Videos are one of the most effective and engaging ways for marketers to connect with their audiences. By 2019, US digital video ad spend is projected to rise to $15.5B, almost double that of 2015 while a recent ComScore study found that 187.8 million Americans watched a total of 28.7 video ads.
While video is fast becoming the most popular communication medium, as usual, only those big businesses at the top seem to be able to prosper from this.
Producing quality, professional-looking video content isn’t as easy as you’d think. Creating videos from scratch is complicated and expensive – a one-two minute professional video can cost you anywhere between $1,000 and $20,000 USD, more than the average SMB can afford that’s for sure.
As a result, many SMEs settle for amateur videos that fail to present their brand as attractively and professionally as they’d like.
According to a 2015 Adobe report, 38 percent of people will stop engaging with content if it’s unattractive in layout or imagery.
South Korean video creation platform, Shakr, is intent on switching this up, giving small, mid-sized enterprises the opportunity to make quality video ads and stay in the game as the new era of video takes over.
The company wants to give businesses the same opportunities of growth regardless of their pre-existing wealth. It provides two smart platforms, both which enable SMEs and their developers to design attractive content for brands.
“At Shakr, our mission is to arm small businesses with powerful design tools to help them grow,” said Anton Eliasson, Director of Marketing at Shakr.
Although it may fall short of matching fellow video creation platform Videohive’s three thousand-strong database of video templates, Shakr marketplace is dedicated to delivering detailed designs to suit a variety of different contexts. Whether it’s attention-grabbing Facebook videos, videos for online shops, fashion & apparel, real estate or action videos, Shakr’s templates don’t disappoint.
Like Shakr, VideoHive offers free professional video, templates and stock footage for users to choose from. Choice is ample but guidance to use these tools is pretty non-existent.
Animoto is a much easier video creation platform to use and charges as little as $7.99 per month, although it focuses less on video marketing and more on personal use e.g. weddings, birthdays and vacations.
The good news is, if you’re a small, upcoming business, these sites give you the chance to get your brand seen in a favourable, classy light.
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