It’s onerous to disregard the truth that video is now a number one pattern for advertising and marketing groups. I imply, even LinkedIn has jumped on the bandwagon by prioritizing video content material (now, whether or not or not you agree with that, it’s a dialog for one more day, however I digress).
The reality is that video is right here to remain, and advertising and marketing groups are investing extra in it than ever earlier than.
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With 2025 simply across the nook, I made a decision to take a deep dive into among the newest HubSpot information, together with the 2024 Video Marketing Survey, to get a clearer image of what tendencies are shaping the sector.
I additionally spoke with just a few consultants to get their insights on how they’re planning to put money into video marketing as we transfer into the brand new yr.
Desk of Contents
How a lot does video advertising and marketing price?
The brief reply? It varies wildly. You would possibly spend just a few hundred {dollars} on easy movies or tens of hundreds on skilled productions.
Usually, the most important bills fall into just a few classes:
- Manufacturing. Prices for scripting, filming, and taking pictures, which may vary from reasonably priced for smaller groups to costly for large-scale productions.
- Put up-Manufacturing. Modifying, including results, and finalizing the video. As content material will get extra polished, this turns into an even bigger a part of the funds.
- Promotion. Social media adverts, paid search, or sponsored content material to get the video in entrance of the appropriate viewers.
- Instruments. Software program for modifying and video efficiency analytics, plus any subscriptions to specialised video platforms.
Looking forward to 2025, I believe we’ll see extra groups leaning into AI instruments to scale back prices, particularly in manufacturing and post-production.
With the rise of short-form videos, manufacturers would possibly shift towards creating extra frequent, lower-cost content material for social platforms.
And whereas social adverts will nonetheless be a significant spend, I count on customized, interactive video codecs will turn into an even bigger a part of the funds as manufacturers search for new methods to interact audiences.
How a lot are entrepreneurs spending on video advertising and marketing?
The numbers inform an fascinating story. Our 2024 Video Advertising Survey reveals entrepreneurs are placing a big quantity of their complete funds into video.
And it’s paying off — 52% report high ROI, whereas 47% see common returns.
Most entrepreneurs that I spoke with plan to extend their video funds subsequent yr.
It is smart while you take a look at the influence: 52% cite model consciousness as their major aim, and 41% say video helps clients perceive their merchandise higher.
What’s the standard funds breakdown? In line with digital transformation skilled Suriel Arellano, right here’s how companies often slice it:
- 40-50% on manufacturing
- 20-30% on promotion
- The remainder on expertise and advertising and marketing
How AI Is Making Video Advertising Extra Inexpensive
Video advertising and marketing can get costly rapidly — whether or not it’s for manufacturing, post-production, promotion, or analyzing outcomes.
However AI video tools are significantly altering the sport, serving to entrepreneurs like myself scale back prices throughout all phases of the method.
Right here’s how I’ve seen AI make video advertising and marketing cheaper.
1. Manufacturing Stage: Brainstorming & Scripting
Making a video from scratch typically entails hours of brainstorming, scripting, and outlining. AI instruments can considerably pace up this course of, decreasing the time spent on these duties.
For instance, ChatGPT or Breeze can help in rapidly producing video scripts or brainstorming concepts. By merely offering the AI with just a few key particulars concerning the video’s goal and viewers, entrepreneurs can generate whole scripts or outlines in minutes.
This protects each money and time, particularly you probably have restricted sources.
Now, as knowledgeable author, I ought to add a disclaimer right here. I actually don’t advocate for ChatGPT changing human creatives, together with writers. A talented scriptwriter will carry a stage of experience your mission desperately wants.
Nevertheless, I do advocate utilizing ChatGPT that can assist you brainstorm new concepts or angles and polish sure features of the script.
2. Put up-Manufacturing: Modifying & Results
As soon as your video is shot, the modifying section could be some of the costly phases, particularly in case you’re hiring knowledgeable editor. AI instruments are serving to scale back post-production time although by automating lots of the tedious duties.
The price of modifying a video might rack up hundreds of {dollars} simply. AI-powered instruments like Descript and Adobe Premiere Professional can automate video modifying duties resembling slicing, including subtitles, and even creating social media-friendly codecs.
One of many coolest modifying options I’ve seen is text-based modifying.
Primarily, you may edit phrases from a video transcript, and the editor will clip the video accordingly. Provided that I’ve extraordinarily restricted video modifying abilities, I like how simple that is. See it here in action.
3. Promotion: Adverts & Viewers Focusing on
As soon as your video is prepared, selling it to the appropriate viewers is essential.
Conventional advert spend can rapidly add up, particularly in case you’re counting on handbook concentrating on and content material creation. AI instruments make it simpler to optimize each your promotion technique and your advert spend.
You need to use machine studying to optimize advert placements, establish the most effective viewers, and modify campaigns in actual time to scale back price per conversion.
You may also use AI-powered translation instruments to create multilingual variations of your movies. It may be useful for reaching worldwide audiences with out the expense of hiring a number of voice actors.
Inexpensive Video Advertising Strategies
1. Weigh your choices.
In line with our video advertising and marketing information, 69% of video entrepreneurs surveyed personal manufacturing tools whereas 10% hire, and the remaining group does each. However which strategy is true in your model? Let’s break it down:
|
In-Home |
Companies |
|
|
Value Construction |
Decrease price per video, increased upfront funding. |
Increased per-video price, no tools funding. |
|
High quality |
Good for easy content material, restricted by group abilities. |
Skilled high quality, entry to skilled expertise. |
|
Time |
Fast turnaround for easy tasks. |
Longer lead instances however constant supply. |
|
Management |
Full management over course of and edits. |
Much less direct management however skilled administration. |
|
Greatest For |
Common, easy content material wants (social media, product demos). |
Advanced tasks, high-production worth content material. |
The selection typically comes right down to your content material sort and frequency.
As an example, in case you’re a make-up model creating common tutorial content material, in-house manufacturing is perhaps good — you simply want good lighting and a digicam to showcase merchandise in motion.
Nevertheless, in case you’re a journey model needing cinematic vacation spot photographs with skilled expertise and a number of places, an company might really be cheaper.
Most smaller manufacturers (these with 200 staff or much less) report higher ROI when working with outdoors businesses, notably for high-production worth content material.
However in case you’re planning to create frequent, easy movies for social media, constructing an in-house group might be a wise long-term funding.
2. Separate need-to-haves from must-haves.
If there’s one piece of video tools you need to give attention to, it’s lighting.
Many consider that having the most effective digicam does the trick, however the reality is that lighting is what makes or breaks the standard of a video.
Lighting units the tone and temper of a video, two components you should preserve your viewers’s consideration in a video.
Sound is one other space to splurge on — particularly your mics. This may improve the standard of your video, particularly if it’s a must to accept low-end cameras.
As for all the things else (the digicam, the lens, the equipment), I believe these are nice add-ons, however in case you’re on a funds, you can also make do with low to mid-range choices whereas nonetheless getting a high-quality consequence.
Professional tip: Once you’re filming with a smartphone, I like to recommend taking pictures in panorama mode for YouTube however vertical for platforms like TikTok and Instagram Tales. This protects you from having to reshoot or crop later.
3. Give attention to engagement over manufacturing worth.
Whereas 40% of entrepreneurs emphasize the significance of participating video modifying, you don’t want costly software program to create compelling content material.
What issues most is capturing consideration rapidly (51% of entrepreneurs agree that is essential) and telling a fascinating story (37% prioritize storytelling and scriptwriting).
Professional tip: “Localization and personalization of video content material might be a precedence in 2025 as a result of it’s simpler and extra reasonably priced than ever because of AI,” says Matt Panousis, co-founder of Monsters Aliens Robots Zombies, an AI-enabled VFX studio.
So, discovering methods to personalize and humanize your content material might be a key facet of participating your viewers.
4. Use free modifying software program.
In case you’re a part of a small enterprise or group that’s making an attempt to create a video advertising and marketing technique with out spending a lot cash, don’t fear.
You need to use the superior video instruments that include smartphones, and you’ll find good video modifying software program. A few of this software program is even free.
Considered one of these instruments is HubSpot’s Clip Creator — which may convert textual content into participating movies for your small business. You can begin from a template or generate a video with AI.
I attempted creating just a few for my very own freelance enterprise and beloved attending to experiment with totally different variations.
Get started with HubSpot’s Clip Creator.
5. Contain SMEs for academic content material.
Instructional movies are some of the efficient content material varieties in 2024, and involving Topic Matter Consultants (SMEs) in your group can assist you create high-value content material with out the excessive price. SMEs can present:
- Skilled Perception. Including worth to your content material with genuine, credible information.
- Effectivity. SMEs are sometimes faster at delivering correct and precious content material, which may scale back the necessity for in depth scriptwriting or analysis.
- Affordability. As an alternative of paying for exterior consultants or influencers, your personal group members can present the identical stage of experience.
6. Use extra video on social media platforms.
The best approach to promote movies is on social media platforms, with 69% of entrepreneurs saying it’s the simplest technique for reaching audiences.
The most effective half? It’s basically free if you have already got a robust following. We’ve additionally seen that you just don’t want a large promoting funds to succeed in your target market, so there’s no purpose to not attempt.
My favourite hack right here is discovering methods to repurpose your content material. For instance, you may take a single piece of content material and switch it right into a YouTube video, a number of TikTok clips, an Instagram reel, and so forth.
Video Advertising Is Well worth the Funding in 2025
Video advertising and marketing can really feel overwhelming, particularly while you’re working with a good funds. However right here’s what the info is telling us: you don’t want Hollywood manufacturing worth to create content material that resonates along with your viewers.
With 52% of entrepreneurs seeing excessive ROI from video and 41% saying it helps clients higher perceive their merchandise, it’s clear to me that video is certainly definitely worth the funding.
Give attention to what issues most: capturing consideration rapidly, telling participating tales, and getting your content material in entrance of the appropriate eyes by way of social media.
And with AI instruments making video manufacturing extra accessible than ever, I consider there’s by no means been a greater time to begin creating movies that join along with your viewers — with out breaking the financial institution.
Editor’s Be aware: This submit was initially printed in March 2016 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.
