Promotional Video Production: A Comprehensive Guide

Published by Color Expert Admin August 28, 2025

Hacks and Tricks to Produce a Marketing Video

In 2025, video reigns supreme as the king of content. It shapes how we interact, learn, and shop in our digital playground. More than half the population dives into video each week. Many indulge daily, consuming over an hour and a half of captivating visuals. Each minute spent is a ticket to immersive experiences that connect us all.

Video dominates the internet, taking up nearly 90% of traffic. Mobile devices and fast connections drive this trend. Video marketing helps businesses build trust and stand out. Make video marketing a priority in 2025. It’s no longer optional – it’s essential.

1. Reflect and Fix your Objective

The first and foremost point to ponder over before scripting a promotional video is to reflect on the reason for making the video. Why are you making the video, and how should it make a mark on the potential customers? As discussed earlier, producing a video is not a piece of cake, and it’s a painstaking task.

You also have to invest a sizeable amount of money to produce a video. For example, you can make a video to create your brand awareness. Or, maybe you intend to launch a new product in the market, which requires illustration. You can very well make a quality video and incorporate all the necessary details into it. So, having a goal is inevitable.

2. Decide your Direction

To promote your company with video content, you have to fix the direction you intend to approach. There are various types of directions you can pick to produce your promotional video, such as introductory, explanatory, product/service-focused, problem/solution-based, drive action-focused, informative, endorsement-based, etc.

For example, if you launch a start-up, your main goal should be to introduce your company. So, you can make a short introductory video to notify your audience about your identity and future mission. Likewise, if you float a new product in the market to resolve an existing problem, present your product and clarify how it is the solution to the problem in your video.

3. Set the Tone

Prior to making a video, it is incumbent upon you to set the tone. That means you have to determine the mood of the content and how it should engage the audience with your video content. Whether you want your audience to get enlightened from your video or take action to buy your product or receive your service, you have to fix it.

You can also make a humorous video to make your audience laugh or narrate a story in the video to highlight the features of your products and services. Furthermore, it is very crucial that the character of the video aligns with the direction of the video.

For example, if you are making an introductory video, the focus should be on your identity instead of enticing people to snap up your products or take your services.

4. Ponder over the Duration

The length of your marketing video is as important as the other essential factors. You may wonder how to fix the duration of the video without scripting it. But the fact of the matter is, if you don’t fix the duration in advance, the video will unnecessarily get longer.

And if you limit the length, it will force you to incorporate the required points within the length. Moreover, setting the objective of making videos and deciding on the video placement platform will also give you an idea about the duration. For example, if you target to display your occasional offer, a short video of 30 seconds is sufficient.

But if you want to make an informative video, it will automatically get a bit longer. You also have to think about the platform where you want to post the video. If the video is intended for cable TV commercials, it will be shorter, but if it is meant for social media and online video ads, it will be a little longer.

5. Fix your Budget

For promotional purposes, budget plays an indispensable role in optimizing your video project. You have to fix the budget in advance. Failure to determine the budget in advance may land you in a spot of bother. In a video project, there are certain pivotal elements that are very pricey and can go beyond your budget, such as adding voice-overs, hiring professional models, selecting a location, etc.

If you are looking to do cost-cutting and execute the video shooting in your office premises, including your employees, you may ruin your video project. With a shoddy video, you will end up defaming your company as opposed to promoting your company.

On the other hand, if you allow the task to any production company and give them your budget, they will produce first-rate video content with your budget. Not only will they produce high-quality content, but also place it as an online marketing ad, thereby promoting your company.

6. Select the Video Type and Narrate the Idea

Now, it’s time to make up your mind about the video style. The visuals of your video can come to life in a variety of forms. You can create videos in the form of animation, real people, b-roll, stock, live-action, screencast, whiteboard, etc. Moreover, you can also produce videos with a combination of these forms.

For example, you can create a video with the amalgamation of human actors and animation where actors can communicate with the cartoon character. Or, you can make a video including supplemental footage in between main shots or as background, action, and flashback-style scenes.

Then, you should outline your idea, and to do so, you can write down a paragraph incorporating the essence of the idea. This will not only refresh your memory but also let you refer back.

How Should You Make Your Promotional Video Content?

1. Pre-production

Write the Script and Create a Storyboard: Scripting is the most essential part of making a video. Different people have different styles of writing scripts. On top of that, there are many script templates available online to guide you.

The script should lay out scene number, timestamp (When is a particular moment happening), audio, dialogue, voice-over (What we are hearing in a particular moment), the description of the scene, a list of the characters, props, location, expression, etc.

The script will assist you in keeping everything in order, including product and character collocations, thereby enabling you to create a masterpiece. Along with the script, you have to create a storyboard as well. Storyboard will act to bring your script to life. It will help you to figure out the exact shot you need before filming.

An illustrator, artist, or designer will aid you in creating a high-quality storyboard. If you wish to create an animated video, an illustrator or animator will come into play.

2. Groom your Presenters and Organize your Products for Shooting

Presenters of your video are one of the key characters, as a huge chunk of your video’s quality will depend on their performances. They can be your own employees or hired models and actors. Whoever they are, they should be well-equipped for their jobs and responsibilities beforehand, and that will diminish errors and save precious time.

You should also prepare your promotional products and must know the entire process of the products’ functions in the video. Your presenters should also be aware of their roles with the products. You should also advise your presenters not to memorize the scripts, as it will trigger mistakes and mess up the whole idea.

3. Production

After the pre-production phase, it’s time to go for filming, meaning you should commence the production phase. If you plan to work with actors and a director, you should hire a producer or a production company. You may afford to defray the production cost, but having an expert beside you will most likely ease your task.

Normally, the film crew consists of a director, a lighting director, sound recording artists, camera operators, gaffers, grips, and production assistants. But the crew members can vary, and it’s the job of the art director to customize and fix it. The film crew makes use of all the equipment necessary to shoot the footage and align the visuals organized in the storyboard.

On top of that, voice-over recordings are also carried out during the production stage. Make sure that everyone in the shooting spot knows his/her job holistically to produce high-quality video content.

4. Post-Production

This is the final phase of the video-making process. In this phase, the video editor assembles as well as edits the footage to produce a video conveying the right message and expressing fitting emotions. The video editor adds graphics and various types of special effects, like 3D animation and motion graphics, to spice up the video.

Apart from that, sound mixing is also done to create audio tracks. Music can be supplemented from the music library or custom music can be composed and recorded if required. In addition, color grading can also be executed to optimize the appearance of the video. Another key point that you should note is the text overlays.

If you want to place a text in a particular shot, you have to account for that to the video editor so that he retains space in the scene during the shooting. That will let you add text in the shot during post-production.

5. Marketing and Distribution

Once you are done with editing and revamping your video content with the help of an editor, it’s time for distribution and marketing your video. There are various channels you can use to promote your video, let it be cable TV broadcast, web, social media, and many more. But to make your video content function in all these mediums, you have to customize it. You have to develop all the file formats needed for distributing in all these channels.

Some Mistakes to Avoid While Making a Promotional Video

Selecting an Unbefitting Location

Location can make or break your marketing video content. If you are shooting in a chaotic and distracting place, you are likely to lose your viewers’ attention.

On top of that, recording in a congested room or a clamorous coffee shop can totally ruin your video content. Hence, avoid shooting in a turbulent and cluttered place to produce a masterpiece.

Cramming the Video Content

Many video marketers intend to incorporate all the necessary information in a single video, and with that in mind, they cram the video content with visuals and ideas. This makes the video content overcrowded, thereby making it complex and bemusing.

At the same time, the video gets longer, which distracts the viewers from the focal point. To connect with your audience through your content, you have to ensure an evident, specific, and focused video.

Getting Ultra Promotional

It’s not very uncommon for companies to produce videos that feel like commercials, and no one wants to feel like they’re being sold. But this is not the correct way to lure people towards your products and services. Video content is a cracking tool to narrate a story and grip potential customers.

You can spin a story and fit the entire story in a video, and that will hook the audience. Hence, promote yourself through storytelling instead of a selling mindset, and that will breed a unique and better branding of your company.

Making Unnecessary Long Video

Length matters amply in video marketing, and excessively long videos can ruin your video content. The online audience doesn’t have the time to watch and focus on a long video. They just tend to move from one content to another.

Hence, you have to be very specific and get to the point as soon as possible, as opposed to rambling. Follow the standard video length, which can vary depending on the type of content, and that will hold the attention of potential clients.

Lacking Entertaining Materials

If you look at the showbiz, whether film, music, or theatre, they make crores of bucks every day. They invest exorbitantly and also generate profit substantially. The only reason for them to flourish is an entertaining audience. An entertaining video doesn’t necessarily have to be funny, but it must contain something to hold the interest of the audience.

To prepare an entertaining and pleasant video, you have to just show a bit of flair and creativity, whether by making an emotional connection or by other means.

No Inclusion of Call to Action

Many companies make promotional videos without asking the viewers to take action at the end of the video. This is a grave mistake as it makes the video totally purposeless. And a purposeless video is unlikely to draw the attention of potential customers. So, know the purpose of the video.

Do u want people to buy your products? Do you wish people to know about your social media impact? Is your goal to make them visit your website? Whatever your target is, you must mention that at the conclusion of your video. With the proper call to action, you will ace your video marketing project.

Substandard Video Quality

Some companies behave so stingily that they are reluctant even to spend the minimum amount of money to produce a high-quality video. They also tend to finish the job rapidly, thereby making a shoddy promotional video. Either they contact cheap and substandard companies or execute the job themselves without any professional experience, just to cut corners. This, eventually, ruins their entire project.

In fact, video marketing is such an extensive field that with a little bit of research, one can do wonders even with a moderate budget. Consulting and taking service from a professional company can add great value to the video content and entice the audience to take action.

Marginalizing SEO Implementation

In online marketing, the importance of SEO is ineffable. It is so crucial that with proper website optimization, it can make your company a giant in a very short span. Producing a video without implementing SEO strategies is one of the top video marketing pitfalls.

In this competitive age, it is very pivotal for you to rank at the top of search engine results. An optimized video, whether shared on YouTube or on your website, can drive massive traffic to your website. To optimize the video, you have to title your video with proper keywords, meticulously fill the video description linking with your website, and add keyword tags with the brand and industry terms.

Not Addressing the Target Audience

Whenever you produce a promotional video, it must be intended for a particular group of people. Your business may have products for different categories of people, but a single video should focus on one particular market. A society consists of the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class.

People belonging to different classes have their own requirements and pain points. In your marketing video, you should try to address the pain points of these target audiences. Do some research, know the concerns of the target audiences, and produce your video content accordingly.

Failing to Focus on the Technical Errors

All the labor and effort will go in vain if the video contains any technical glitches. In fact, there is nothing more disappointing for viewers than playing a video and finding it crashing. This will irritate viewers so much so that they will switch the video on the spot.

Due to these technical glitches, whether in audio and video quality or in the overall video content, you will end up losing valuable leads and customers. Therefore, it is inevitable to check the functionality of your video from top to bottom to ensure a video free from technical errors.

Few Viral Video Marketing Examples

1. Dove- The Power of Empowering Ads

Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” is a Guinness World Record holder in the year 2013 for the most viewed online ad on YouTube. Gil Zamora, a forensic artist, was featured in the video who sketched the face of a woman as per her own description without viewing her.

Once he wound up drawing the sketch, a stranger (Who saw and got familiar with the woman) was asked to recount her impression of the same woman’s face. Eventually, Zamora disclosed that both the portraits were like chalk and cheese, as the 2^nd one showed more positivity and cheerfulness as compared to the 1^st.

Dove uploaded this video in 25 languages across 110 countries, availing YouTube’s vast global community and receiving an overwhelming 114 million views in 1 month. In 2 months, the video received 4.6 billion public relations and media impressions.

2. Nike

One of the prime examples of top-notch video marketing is Nike’s “Unlimited You”. Nike is a brand that carries out straightforward marketing, meaning they focus directly on their products while making video content. They portray in their video how you would look if you wear their products.

In this particular video, they showed some ordinary people working hard to become athletes. The narrator recounted that all these athletes are horrible, but they will achieve success at one point in the future. This motivates the viewers and imparts to them that one has to work hard to thrive in life.

3. Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola launched an advertising campaign titled “Taste the feeling” with a view to celebrating the idea that drinking any type of Coca-Cola, with or without caffeine, with or without calories, makes every moment meaningful.

Unlike the brand’s campaign “Open happiness”, this one focuses on and features the universal narrative with the product to showcase both functional and emotional aspects of Coca-Cola. This campaign was launched by 4 advertising agencies and portrays over 100 images captured by renowned fashion photographers.

If you wish to produce marketing videos for your company pertaining to your products, services, or for other purposes, you require a crack team to assist you in getting a professional touch in your promo video.

Even though you can make promo videos yourself as well. Whether you create videos yourself or take aid from professional videographers, you have to optimize your promo videos.