In my experience, almost every time a client inquires about YouTube advertising, we encounter the same obstacle. They often believe they lack sufficient video content, the budget for it, or the means to create it themselves. You’re absolutely right!
Image source
However, there are numerous budget-friendly methods to acquire video content. It doesn’t have to be flawless initially. Once you demonstrate the effectiveness of your YouTube campaigns, you can always request a larger budget for more sophisticated creative work. Let’s explore a few ways to obtain videos for your upcoming campaigns.
Utilizing Screen Recorders for Demo-Style Ads
A plethora of affordable video editing software can assist you in producing profitable video advertisements. For our videos on the Paid Media Pros YouTube channel, we utilize a tool called Camtasia. This software enables us to record our screens and ourselves, facilitating the creation of demo-style videos. If your goal is to produce demo videos for skippable in-stream ads (previously known as TrueView in-feed ads) on YouTube, Camtasia might be worth exploring. As an example, I created this video in approximately 10 minutes using only my mobile phone.
Now, am I suggesting this is advertising-worthy? Absolutely not. My intention was merely to demonstrate some of the features, which include:
- Cutting and editing capabilities
- Audio adjustments
- Royalty-free background music
- Icon integration
- Highlighting functionality
- Text annotations
- Seamless transitions Furthermore, editing tools like Camtasia can help you modify any existing current videos. You might want to trim, rearrange, or reposition your core message within the video. Perhaps you’d like to experiment with different footage for the initial five seconds (YouTube Studio reports can be insightful for this). Editing the video yourself can be significantly more cost-effective than commissioning a new video for every iteration. Camtasia’s initial cost was a few hundred dollars, followed by optional and remarkably affordable upgrades. For those looking to run demo-style ads on YouTube, a tool like Camtasia can streamline the production process.
Exploring Video Editing Tools
Beyond the tools mentioned in our best video editing software for beginners list, here are some alternatives similar to Camtasia, suitable for crafting demo-style video ads:
Leveraging Video Templates for Commercial-Style Ads
If a more polished, commercial-style video ad is what you’re aiming for, numerous excellent video templates are at your disposal. The provider my clients favor most is Promo. Here’s a glimpse into their offerings.
Video templates are categorized by platform (YouTube, Facebook, etc.), industry (E-commerce, Real Estate, etc.), and more. Promo also allows the creation of 6-second bumper ads (more on those in our YouTube advertising guide). Here’s a sneak peek at one of their marketing templates, unaltered.
Feel free to customize any text element within the provided spaces. You can select music that aligns with your brand or promotion’s aesthetic and even incorporate your own media into the templates for further personalization.
Exploring Video Template Tools
A multitude of template websites specialize in creating captivating video ads. Here’s a list with links to their pricing pages, providing transparency on their affordability (especially compared to a full-blown video shoot):
Utilizing Mobile Tools for Social Video Ads
Apart from desktop software and tools, there are options if your business relies solely on a phone camera. Personally, I believe these apps are better suited for creating video content for social media ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others. Many apps offer templates similar to those mentioned earlier (as many also have desktop versions). The example below is from Ripl.
You can add text, additional images or media, modify fonts, change the music, and more. Once your edits are complete, most apps allow direct video uploads to various ad platforms. While not every platform might be supported by every app, that’s fine; you can simply download the finished video.
Exploring Mobile Video Tools
Here are a few apps worth exploring for generating social media video content, including Facebook video ads. I’ll include both iPhone and Android options for fairness:
Creating Video Ads: Easy and Budget-Friendly
Professional commercials and video creatives for ad campaigns are undoubtedly desirable. However, they often exceed budgetary constraints. This post aimed to demonstrate the abundance of affordable alternatives available for your consideration. Explore which tools best suit your company’s needs or offer templates aligned with your campaign objectives. Most of us carry high-quality cameras in our pockets, empowering us to utilize even the simplest tools to craft compelling creative content from the get-go.