How To Create A Promo Video For Your Online Course

The marketing campaign that works the best for your program will be heavily defined by the topic of the course as well as your intended audience nevertheless, no matter who is looking to enroll in the course, there's a marketing truth that can boost your efforts: video marketing is one of the most effective strategies to engage with online users.

If you are new to video, the idea may be a daunting task, but don't fret! If you have the right tools and a bit of direction it is possible to create videos that precisely reflect your strategy and catch the attention of your intended viewers. Before we begin, let's examine the essence of video marketing and the reasons why it's been deemed a valuable device.

  What is the purpose of video marketing?

Video marketing is using videos to promote your business. That's it! It's super simple and extremely effective. It's extremely simple and highly effective. Promo video is a type of video that has been designed for promoting a product, event or offer and, in the case of your the case of an online course. Promo videos are usually brief (ours typically last around 15 seconds) and focus on only one primary goal on registering prospective students for instance.

In all honesty, video marketing isn't new. People have been using video for years. The thing that makes the current landscape of marketing different isn't necessarily new video technologies, it's just social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat--these are the social media platforms which provide the (relatively) modern way for people to share thoughts and keep in touch. Because all of these social media sites are accessible as apps on smartphones and tablets, people have access to them at any time at any time and anywhere. So, your course has the potential to achieve continuous connectivity with your targeted group.

  What has changed with social media? the world of marketing via video?

Alongside revolutionizing the way people communicate with each other, social media has changed the ways you connect with the target audience of your class. In contrast to radio or television it is not inactive. Furthermore, the amount of users that video advertising via social media has the capacity to reach is staggering. Think about it:

• As per Statista, 78 percent of the people in the United States has a social account on a network.
• At the time of writing, December 31, 2015. more than 59 billion users are active on Facebook. From the 1.59 billion people, 1.4 billion are actively making use of the platform via their mobile phones.
• Instagram had 400 million Instagram users at the time of writing in September 2015.
• While smaller than Facebook and Instagram, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest along with Snapchat each boast at least 100 million people.

  Is the value that video marketing brings worth the energy it takes to make it?

The short answer is a resounding yes. To get the full answer Let's look first at the reasons why the audience you want to reach may be well-received by the video marketing strategies you employ:

• When you make videos with high-quality content, you can actually make an emotional connection with the course's viewers. Videos can bring out brand attributes that really resonate with the target market, as well as those who see the videos might feel that they are familiar with your brand more than if they were to take the information in written form. This is particularly important when your course is an extension of the business you run.
• Video is easier for people to read than text. Because it provides a visual element which people are able to concentrate on, video marketing can convey your message in a simple digestible way that incorporates both audio and sight, making it more memorable.
• Video marketing may improve the chances of customers to purchase the product that you are promoting, which means people are more likely to enroll in your online course.

Although engagement with your target people is the goal of all video marketing, it's important to look at the technical aspects of video marketing to see the best way to achieve involvement. It's true that you won't establish a connection with people who don't view your content. Below are a few ways that video marketing could add even more value to your marketing campaign for your courses to get your message to a greater number of people:

• People love sharing things they like through social media. videos are a great means for them to spread your message. If you create video marketing content that is beneficial to the people who are your customers and they'll be eager to share the videos with their family, friends and professional networks. They will be more likely to sign up for the online courses you offer.
• As video marketing doesn't need costly equipment or a lot of editing and editing, it is able to be utilized to market your products in real-time (it's more efficient to produce videos than certain blog posts!). Believe it or not, you can create a marketing video that you can post within minutes (not hours) which implies that you are able to continuously produce video content for marketing that's relevant, informative and fascinating. This results in content users will want to be more likely to share.

  Can video marketing keep your course relevant?

In addition to the advantages of using video marketing that we've already mentioned, there's another fundamental reason why adding video marketing to your course's marketing strategy is an excellent idea: relevance.

As technology has advanced in the past, businesses have had to keep up in order to be at the forefront of the people they want to reach. Video marketing is just the latest stage in the long line of technological advances as well as marketing strategies. Actually, Cisco predicts that video content will comprise 69% of web traffic for consumers by the year 2017, and Nielsen believes that 64% of marketers professionals expect that video will become a fundamental aspect of marketing strategies.

  Here are the steps that I use when putting together promotional videos:  

  STEP 1: PLAN  

It is essential to establish an idea of what you want to accomplish before investing the time to create the video.

• Determine the purpose for your film. What actions do you wish your viewers to take following watching the video? Write it down! Make sure you are clear before proceeding further
• What kind of content will you require for your video? Make a list of the specific images or videos you'd like to incorporate.
• What are you looking to write? Include specific promotional offers or event information, coupons codes, or call-to-action.

  STEP 2 STEP TWO: PRODUCE  

It's where the majority of people end up stuck because of lack of tech skills. You don't need technical skills any more! All of our promotional videos using our smartphones.

• Select the best place to create your video. Make use of one of our top apps and you'll have an amazing video in just five minutes or less. Our top iPhone video games are Quik, Legend, Stop Motion, Flipagram, Ripl and Boomerang. Some are paid, some are completely free. Some even provide templates which means you do not have to "design" any thing. If you're not a tech expert you should try Flipagram initially since it's a simple slideshow.
• Drop in your images and text in your app that you prefer. Make sure to use only your own pictures or images that you own the rights to use. Do not steal images from Google!
• Want music? Certain apps come with built-in music beds which can help make your video sound amazing. But just remember that most of the songs in your iTunes library are protected by copyright. This means that you could face sanctions if you include them in your videos without having a license to utilize the clip. (i.e. you could get sued (i.e. your music could be censored, and your music might be blocked from social media sites - gaaaahhh!) My top place to purchase music or sound effects is Audio Jungle.
• Once you're finished you can save the video on your camera roll or share directly through the app.

Remember that if you are planning to share your video to Instagram you must make sure that it is between 3 to 60 seconds. Keep in mind that attention spans are short... therefore, keep your video brief.

Also, if you want your videos to look great on every platform, make sure you go using a square crop. This way, nobody is required to flip their phone to view the video.

Here is an example of a video for promoting a course that I shared on Instagram (about fifteen seconds long):

  STEP 3 STEP THREE: PROMOTE  

• Upload your video to your social media platforms along with a few lines of text as well as the link. Tell your audience what to do. (i.e. to reinforce the video's call-to-action)
• Include the video on your YouTube channel and embed it in blog articles, guest posting in other blog sites, etc.
• Include the video in your email marketing.

  Ready to make an advertisement video for your online course?  

Promo videos are an effective way to grow course enrolment. When using the apps mentioned above, they are easier than you think. So give it a go and see your social media engagement skyrocket!

If you have any concerns concerning creating a video promo for your online course, you can leave them in the comment section below. You can also download my Video Planning Worksheet to aid you in planning your next video!

Julie Ball is the Founder of Grow Web Marketing, a marketing firm that aids female entrepreneurs grow their business as well as their image and brand themselves. If you want to learn how to produce high quality videos for your business without spending the most, take a look at the course she teaches Easy Video Marketing for Small Businesses.