One of the focuses of a startup company is keeping the cost down. This is why many founders have to wear different hats to sustain the operation and development of their startups. Aside from the fact that they need to continuously improve the product or services they offer, they also need to market and promote the company. Promotion and marketing may also require significant amount of funding. One aspect that requires financial resource is video marketing. Since video marketing is considered as the best medium to maximize ROI, most of the startups shell out imprudent amount of money to meet the standards of the industry. But what if, we tell you that there are FREE (and cost effective) tools online that you can use for your video marketing campaign?
That being said, here’s the list of FREE video production tools for your startup.
Powtoon
If you like animated video explainer, this freemium online tool is one of the best go-to for animated explainers. The platform is very easy to use which you can learn in less than an hour. You can also create an animated video explainer for your company in just 30 minutes. The beauty of Powtoon is that it allows you to be extra creative even without formal training as an animator or as an illustrator. Everything is a template and you just have to drag and drop the elements in your presentation. We can say that Powtoon is an upgraded version of ordinary slide presentations. The platform offers a paid account and a freemium account. You can export all the videos you created on Youtube or even download it to your computer. Premium account offers a better quality of video, longer videos, and does not have any Powtoon logo in the corner of the video. The freemium account does have a Powtoon logo in the corner, maximum of two minutes video, and has low quality resolution but it doesn’t seem awful at all. In fact, it still looks professional. Paying for the premium account would be really worth it since you can save quite a deal compared to the regular outsourced animated video production which should cost you at least $1000K
Magisto
Magisto is an online video editing tool wherein you can mash-up, improve, and style your videos. You can even edit your videos through your tablet or smart phones. They have apps both for android and iOS system. It’s easy to use and has a very user friendly website. If you’re aiming of an indie type of video theme, you can opt to use this tool. You can produce a more “down-to-earth” feel for your video.
iMovie
Most startups use Mac as their power tool for their projects. One thing that has been undervalued is the use of iMovie for video marketing campaign. Believe it or not but, this free software is being used by pro film makers. All you need is a decent HD camera.
Animoto
This toll has been around since 2005 and has been featured by leading media outlets. Like Magisto, you can also mix and match your video clips and your pictures for the presentation. They have free and paid account.
Youtube Editor
Of course, we cannot miss Youtube. Google has a very fascinating way to amaze us. Youtube Editor is a very user intuitive online tool that you can compare to iMovie. For starters, you might find this a little difficult to master but you’ll get used to it.
Vine
Video marketing doesn’t have to be so fancy. Sometimes, all it needs is ingenuity to deliver the message to your target audience. Vine is a very potent tool that can offer so much for your video marketing. Aside from the fact that it’s a social platform, vine videos are very easy to produce.
Lightworks
If you have the focus to use highly sophisticated video editing tools, then Lightworks is for you. This has a lot of usable feature that can improve your video quality. This tool has also been used by the pro of the video editing and film industry. It can be downloaded for free and there is also a paid version.
Windows Video Maker
We cannot ignore WVM which has been continuously evolving since first release in 2000. We can say that most of the online tools were “patterned” after the WVM. Though the feature of this tool is still quite limited, it can help you with your simple video editing task.
Freemake Movie Maker
This is a popular tool for video conversion and editing. It can help you cut unwanted video parts, merge several clips into one, rotate video, change or add audio track to your movie and much more. Plus, Freemake can combine photos into a slideshow with music. All these features are free, an upgrade will be needed for unbranded videos.
Screecast-o-matic
You can use this tool if you’re just demonstrating instructions to your audience. This is widely used by online marketers in promoting their digital goods. In using this tool, you have to be organized and have “preset” windows for your demonstration. Screencast-o-matic has both free and paid account. The limit for free account is 15 minutes per recording.
Prezi
This is another fresh breath in presenting ideas online. Prezi allows you to present your idea in a logical, creative, and clear flow of communication. You can customize your presentation, collaborate with your teammates, and export it from their platform (paid feature). The transition is seamless and not to mention, entertaining as well. You have to try it yourself to discover the magic of this tool.As a startup company, you have to be prudent and wise with all your decision. Using free online tools does not devalue your product or service. It only makes you resourceful and more creative. Some of these tools have been used by many startups and have taken fresh and ingenious way to present their product through these free tools.
David Jenyns is a startup founder of
Melbourne Video Production which offer high quality web videos for various brands in Australia. Find out more about David on Twitter and Facebook.
