E-commerce video production is getting more and more traction. With the increase of social media activity and real-time customer engagement, it’s no surprise that e-commerce businesses are making more use of video content to promote themselves.
You might have heard the buzz about videos on your ecommerce site. Videos help a lot of brands connect to their customers. But there are many types of videos you can use and it can be overwhelming to know where to start. This can be especially true if you haven’t produced any videos before. I’d like to arm you with the knowledge required so you can start using video on your ecommerce site today.
Ecommerce is a rapidly growing industry that is taking significant share from traditional brick and mortar stores. Video is a key component of ecommerce, it has been said that customers are 65% more likely to buy from a site using video product demonstrations.
If you have never produced a video before, it may be challenging to decide which video production tools you should be using. One option is go for the DIY and try your hand at creating videos on your own. Another choice is outsource the video production to a third party expert. The latter option can be costly and time consuming if you do not find the right video production service provider. Whichever option you choose first, one thing is common – a need to know what tools are used by ecommerce video producers.
Is Free Video Editing Software as Effective as Paid Tools?
Paid doesn’t always mean better. Free video editing software has come a long way since its inception, and the latest platforms are incredibly versatile.
Many paid tools have impressive free versions, so you can use your favorite software without paying a subscription fee. This is a great way to test out content types and figure out the design direction for your videos.
1. Camtasia
Camtasia’s been around for a while, and though it started as simply a way to record the actions on your computer screen, it’s now evolved into a much more robust tool.
Use it to record voiceovers, edit your video or even add yourself to the video through its green screen feature.
COST: The tool runs from $99 to $299 depending on your computer system.
2. GoAnimate
With a user-friendly drag-and-drop functionality, GoAnimate lets you create fast, professional-looking explainer videos to demonstrate products, convey buyer benefits, announce news or even conduct training.
You can even assign animated characters written dialogue and GoAnimate will sync the character’s lips to the words.
COST: The program starts at $299 per year.
3. Sellamations
Sellamations takes a hand-drawn approach to explainer videos, offering personalized, real-time doodles based on your scripts.
If you’re not confident in your scriptwriting or storyboarding abilities, Sellamations also offers these as add-on services. Professional voiceovers are also available.
4. Magisto
Magisto makes creating videos fast and easy. Though it doesn’t allow for much hands-on customization, it does have plenty of automated features that let you change up the style and mood of your videos.
Choose from different music and songs, select a visual editing theme, and even add in special effects.
COST: Though the main app is free, there’s also a paid “Magisto for Business” if you want to unlock even more features.
5. ScreenFlow
As far as ecommerce video tools go, ScreenFlow is probably the best screencasting one you’ll find. The tool lets you capture screen activity from desktops, laptops, mobile phones, tablets and even video cameras, and you can edit video and audio on separate tracks.
There are also built-in tools for annotating, closed captions, green screens, and more, and you can add filters to both audio and video. ScreenFlow is only available on Apple devices.
6. Facebook Slideshow
Have great still images and want to increase visibility on Facebook? This is the tool for you.
Quick, easy and included with Facebook Ads Manager and Power Editor, it lets you create eye-catching video ads with just a few clicks of a button.
7. Animoto
Animoto functions much like Magisto, but its business features can add even more value. Offering white-label branding, Animoto Business lets you ensure brand consistency across all your videos and ads.
It also gives you access to more licensed music, unlimited editing features, professionally designed video styles and analytics for your video once it’s gone live.
8. Flipagram
Only have your phone on you? Use Flipagram to create pro-level videos with just photos and clips from your phone. You can add in narration using your phone’s microphone or even upload music straight from your device.
COST: The app is free on iTunes.
9. Videoshop
Though similar in functionality to other tools on this list (it lets you combine videos and images directly from your device), Videoshop is a little more customizable than the others.
For one, you can organize, trim and arrange your clips to better fit your narrative, and you can also add in transitions, text and even slow-mo/fast-forward effects.
Once you’re done, there are filters to choose from, and you can create a customized title style to fit the video’s theme.
Online Video Editors
Adobe Spark can help create compelling stories in minutes Easily add and trim clips to make your videos stand out on social media. Pick from over 1 million iconic images or add your own photos. Select the soundtrack that works best. Even access, edit, and share your video from a browser using Adobe Spark for the web. Price: Free. Premium features are part of a Creative Cloud subscription or $9.99 per month as a standalone app.
Adobe Spark
Clipchamp offers a free video editor, compressor, converter, and webcam recorder. Edit clips directly in-browser without having to upload them first. Work with files of all sizes. Trim and cut, split and combine, crop, rotate, add audio, add text, and use filters and transitions. Browse the library of customizable video templates, made by professionals, tailored by industry. Price: Basic is free for up to 5-minute recordings. Premium plans start at $14 per month.
FlexClip is a simple, powerful, and flexible video maker. Upload your own videos or photos to the storyboard. Add text, music, and voice-over to customize your video. Choose from a collection of text animations. Preview your videos while editing in real time. Download your video in various ratios and definitions or share it online. Price: Free.
Kizoa is an online movie maker and video editor. Choose from easy-to-use templates to get started. Add text, special effects, and transitions. Upload your 4K videos onto Kizoa to create movies in ultra-high definition 2160 pixels. Purchase unlimited storage without a membership. Kizoa is now available for iPhone. Make a movie, or edit a video using your photos, clips, and music directly on your phone. Personalize with hundreds of transitions, effects, and text. Price: Basic is free. Premium plans start at a one-time fee of $29.99.
Kizoa
Video Cutter is a handy editor to cut a small video file. It does not require installation, and it works in your browser. After uploading your file, choose the quality and format of the output file. Crop video to the desired area or change frame proportions. Video Cutter supports files of up to 500MB. Price: Free.
Movie Masher is a collection of open source projects that add video editing capabilities to your website. Moviemasher.js provides audiovisual playback handling and editing in a web browser. Angular-moviemasher provides an editing interface and a simple content-management middleware layer. Moviemasher.rb provides processor-intensive video transcoding services through a simple API. Use the projects individually or together for a complete end-to-end system. Price: Free.
Kapwing is a video montage maker to combine video, images, and GIFs into longer video slideshows. Drag and drop your video, GIFs, and images into the right order. Change the size and shape of your output video. Download your video montage and share directly on social media. Price: Free. Remove watermark for $6 per video or $20 per month for the unlimited plan.
Kapwing
Movie Maker Online is a free application to create movies online. Edit and create slideshows on any device. Easily share clips on your social network pages. Store all media items for different amounts of time — usually not less than three days since your last visit. Price: Free.
Soapbox is a Chrome extension to record, edit, share, and measure presentation videos. Record your screen and your webcam simultaneously, then switch between the two to take advantage of the unique “split screen” view. Showcase yourself to add a personal touch to any presentation, pitch-deck, or screencast. Price: Free. Paid plans start at $300 per year.
Wave.video is a video editing platform to create branded video content. Import your own video clips, images, and music with a simple drag-and-drop. Create videos easily with a huge stock video and image library, as well as an assortment of video templates. Combine multiple stock clips with your own. Add text and a logo to your videos, set your own custom colors and fonts, and apply text animations and branded video filters. Change the aspect ratio of your video to 30 popular sizes, optimized for leading social platforms. Price: Free for up to 15-second videos. Paid plans start at $8.25 for up to 1 minute of video.
Wave.video
Magisto is a video marketing platform powered by artificial intelligence. Upload your business videos and photos. Choose a video editing style and a soundtrack from the library. The AI-powered video maker will assess and edit your video, analyzing everything from in-frame action to camera motion, face detection, indexing, object detection and tracking, facial recognition, and more. Distribute cross-channel marketing videos optimized for social media, email marketing, content marketing, and video advertising platforms. Price: Plans start at $4.99 per month.
Animoto is a drag-and-drop video maker to create impressive videos quickly with no editing experience. Select a storyboard template or start from scratch. Then drag and drop photos and video clips directly into your project. Quickly adjust colors, fonts, music, and more to customize your video. Match your own style or brand with ease. Access professionally designed templates and over 1 million stock assets.
WeVideo is an online video editor to capture, create, view, and share movies at up to 4K resolution. Get unlimited use of hundreds of thousands of licensed and royalty-free video clips, images, and music tracks. Create your movie in the storyboard, then instantly open up advanced features in the timeline mode. Mix and match more than 600 formats of audio, images, graphics, and video, with graphics, green screen, special effects, speed control, and more. Price: Plans start at $4.99 per month.
Filmmaker Pro is a video editing app for the iPhone to manage, share, and export individual clips. The editor features 17 transition options, 30 filters, real-time effects playback, picture-in-picture video, music collections, font collections, illustrations, a drawing tool and more. Price: App is free. All access is $5.99 per month
How to Use Free Video Editing Software to Help Your E-Commerce Site
Video content can help you display your products in new and inventive ways. Customers appreciate being able to see a product in action. They also want to know what other people think of it, so posting reviews and demos can be a great way to target those audiences.
Youtube is the second-most trafficked site on the internet, coming in right after Google. This tells us the public is interested in video content and is searching for it every day. In fact, it’s estimated that users spend almost 100 minutes a day watching online video content.
So, what are these consumers looking for?
The CMO Council, a marketing research firm, found 48% of consumers want to see content that reflects products or services they are already interested in. Likewise, 43% of consumers want to see content that gives them clear information on the next steps they need to take in order to purchase.
Free video editing software can help you speak to this growing demographic and introduce your products to their vast sales funnel.
With well-edited videos, you can showcase the way your products move, answer FAQs, make your own promotional videos, highlight customer reviews, and give live product demos. This offers new value to your consumers that static content misses.
CONCLUSION
One of the biggest advantages that ecommerce sites have is that of video. The ability to bring a product to life on screen can be a powerful sales tool and provide a serious advantage over traditional product descriptions. Video has been proven to increase sales but this doesn’t mean you should jump straight in.
Video is becoming more and more important for ecommerce brands. With the continued growth of online video consumption, and Google’s recent announcement of a video mobile index, video is sure to be a major factor in increasing sales.