A Quick Video Storytelling Tools Roundup

Simply stated, video delivers for your brand. However, if you are stumped on exactly how to produce a high-quality video without a production background, read on.In her Social Media Examiner article “3 Video Storytelling Tools for Social Marketers,” Lisa Larson-Kelley looks at three specific apps that make it easy to quickly produce social videos. They are outlined below with top-line highlights.

Adobe Spark
If your goal is to create an animated video story in a handful of minutes but you lack design experience, head to this app first. Available as both a browser-based cloud app and an iOS app, Spark Video allows you to work on your project anywhere at anytime, including mobile or desktop devices. And since it’s a cloud-based tool, your progress is saved and synced automatically.

In getting started (after you sign in at https://spark.adobe.com) you can start from scratch or you can access one of the existing structured templates like “Promote an Idea” (for a concept-based story), “Tell What Happened” (for an event) or “Show and Tell” (for a product feature video), in addition to others.

After you pick a story template, you will be guided on building your story (including the “what” and the “how”) through voice recordings and accompanying visuals. With a combination of photos, royalty free music, and voiceovers for each frame, finish strong with your logo and clear call to action, such as your address, website, or phone number. Once it’s all ready to go, download it to YouTube or host it yourself and share away.

Animoto
While it’s similar to Adobe Spark, Animoto offers more content flexibility for high-quality promotion videos. It’s an affordable, cloud-based tool that boosts many varied options and customizations for your story. While there are many (100+) templates to choose from, you also have the option to pick your own colors, styles and frames to closely replicate your brand. First, you’ll have the option to choose either a Slideshow Video or Marketing Video, and you will decide on various factors from motion design, to transitions, to typography.

Unlike Adobe Spark, the Animoto video editor is a blank canvas and does not guide you through the story. You will add a logo to the beginning and end of the video as well as content. The good news is you can repurpose some of your social media content on this platform, and add visuals in directly from Dropbox, Instagram, and Facebook. Photo editing and caption writing is easy in this program, as well as the inclusion of animated text to help you share your story. Another perk of Animoto is the video pacing, since animations are automatically synced with the chosen background music.

The call to action here is just as important. Click the “Call-to-Action” button and add the label as well as the destination URL. This will appear at the end of the video and when it’s paused.

When the video is done, Animoto creates a page for it. Then you can post it, embed it, share the link, and track video plays. This platform also allows for a customizable way to share your video with various fonts and colors.

YouTube Director
YouTube Director is fantastic for small local businesses that want to tell their story in a short and sweet format. Even if you want to take the majority of your video content right from your phone, you can, starting with the free iOS app download.

Once you are logged in and your built-in phone mic is ready to go, you are almost ready to start filming. First, you’ll see various presets grouped by theme and business that outline the number of shots you’ll need. You’ll receive content direction for each shot, including suggested length for your recorded voiceovers. You can pair it with a customized caption, too.

After your shots are all set, you’ll include the needed information people want in a title card and can finish it off with the right music. Once it’s published to YouTube (as public or unlisted), you can share and promote.

And, if you don’t want to shoot the video yourself or have a bigger budget, consider YouTube Director onsite that can match you with a local filmmaker in various cities like Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington DC.

Are You Ready?

Now that you have the tools and the know-how, it’s time to bring your brand story to light! What platform do you think will best help you tell yours?
 
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References:
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/3-video-storytelling-tools-for-social-marketers/?awt_l=1SkJ1V&awt_m=3fKcOveKG.r.ILT&omhide=true