Video viewing rates are on the rise.
In fact, it’s becoming one of the most popular ways that we consume content.
People watch more than 500 million hours of videos on YouTube every day.
And that’s just YouTube. We’re watching videos everywhere on the Internet these days.
According to HubSpot’s State of Inbound Report, video marketing is on the rise, too:
More companies will be adding video to their digital marketing strategy in the next 12 months.
According to WordStream, marketers who use video in their digital strategy increase revenue 49% faster than non-video users.
And 43% of people actually want to see more videos from marketers in the future.
On top of that, social video generates 1,200% more shares than text and images combined.
What’s this mean for you?
You need to create videos if you want to stay competitive.
But consistently putting out video content takes time, money, and skills.
Developing great videos for your company isn’t an easy or cheap task.
Sometimes, companies even outsource their video production to an expensive agency or invest in pricey video editing platforms.
But thankfully you don’t have to go to such great lengths to create a quality video.
There are tons of free tools to produce stunning video content in just a few minutes.
You don’t have to be a professional and you don’t have to pay an expensive design agency, either.
I’ve personally tested and used all of these tools in my marketing efforts before, and they are some of the best around.
They are easy to use and should become a part of your marketing strategy.
Here are 5 video editing tools to try in 2018 to stay competitive, increase your time on site, and boost your website engagement.
1. Animaker
Animaker is one of the coolest animated video platforms in the business.
It has a simple drag-and-drop interface. You can learn it on your lunch break.
Big brands are utilizing animation videos, and services like Animaker, to describe their products.
For example, take a look at how Slack used animation to showcase their product value:
That video generated nearly one million views.
And bigger brands like Chipotle have used animation to drive tons of views on their content:
Animated video is one of the most popular ways that companies are showcasing their products.
Explainer videos are almost always animated. Look at how HubSpot used animation to talk about artificial intelligence software:
You can place animated marketing videos on your website to help new visitors understand what your product does and how they can benefit from using it.
Since Animaker has such an easy interface, you don’t need an expert degree in video editing to take advantage of their software:
It’s a platform that works for almost any business type.
If you’re a content marketer, have an education-based business, or simply need a stunning presentation tool, Animaker is a perfect fit:
Many large corporations are utilizing Animaker to help them with their video marketing strategy.
To get started, scroll down to the bottom of the homepage and click “Animate now, It’s FREE”:
Here, you can connect your Facebook or Google account to have quick sign-up access:
Once you’ve logged into your account, it will direct you to the video dashboard.
To create a new animated video, click “Get Started”:
This will take you to the template section, where you can browse various preset video templates to edit:
You can choose from a bunch of different categories on the sidebar to find content that will appeal to your customers:
You can even use this tool to create amazing Instagram Stories!
When you find a video template that looks good, simply click on it to view a preview:
If you like the preview, click “Use” to get started.
Now you can begin to edit just about anything on your video from the editing dashboard:
To edit text, simply double-click on the text boxes:
Animaker really excels at offering diverse customization options.
For example, on the right-hand side of your dashboard, you can find tons of animated icons and characters:
You can even sort the characters by gender, demographics, and theme.
In addition to the characters, you can incorporate different properties and icons into your animation for background designs:
If you don’t feel like using custom props or icons, you can choose from countless preset background templates:
The tool is also great for adding various visual aids like graphs, stats, and charts:
What makes Animaker even better? It’s free!
You can create unlimited videos on their free plan. But if you want more bells and whistles, they have plans starting at $9 per month.
There are virtually thousands of templates, icons, characters, and design aids to make beautiful videos for your marketing strategy.
Instead of spending tons of money on a video production agency, try using Animaker to create animated videos on your own.
The process is easy and saves you lots of time and money.
2. Animoto
Animoto is the way to go for video editing if you’re looking for a serious boost in content engagement.
Although it’s not free, it’s by no means an expensive tool either.
They have plans starting at only $8 a month.
And they offer an awesome free-trial option that doesn’t require a credit card.
You can try before you buy.
Animoto works for pretty much any type of business. You can see examples on their homepage:
To begin creating great videos, click “Get Started” to make a free trial account:
You can start a free account by logging in with Facebook or using your preferred email address:
Once you create an account, you will be asked to choose between two different types of video content:
If you want to preview each video type, you simply hit “Watch Sample Video”:
For this example, we can choose the “Marketing Video” option.
One of my favorite Animoto features is the ability to choose between templates that reflect a specific goal:
For example, if you want to focus on brand awareness you can select, “Attract an Audience.”
If you’d rather focus on telling your company story, they have videos for that too.
Or if you simply want to educate customers on what you sell, you can quickly create videos explaining your products.
Once you click on your template category, you can see a preview of each template:
Click on a specific template to get more information about it, including its intended uses:
For example, this video type is perfect for getting new leads with a CTA and an excellent value proposition.
This specific template was actually created in partnership with HubSpot.
Click “Choose Storyboard” to start editing the template.
You’re able to quickly preview the storyboard or add more blocks to it:
On the left-hand sidebar you can edit the aspect ratio to match the video platform you use:
If you want to match your branding, you can change the colors and fonts on each slide, too:
And if you double-click on a specific block, you can edit it individually:
You can edit the layout or background color, or replace the existing image with something new.
You can also edit the timing, audio, voiceovers, and the text.
Animoto is an awesome tool if you are looking to create visuals fast.
I love to use it for social media videos on Instagram and Facebook.
It allows me to collect new leads and drive traffic with short and sweet videos.
They aren’t over-the-top creative, but they get the job done.
3. Stupeflix
Stupeflix is a free, easy-to-use video editing tool that can help you out in a pinch.
It’s definitely not the most advanced tool available, but that’s what makes it so great.
It’s simple and allows you to edit videos in just a few minutes.
So if you have a new idea for a social media video that depends on viral, current news, you can easily whip up some content for it.
They have 16 themes to choose from and the easiest editor imaginable.
To get going, click “Make a free video” on the homepage:
From here you can select the template you want to use for your video:
If you want to see a preview, simply click on any of the themes.
Once you find one that you like, click “Make a video” to start editing the base template:
Create a free account using Facebook, Google, or another email:
The Stupeflix video editor definitely gets my vote for one of the simplest tools to use:
All you have to do is start adding videos or photos with the giant “+” button.
You can also add basic transitions to give the video better production value:
On the right-hand side is a theme dropdown to pick your slides:
You can also add any audio that you want, including music from their free library:
You can choose from tons of different audio files that are free to use in commercial content:
Stupeflix might not be the most developed or customizable video editing tool in the world, but that’s the point.
It’s great for quick video production on a budget.
It’s an amazing tool to incorporate into your video marketing strategy if you are strapped for time and want simple, visual content for social media.
4. Moovly
Be sure to add Moovly to your list of online video editing tools to try in 2018.
Their platform is free to try for 30 days without a credit card.
After that, you can get a plan for $5 a month.
All types of businesses have successfully used this platform to make marketing videos:
To get started, click “Start Now” on the homepage.
Next, sign up for your free account using Facebook or Google:
After you create a free account, you will be taken to the dashboard to start creating new videos.
Here you can choose between a few existing templates for new users, or hit “+Create Moov” to see more.
If you want easy access, click on any of the existing templates shown above to get started.
If you double-click any of them, you can see a preview before editing:
To get started, simply click “Edit Moov” to go to your video editing platform:
Moovly is one of the more complicated video editors on the market, but it also offers deep customization that others don’t.
For example, they have tons of different icons and graphics to add to your videos:
You can also choose between graphics, clips, stamps, and more:
One of my favorite features that Moovly offers is the “Clips” section:
They have really high-quality animations that can be used for backgrounds. For example, if you were creating a video describing productivity tools, you could highlight that in an office animation scene.
You can easily add in voiceover to the characters as well.
The feel of the editor is closer to a video editing software like Final Cut Pro. However, unlike FCP, Moovly costs very little for what you get in return.
With that $5 per month you receive unlimited HD downloads, video length, social sharing options, and more.
If you have more than basic editing skills, Moovly might be the best platform for you to expand on your creativity.
5. Biteable
Biteable claims that they are “the world’s simplest video maker” out there.
They also say that you can make animation videos in minutes:
And those claims are 100% true!
It’s one of my go-to tools when it comes to making quick and easy animation videos.
I’ve used it countless times for simple things like blog post explainer videos.
And the Biteable video software is free. Of course, they do have a Premium version that has a few more perks but the free version is a great starter and offers unlimited videos at HD quality.
You can choose from numerous templates, graphics, transitions, and more.
You can easily drag and drop content or upload your own video clips, too.
The tools are super user-friendly and offer insane customization options.
To get started, click the “Get Started – It’s Free” button to make a new account:
Once you create a new account, simply confirm your email address and head to your dashboard:
From here, you can create a new video and make high-quality video content in just 5 minutes.
Click “Create a New Video” and then select from one of the following template options. Or, you can create one from scratch:
If you want to preview a template, simply click any of the options to see an example:
When you’ve found a template that works for you, hit “Select” to start editing it:
You can immediately get started by editing the text on each video slide:
You are also able to change the timing of the slides to extend or shorten your video content.
Simply select the next video clip at the bottom to keep adding content in a linear fashion:
You can edit each slide and see previews at the end to check out how it flows.
If you want to change the color of your video to match your branding, you can select between lots of different color palettes or custom brand colors:
On top of these great customization options, you can add audio to your video.
Biteable has tons of preset audio tracks to add to the background.
You can also make it even more customized by uploading your own audio tracks, like a voiceover:
And when working on your video timeline, if you click the giant “+” button, you can add dozens of more video slides that are completely customizable:
Here, you can choose from animation presets and upload your own content:
Click on any of these folders to find more visual templates to insert into your video:
If you hover over any of the animated slides in a given folder, you can see how they look before adding them to your video content:
The graphics are really incredible and similar to the quality you would see from a professional video designer.
And with all of its amazing templates, Biteable is one of my favorite video editing tools.
They have hundreds of templates to choose from that can fit almost any business in any niche.
Start using it today to increase your content engagement and drive more traffic and shares.
Conclusion
In a sea of marketers trying to promote their products or services, it can be hard to stand out.
So it’s up to you to get with the times and jump on board the video train.
Viewing rates are climbing every day, and video marketing is becoming the new standard.
This means that more and more companies are starting to adopt a visual, video-based marketing strategy for 2018.
If you want to remain competitive and capture user attention, you need to be using video.
And that doesn’t mean you have to be Steven Spielberg, have a Spielberg budget, or aspire to make Spielberg-caliber videos.
Creating compelling, high-quality video is within reach of even the most novice of creators.
There are tons of free video making tools online, and you should use them as much as possible.
Try out programs like Animaker, Animoto, Stupeflix, Moovly, and Biteable to generate high-quality videos in just a few minutes.
They’ll keep you in the game without breaking the bank.
What are your favorite video editing tools to boost engagement?
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