How To Create A Promo Video For Your Online Course

The strategy that will work best for your course is largely dependent on the subject of your course and the target market you're targeting, however, regardless of who you're trying to enrol in your class, there's a marketing fact that could boost your campaign: video marketing is one of the most efficient strategies to engage people on the internet.

If you're unfamiliar with video, this might seem out of reach--but do not fret! If you have the right tools and an ounce of guidance it is possible to create videos that are accurate to your course and capture the attention of your intended audience. Before we begin, let's take a look at what video marketing really is and the reasons why it's been deemed a valuable tool.

  What is the purpose of video marketing?

Video marketing is using videos to promote your business. That's it! It's extremely simple and effective. It's extremely simple and highly effective. Promo video is a video specifically designed for marketing a specific event, product, offer or, as in your instance - an online course. They are typically brief (ours average about 15 seconds) and focus on one main focus on registering prospective students for instance.

To be honest the concept of video marketing is not new. People have been using video for a long time. What makes today's marketing landscape distinct isn't necessarily revolutionary video technologies, it's just social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat--these are the social media platforms which provide the (relatively) new way for people to share ideas and stay connected. Because all of these social media sites are accessible in apps that can be downloaded on smartphones and tablets, people can access them anytime at any time and anywhere. So, your courses have the ability to achieve continuous connectivity to your intended group.

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

As well as revolutionizing the ways people communicate with each other, social media has changed the ways you connect with your course's target audience. Contrary to radio and television, social media is never off. Furthermore, the amount of potential customers that video marketing on social media have potential to reach is staggering. Take a look:

• Based on Statista According to Statista percent of people living in America has a profile on social networks. United States has a social network profile.
• As of December, 2015, 59 billion people use Facebook. From the 1.59 billion people, 1.4 billion are actively using the platform on their mobile devices.
• Instagram had 400 million Instagram users at the time of writing in September 2015.
• Though less popular in comparison to Facebook as well as Instagram, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest along with Snapchat all boast more than 100 million people.

  Are the benefits that video marketing brings more than the time and effort to create it?

The quick answer to this question is a resounding yes. For the long answer, let's first look at why your course's target audience may be well-received by your video marketing efforts:

• If you create videos that are well-crafted they can build a connection that is emotional to your class's intended audience members. Videos can bring out brand attributes that really resonate with the target market, those who view your video may think that they know your brand better than if they were to take the information in written format. This is particularly important if your course can be a part of the business you run.
• Videos are easier to consume than text. By providing a visual which people are able to concentrate on, video marketing is able to present your message in an easily accessible way, combining audio and sight, making it more memorable.
• Using video marketing can actually increase the propensity of target audience members to buy whatever is promoted. This means those who watch videos are more likely sign up for the online class.

Although engagement with your target people is the end goal for videos, it's important to look at the more technical side of video marketing in order to figure out the best way to achieve participation. It's true that you won't create a relationship with your audience who don't view your video content. These are some ways video marketing can add the value of the promotion of your course to get your message more visible to a wider number of people:

• People enjoy sharing posts they like on social media, and video content is a simple way for them to share your message. If you can create video marketing content which is valuable for your audience, they will be excited to share your videos to their families, friends, and professional networks--and they are more likely to enroll in your online training course.
• As video marketing doesn't need expensive equipment or extensive editing, it can be used to market your products in real-time (it's much faster to make videos than blog articles!). Believe it or not, you can create a marketing video that you can post in minutes (not hours), and this allows you to make video marketing content that's relevant, informative and memorable. It's a result that viewers will be happy to be more likely to share.

  Can video marketing keep your course relevant?

Apart from the benefits of video marketing, which we've talked about, there's a important reason to add video marketing to your course's promotion strategy is a good concept: relevance.

As technology has advanced over the years, businesses have had to keep up to remain current in the eyes of their target audience members. Video marketing is only the next phase in a series of technological advances and tactics for marketing. In actual fact, Cisco predicts that video will account for 69% of consumer internet traffic by 2017. Nielsen believes the 64% professionals anticipate video to become the mainstay of marketing strategies.

  Here are the steps that I use to put together promotional video:  

  Step One: PLAN  

It's important to have a clear plan before spending an hour or more making your film.

• Decide the goal for your film. What actions do you wish your viewers to take when they watch your video? Make a note of it! Make sure you are clear before proceeding any more
• What kind of content will you require to include in your video? Include specific photos or video clips that you would like to add.
• What text do you want to include? List specific promotions or event information, coupons codes, or call-to-action.

  STEP TWO PRODUCE  

The majority of people get stuck because of the lack of technical skills. But you don't really need tech skills anymore! We make all of our promo videos on smartphones.

• Decide where to make your video. Make use of one of our top apps and you'll have amazing video in five minutes or less. The top five iPhone video apps are Quik, Legend, Stop Motion, Flipagram, Ripl and Boomerang. Certain are free, while others are free. Some even provide templates so you don't have to "design" everything. If you are tech-challenged Try Flipagram first since it's a easy slideshow.
• Drop in your images as well as text into your application that you prefer. Make sure to use only your own pictures or those that you have permission to make use of. Do not steal images from Google!
• Want music? Some apps have built-in music beds that create amazing sound effects for your videos. Be aware that the vast majority of the music in the iTunes library are protected by copyright. You could be subject to sanctions if you include the songs in your video without having a license to use the clip. (i.e. it is possible to be sued, your audio may be blocked, or your post may be banned from social media - gaaaahhh!) My top place to purchase audio or sound effects is Audio Jungle.
• After you've finished, save the video to your camera roll, or upload it to directly via the application.

Keep in mind that, if you plan to post your video to Instagram, it must be between 3 and 60 seconds long. Remember though that attention spans are short... thus ensure that your video is short.

Additionally, if you'd like your video to appear professional on all platforms, stick using a square crop. That way, no one needs to switch their phones to watch it.

Here's a sample of a promo video for my course that I uploaded to Instagram (about fifteen seconds in length):

  STEP 3 3. PROMOTE  

• Post your video on your social media platforms along with a few lines of text as well as a link. Inform your followers what to do. (i.e. increase the impact of your video's call-to action)
• Upload the video to your YouTube channel and embed it in blog articles, guest posts for other websites, and so on.
• Use the video in your email marketing.

  Do you have the skills to create an advertisement video for your online course?  

Promo videos are a proven method to increase the number of students enrolled in courses. Utilizing the applications that are listed above, they can be done much quicker than you imagine. Try it out and see your engagement in social media skyrocket!

If you have any questions concerning creating a video promo for your online class, send them to the section of comments below. Download my Video Plan Worksheet to aid you in planning your next video!

Julie Ball is the Founder of Grow Web Marketing, a marketing agency that helps female entrepreneurs grow their business, their brand, and their brand. To learn how to create video content of high-quality to promote your company without spending money, you can take her online course Easy Video Marketing for Small Businesses.