Promotional videos have emerged as a powerful tool for creators of online courses and infoproducts in general, as a means of attracting an audience, presenting the product and conveying credibility.
A well-crafted promotional video can be the difference between someone signing up for your course or not. Therefore, in this post we are going to talk about what steps you should go through to produce a quality video.
How to Create Promotional Videos for Your Online Course
If you are looking for an effective way to publicize your course, promotional videos are the best way to go.
Creative solution to capture potential students’ attention and show what your course has in store, videos are one of the most impactful and quickest forms of communication to generate results.
So how can you make an engaging promotional video for your course? Here’s our suggestion:
- Start by planning what aspects of your online course you want to promote in your video. Think about what will make your course stand out and appeal to your target audience.
- Then start planning the video script. What points need to be addressed and in what order?
- With the script ready, start thinking about the recording process. How and where are you going to film? What kind of equipment will you need?
- Move on to editing, see what needs to be cut and what needs to be included in terms of effects, animation, text, background music, etc.
- Share your video on your main channels.
This is the short walkthrough that the best content creators use to develop their promotional videos.
Now, to help beginners, let’s explain better what to do in each step.
1. Planning
When starting to plan your eLearning video, it is essential to consider the following questions:
- Who is your target audience and what do they want?
- What are your video goals?
- How will your video help your audience?
Your target audience should be the main factor to keep in mind when creating promotional videos.
If you don’t know who your audience is, that’s the first thing you have to find out. Research and define your buyer persona well.
Who is your video aimed at? What are that person’s needs and how can what you have to offer help them?
Think about it and write it all down on paper. If you sell a sales clerk course, for example, you may be targeting an audience looking for their first job or who need some qualification to find a new job quickly.
Present your course proposal, talk about what will be covered and show how this content will help them get a job placement. List its advantages and the transformation it offers.
Write it all down and you’ll have a first sketch of what your video will look like.
– How to create buyer personas?
2. Create a video script
In this second step, your outline needs to evolve into a well-defined script.
Believe me, this is very important to ensure a coherent flow for your video and to structure it in the most attractive way before investing money and time in production.
Keep in mind that promotional videos need to be short, engaging and to the point.
A script will help you make the video as short as possible while still communicating essential information. It also helps to preview the images and other visuals that will be needed to keep the content interesting for the viewer.
Focus on creating a 500-700 word script for a 2-3 minute video.
Remember that people have a short attention span on the internet, so your promotional video needs to grab them in the first 3-5 seconds.
You can accomplish this by asking a question that is of interest to your target audience, such as:
“Are you looking for a new job or extra income?”
After capturing their attention, keep their interest by pointing out the advantages of what you are selling:
“I created a practical course to help you achieve this quickly. There are ten video lessons that will teach you everything you need to know to enter the job market. You study on your own time, clear your doubts and even leave with a certificate to improve your resume.”
The next step is to awaken the desire to acquire the transformation you are offering. For this, paint a picture of how the student’s life will improve after completing the course.
“We have already trained hundreds of students who got their first job right after taking our course. See some testimonials!”
If you already have graduates, ask them to write or videotape testimonials for you, telling about their successful experiences. If this is your first online course, talk about your qualifications, the results you’ve already achieved and how your students can improve their.
Finally, take action:
“So what are you waiting for? Sign up and start changing your life right now!”
It ‘s important to end with a clear call to action. Tell your potential student exactly what they need to do to enroll. Keep it simple and straightforward.
“Click the red button below. The application process takes just 30 seconds.”
Doing this you will have used the AIDA formula: (A) attention, (I) interest, (D) desire, (A) action.
Using this formula makes scripting promotional videos a simple and efficient process.
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3. Record your promotional video
Script ready, it’s time to move on to video recording.
Your budget, goals and target audience will influence the type of video you make.
You can create many types of promotional videos, from a simple screencast to a more elaborate animated video.
The type of video that generates the best engagement is usually the one you appear talking to the camera, as this shows that there is a real person who is selling the course, which gives more authority and confidence.
To record this video you will basically need a camera (it can be the one on your smartphone) and a microphone.
– Meet 12 quality video recording apps
Other than that, there are some considerations when creating promotional videos that you should know:
- Before recording, check your camera settings to ensure a good resolution of the captured image.
- If necessary, use a tripod or other camera support to ensure you appear centered in the footage.
- Make sure that the environment you will be shooting in is well lit, and there is no shadow on you or the subject being filmed.
- Record in a well-organized, clean environment that has to do with the message you are going to convey.
- Do your best to isolate any noise, it’s important that nothing gets in the way of your audio.
- Keep emotion and spontaneity in your tone of voice, avoiding monotony.
It’s also important to keep in mind that although your video will be seen by countless people, you should speak as if you were addressing one at a time.
When recording your message, be personal. This is very important to create a connection with your audience.
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4. Edit the content
We can’t stress enough how editing is an essential factor to make promotional videos.
Editing your video helps to compose the story and remove any rough edges, ensuring that all the technical aspects are in order, such as file format and resolution.
Images
Use compelling visuals such as images and graphics to help make the end result more enjoyable and persuasive.
Remember to keep the video moving, as variety increases engagement. Prevent the same video or photo from being on the screen for more than 5 seconds.
Charts are a powerful tool to emphasize the key benefits and outcomes of enrolling in your course. They also help keep the video dynamic.
Remember, varied visuals make the video interesting and increase engagement.
Sound Effects
Including music or other sound effects can be a good idea to make the content more attractive.
If you’re going to use this feature, it’s important to avoid monotonous music and use a change of pace. Why? Because when we listen to the same rhythmic music for 3 minutes our mind wanders more easily, making us feel less connected to the subject being presented.
Call to Action
Be sure to end your video with a clear and direct call to action. Don’t distract or confuse your audience with multiple steps or actions.
Include a CTA at the end of the promotional video so viewers know what to do next, such as a link or button to the enrollment page or your email list.
To make your CTA even stronger, use a sense of urgency and words full of emotion.
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5. Promote your video
The final step in producing promotional videos is getting them to your audience.
How are you going to get people to watch? Will you embed it on your website or share it on your social media?
Four simple outreach strategies are:
- Post your video to your social media channels with persuasive text and a link.
- Add the video to your YouTube channel and embed it in a blog post, guest posts, etc.
- Use video in your email marketing strategy.
- Create a landing page to sell your course and place the video at the top of the page.
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Create promotional videos and sell more online courses
Creating compelling promotional videos for your online courses doesn’t have to be difficult. Focus on sending one clear and persuasive message to your audience.
Use a microphone to ensure everyone can understand what you are saying perfectly. Use an online editor to enhance the result, and finally, ensure the video is mobile-friendly.
For sure the first one will be more difficult to make and maybe not as good as you hope. But don’t give up and don’t stop publishing, the next ones will definitely be much better.
Elearning platform (LMS), Coursify.me has all the necessary features for you to integrate and import content from sites like Vimeo and YouTube.
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Instructors can embed their videos hosted on any of these channels on their page on Coursify.me, making their classes better and more complete.
To know more, visit our website, test it out and enjoy all the features of our platform to create and sell quality online courses. If you need any help,