3 Companies Creating Effective Marketing Videos with Assets They Already Have

Here’s a secret — you don’t need to go out and shoot new photos or video clips every time you want to share a video on social media! If you’re looking to increase your posts or ads, you can cut back on time and stress by looking at what you’ve already got. Check out how Crate and Barrel, Mighty Leaf Tea, and Stitchin’ Heaven are all using what they already have to stand out on social, and find out how you can do it, too.

1. Crate and Barrel posts a video catalog

It only took home decor company Crate and Barrel about a day to create the video below. That’s because they just grabbed the images from a recent catalog and turned it into video. Crate and Barrel combined their light, airy catalog photos with descriptive text and a bright, summery song, giving them a video quickly, without hiring outside help to create the ad.
Read Crate and Barrel’s Success Story.

How you can do it too:

Raid your catalog or promotional images to find images to share. Not exactly a catalog kind of company? Look for similar alternatives. For example, realtors can repurpose the photos they take of homes and their interiors and turn them into virtual open houses that can be shared on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram. You can even look through your Facebook business page and and find images or video clips that would make good content for your next video project — take a look at our post on downloading content from Facebook to get started.

2. Mighty Leaf Tea tells a story with trip photos

When Mighty Leaf’s “Tea Master” Eliot Jordan visited Japan to find new teas for the company, he took a lot of photos. And when he got home, Mighty Leaf turned those trip photos into a story, using Animoto’s voiceover tool to turn a simple business trip into a narrative about the company’s commitment to quality. By focusing on stories that could be told with existing content — like Eliot’s — Mighty Leaf was able to up their video output by 400%, helping them grow their social media presence in the process.
Read Mighty Leaf Tea’s Success Story.

How you can do it too:

Though you might not be traveling to Japan, you can still use what you have to tell your company’s story. If you have images from the early days of your business, they can illustrate a video about your company’s origins. If you have photos of employees, you can tell your audience who they are and how they make your business great. Giving your audience a glimpse behind the curtain, letting them see who you are and what you do, will keep them watching even if the images aren’t brand new.

3. Stitchin’ Heaven finds a fresh use for event photos

Stitchin’ Heaven isn’t just a quilting store — it’s a travel agency for quilters as well. The small business didn’t have many resources when it began advertising on YouTube — its owner Debby Luttrell looking for alternatives to expensive professional services to create content for a video ad. So she and her son did it themselves, using photos taken on past quilting cruises to promote the travel side of the business. With TrueView ads on YouTube, Debby was able to target quilters, getting her business 30,000 views in a month while only spending $20.
Read Stitchin’ Heaven’s Success Story.

How you can do it too:

Flip through photos of past events — dinners, store openings, holiday promotions, or talks you’ve given in the community — and turn what you find into a video. Hunt down images on social media, or grab your own content to promote an on-going service or to recap an event that’s just happened.

Finding content is easier than you think — you’ve probably already got material you can use on your computer or on social media. And if you’re looking for advice on where to find images, or just support as you create your next video, join our Social Video Marketing Community on Facebook where you’ll find a supportive community ready to help you market your business with video.