There are a lot of ways to make a marketing video. And while you can’t predict success 100% of the time, there are definitely elements that can give you better odds. Here, we talk about the differences between a custom video and a template video for advertising your company.
Before we start exploring the main differences between these two types of video content, let’s examine each individually to understand exactly what they are.
The creation process for each style is completely different from the other, so let’s take a look at each process.
Custom Video
Every element of the custom-made video is created in a way that will match the specific needs of your goals. if you have a complex business that requires a more thoughtful explanation or introduction, then a custom video is what you should invest in.
Custom video will allow you to:
- Create a specific design that will match your branding (or can be created from scratch to be a precise fit for your business)
- Stand out from your competitors
- Visualize exactly what your voice over says, creating a stronger connection
- Create a more “absorbable” explanation
- Drive traffic through search engines. As search engines love new and fresh content, you'll more than likely garner new traffic to your website with a custom video
- Be more entertaining. By creating a funny and/or unique concept, you'll get more engagement with your audience, and what's more important, be more remembered
Template Video
Template videos are pre-made video documents where you add a few personal elements like text and logo animations, partially customizing it for your own needs.
The benefits of template videos are:
- You can create it on your own without learning any video editing programs
- Low budget. Template videos won't break your bank, as they cost less money than any fully customized video
Custom Video VS Template Video: Which One is Right For Your Business?
The answer to this question sits under 3 important factors we should take into consideration.
1. Budget
A template video will cost you around $500, while custom-made video prices start at about $3000 and go up from there. Some companies will do it for $15000, others for $35000, and so on. However, businesses that think custom videos cost too much and won’t pay off in the long run are making a tremendous mistake.
As I've already mentioned above, there aren't any marketing benefits with template-made videos. It's like throwing money right out the window in most circumstances.
The purpose of any marketing video is to boost your sales, and if your video (that in many cases will be the first interaction with your audience) is a cheap-looking generic template, then believe me, you have no chance to succeed. And what's more important is that you'll be risking potential customers losing confidence in your brand.
As William A. Foster said - Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.
If your budget is less than $3000, then a template-made video may seem like a solution for you, but it may be better to just save your money. The template video will give you a pre-made design that isn’t unique and will blend in with marketing content from many other businesses. Design is the first thing grabs the viewer's attention and demands your message gets attention. With a poor design, that’s an unachievable goal.
On the other hand, if you choose a custom-made video, you're getting everything you need, built around your company - a unique design that's appropriate for your brand or business, engaging content, a clear explanation of your product or service, and persuasion to go further into your sales funnel.
Conclusion - A marketing video is not the place to scrimp on the budget.
2. Timing
With custom-made videos, production time is one of the things you can't skimp on. You should ready yourself to wait 2 to 5 months to get your final customized video. But I assure you the results will meet or exceed your expectations.
On the other hand, you may think that template videos will be ready in no time; simply download your own files into it and voila, it’s finished. Well, I have bad news for you, that's not happening. You'll be caught with serious difficulties, like creating a script then having to re-edit that script to fit the template, then recording a voice-over, and more. And for a nonprofessional trying to do production work, this job will become a real headache that will end up causing you to lose lots of time and energy. What you'll get in the end, again, will be a simple template that has no connection to your marketing message and branding.
An exception may be in the case if you want to create explanation content for your internal audience, like your employees. In this case, a template explainer video can most likely do the job for you.
3. Personalization
When we compare a custom explainer video with a template explainer video, personalization is another important factor we should take into consideration. Brand positioning is one of the main objectives of a marketing video, and with template-based videos you can't provide a level of personalization to show your company's unique voice. Simply downloading your logo files onto a cookie-cutter template will not align content to your brand. And as I've already mentioned above, your video in many cases will be the first thing that potential customers will interact with from you. Besides explaining your business idea, it should also show the face of your brand. With template video, that’s just not a good look. So if you want to create a truly unique experience and build trust around your brand, personalization is another reason to choose a custom-made video.
Final Words -
As is the case with many things in life, you get what you pay for. There are certain times when a template video can work, such as for internal information that doesn’t require content that stands out (although you don’t really want to bore your employees, do you?). If you’re ready to see what a custom marketing video can do for your company, contact us for a free consultation.
