How to Make an Advertising Video at Home Using Online Tools

If you’ve ever wondered how to make an advertising video, we can get you set up. We’ll tell you all about why they are so effective, how you can create them at home, and what tools will best suit your needs. Let’s get started!

A Brief History of Video Ads

Contrary to popular belief, video advertising is not a new phenomenon. It actually goes back to 1941 – the year the first-ever commercial was televised during a baseball game. It was a short clip of a watch with a ticking second hand and it cost the Bulova Watch Co. just $9. Who could have guessed this would be the beginning of an enormous multi-billion industry – television advertising?

Since then, video advertising has come a long way. It is pretty much everywhere: commercials on TV, integrated ads on YouTube, billboards on the streets, advertisements in mobile apps…the list goes on and on. The amount of revenue the industry generates is unbelievable – statistics show that in 2018 alone, the number reached $27.79 billion, and is set to continue growing.

The Reasons for Success

We need to thank technological progress and the people behind it for the success of video advertising. Every device we own can play videos, and it is almost impossible not to watch at least one video a day.

A video advertisement is an ultimate way to get prospective customers’ attention. It combines both visual and audio elements, which doubles the impact. Video ads are all about storytelling and, if you can engage your audience and prove your worth in a 30-second video, there is a good chance that the audience will turn into customers, users, or subscribers.

How to Make an Advertising Video – Six Steps

Let’s have a look at the step-by-step process of creating an advertising video.

Step 1. Define the Purpose of Your Ad

Your ad should have a clear goal and intent. It’s no use in showing off your product or service without engaging your audience. What is that you want from your potential customers?

Here are just a few options you might ask them to do:

• Buy your product or use your service
• Try something for free
• Sign up for something
• Contact you
• Follow a link
• Share the video

These are your calls to action.

Step 2. Find Your Niche

Who is your target market? If your answer is “everyone,” that’s a mistake. Advertising your product to everyone will cost you a lot of money and won’t make you rich. Instead, focus on those who will benefit the most from using your product or service. This is your core target audience, such as for instance, the female target audience. They are the people who will drive your choice of words and images, so make sure you’re speaking their language.

Step 3. Write the Script

Now that you know who you want to watch your video and what you want from them, you can move on to the scriptwriting. First, outline the general concept of your ad. Will it be a product demo, an instructional or explainer video, a user testimonial, behind-the-scenes footage, an affiliate blogging video, or something else? Then write everything down: describe the visuals, audio, and special effects. Think about whether you need actors for your ad or you can work with graphics and screen recordings.

Step 4. Get the Equipment

Unless you’re planning to record a software demo video, you will need a camera. Nowadays, most smartphones can shoot in Full HD, or even in 4K, so you don’t have to buy expensive equipment. What you do need to take care of is lightning, microphones, and camera stabilizers.

Step 5. Film the Ad

Don’t worry if you need more than one take to shoot everything perfectly. Film one scene at a time and don’t expect to record the whole thing at once. When the clips are short, it’s easier to find the right segment to use in the final video. It is also very important to watch out for background noise and poorly attached microphones. They can ruin your video, and you will have to shoot all over again. Also pay attention to the video background, just like bad background noise, it can ruin your video too. If you have already recorded your video and don’t like the background, you can use a video background remover to remove and then replace the background.

Step 6. Edit Your Video

When you have everything filmed, it’s time to put the pieces together. This can be easily done in an online video editor, so you don’t even have to download or purchase professional video-editing software.

How to Make an Advertising Video with Fastreel

Fastreel by Movavi is a new tool with a lot of useful features. It includes a collection of templates for different purposes: birthday videos, book trailers, intros, outros, advertisements, and more. When you open up the app, you are presented with four slides that you can adjust as you wish: add text, upload images, and video. You can add new template slides, delete those you don’t need, and arrange the rest as you like. There is an excellent selection of ready-made scenes with price tags, discount offers, and text fields positioned differently.

Then, it’s time to “face the music.” Choose a tune from the list that works well for your idea. You can see how it matches the clips in the preview window on the right. When you are satisfied with the results, you can download the video. Bear in mind that you will need a Fastreel account to access the file. You can also export the video directly to YouTube or Facebook if you log into those accounts. Fastreel offers a Premium plan option, too, that lets you save videos in Full HD and without a watermark.

How to Make an Advertising Video with Other Online Video Editors

Here are a few other online tools that work well for creating video ads.

Biteable

Biteable has a wide variety of themed templates and offers stock footage that you can use in your projects. They also provide useful advice on how you can use their materials. Each template is fully customizable, so you give your creativity free reign.

Log in to Biteable (create an account, or log in via Google or Facebook) and select a video template. Then you can play around with the slides as you like: add and change captions, insert links, add backgrounds, logos, and infographics. When you’re done, click Download and wait for the website to render your video.

How to Make an Advertising Video with Animoto

With Animoto, you get an easy-to-use video ad maker with tons of storyboards that you can explore to your advantage. If you have questions, you can turn to a video expert from the Animoto team to get a qualified opinion about your video campaign.

Animoto lets you log in with your Facebook account or create a new one. Then you just choose an appropriate template and start working on your project. You can change the design, add your own music, and make use of hundreds of stock images. Click Export when you’re ready, and then download the video in any resolution from 360p to 720p.

Animaker

Animaker lets you start a project from scratch or choose a ready-made theme. You can add and edit text, overlay effects and music, and then export the final video to YouTube or Facebook.

This service also needs you to log in via Facebook or Google or create an Animaker account. Select any template from the dashboard and customize it to your liking with images, text, and music. Dozens of cartoon characters and stickers will bring animation to your video, taking your audience on the journey with you.

Seven Tips on How to Make an Advertising Video

There are several things you need to keep in mind before starting to create your first video.

1. The First Few Seconds Are Key

You can call an advertisement effective if someone watches it even if they didn’t intend to. You have to grab your viewers’ attention right from the start. Get the audience hooked in the first three-five seconds, or they’re likely not to remember you at all.

2. Keep It Short to Make a Successful Advertising Video

People’s attention span is extremely short these days, so try to make your ad as short as possible. That doesn’t mean you have to squish everything into five seconds, but you should avoid boring voice-overs and slides that don’t add anything. An average e-commerce ad is 10 to 30 seconds long, but you should take your audience and the platform into account.

3. Know Your Audience

Thoroughly research the kind of people who use or may use your product or service. What are their challenges? How can you help them resolve them? Knowing this will give you a better understanding of how you should advertise your offering.

4. Follow the Trends

When you are involved in internet and video marketing, you should always be aware of what is trending. Respond to recent events, address hot topics, and stay alert, because the world is changing every day.

5. Call to Action

Always tell your customers what you want them to do: download your software, buy your goods, use your services, or subscribe to your blog.

6. Experiment to Practise How to Make an Advertising Video

Video editing is all about bringing something new to the table. Try new things, and don’t copy your competitors. When everyone is doing the same thing, nothing stands out and nobody pays attention.

7. The Last Few Seconds Also Matter

You did it: they’ve watched your ad tight to the end. The human mind works in the strangest way: it remembers the beginning and the end of a piece of information better than the middle. Finish your video with something solid, and they will remember you for a long time.

Conclusion on How to Make an Advertising Video

Videos have a big impact on our lives, and ads are no exception. We remember slogans and humorous scenes but, most importantly, we internalize the products they promote. Making a memorable video ad can be tough, but success comes with experience. Start small. The more videos you make, the better you will understand what’s working and what’s not.

Choosing the right tools is also essential. Whether you prefer desktop programs or opt for online services, you need to decide which one best suits your needs and fits your budget. Professional software may be too expensive for some people, but fortunately, online tools are there to help. Most online tools are free, provide customizable templates, and are very easy to use.