have it made professionally.
| Type | How it works | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Amateur | If you already have the technology you need, you won't have to invest any more money into your brand video – only time. However, if you decide to make a screen-recorded video, you will need to record a voiceover to explain to the viewer what is happening on screen. | On average, renting an audio recording studio costs $40 to $50 per hour. |
| Professional | If you decide to work with a professional video marketing company, you will have a much more polished video at the end of the process, but you will have to spend a lot more money. Passing all of the work to the professionals will also save you time. So, if time is something you're lacking, hiring a professional might be the best option for you. | Professional productions vary in price. On average, a semipro team costs $1,500 to $3,000 per minute, while a professional video marketing company charges $5,000 to $20,000 per minute. |
3 brand video examples to inspire you
To give you an idea of what an effective and clever branded video looks like, here are three examples.
- Google Ads – case study video: With over 2 million Google Ads accounts, the tech giant has no shortage of case studies to highlight its products. In a case study from 2007, back when Google Ads was known as Google AdWords, the company highlighted a dog daycare called Happy Hound. This ad works because the setting is casual and the customer (the owner of Happy Hound) explains her problem, highlights the benefits of the service, and seamlessly includes stats in her story.
- Chanel – origin story video: Chanel's brand video does a great job illustrating the history and background of the company's founder, Gabrielle Chanel. The script is formatted as a classic bedtime story while the narrator flawlessly delivers the voiceover. The video comprises archived images of the founder, her designs, and the locations where she lived to illustrate the idea that everything is connected and to highlight the brand.
- Spotify – explainer video: Spotify's promo U.S. launch video from Magnus Östergren is an excellent example of an explainer video because it is short – clocking in at just over one minute – and it features exciting, active music to keep you engaged. Additionally, the video explains the benefits and features that make Spotify competitive in the current market.
Importance of branding videos
Brand videos can bring so many benefits. Here are some important ones to consider:
They can increase your SEO.
Everyone wants to rank high in the search engines, and videos can help you improve your SEO. In fact, pages with video are far more likely to rank on the first page of Google search results than those without videos.
They humanize your brand.
It's common knowledge that people prefer to do business with those they know and trust. Videos are a great way to humanize your brand and build trust with your customers. Consumers feel a stronger connection to companies when they understand who they are and what they're about – and they have an easier time saying no to products when they don't have any personal connection.
They increase conversions.
Videos are significantly more appealing to consumers than reading through a bunch of paragraphs on a website. According to Yans Media, branded videos placed on landing pages improve conversion by 86%. Consumers can learn more about a brand, their personality and their tone by watching a branded video, rather than just reading text. It gives customers a better sense of your business and helps improve customer loyalty.
How to make a brand video
1. Identify and understand your customers.
Before you can begin to plan your branded video, you need to figure out who your target audience is so you know exactly who would view your video.
2. Develop a strategy.
To avoid creating an ineffective branded video, develop a plan beforehand. Understanding the objective of your video and designing it specifically with your target audience in mind will help you craft one with a strong appeal.
3. Choose relatable stories.
People want to hear your story, but it has to be relevant, relatable and interesting to keep your audience's attention. When crafting your story, include information that shows your brand is unique and worth supporting.
4. Portray your brand.
As a brand, people expect you to look and communicate in a certain way based on how you've built and established yourself. In your video, let your audience learn your personality and hear the brand voice they have come to expect from your previous promotions. For instance, is your brand casual, or does it lean on the professional side? This will reaffirm your tone and tie your brand together.
5. Showcase your logo.
In a branded video showcasing your company, you must keep content consistent and in line with how it usually looks. Add some elements with your brand colors and keep your logo in sight as often as you can throughout the video. This increases brand awareness and further establishes your identity.
6. Share your video.
Since a branded video is meant to represent you, it's great content that's worth sharing with as many social media networks as possible. A well-curated resource should be used to draw in new customers by sharing a relatable and intriguing story.
Sean Peek contributed to the writing and research in this article.