Everybody is banging on about using video in your marketing, but as a small business with a tight budget this could be a challenge. Perhaps you can't afford to pay freelancers all the time to create slideshows, animated videos or other types of video content all the time. At the same time, you want to make the most of the video trend while it lasts. I have a solution for you. Learn to make videos yourself. How - you'd ask. Here's a list of the 10 best video creation and editing softwares/apps for small businesses. These are more than perfect to get you started and really easy to grasp. I use 6 of them consistently.
iMovie
If you are a Mac user, you have already been blessed with one of the most amazing video editing softwares on the market. It is perfect for small businesses and solopreneurs. Also, iPhone 8 and above have the iMovie mobile app inbuilt, so you can create engaging trailers and edit videos on your phone! The Macbook version, though, has a lot more features and is fit to create a professionally looking video for your business. You can change the speed of the clips, cut out parts, add titles, transitions, music and a lot more. Best of all, it's totally free...forever!
Final Cut Pro
A few weeks ago my iMovie crashed and I was absolutely devastated. No matter what I tried, it just closed a few seconds after I opened the programme. That's how I was forced to use Final Cut Pro. At first, I thought I wouldn't find all the functionalities I need and it looked like working with it was a little bit more complicated than with iMovie. But after 15 minutes on Final Cut Pro I realised how similar it is to iMovie and it indeed had everything what I was looking for and more. After all, they are both Apple products. You can have this video editing software and take your small business to the next level for free. You just need to invest some time into exploring its features.
Animaker
Are you a fan of animated videos? I certainly am! This type of video content is also quite sought after for marketing purposes across industries. Last year, I was looking for a really good and easy to use video making software that would allow me to create animated and white board videos for my clients. After some trials I finally found Animaker and I have been using it ever since. It has ready templates for a variety of industries and business purposes. It also has vertical video format for videos that are going to be used on Pinterest, IGTV and Stories. You can customise the templates and character however you like. You can add music or use voice recordings. Once your video is ready you can export directly to YouTube or download it as a file on your device. Now, the "bad" news is, this software isn't entirely free. You can create videos without paying with some limitations to the characters and objects you can use, but you will only be allowed to download your creation if you signup for a package. I use the business package, which comes up to $59 a month.
MoShow
MoShow is a mobile app, which I recently discovered on a big marketing event. What it does is creating really engaging slideshows for your social media accounts. You know, videos doesn't always have to be actual motion footage or an animated story. It could be a short slideshow and still work really well for your business. The greatest feature of MoShow is that it provides your creation with a lot of movement in the first 3 seconds, which is crucial for its effectiveness on social media. You can use a variety of templates, add text and music, as well as save in a square or vertical format. The app has a free and paid version, but honestly speaking, you probably have all you'll never need from it in the free version. So go ahead, download MoShow and start creating amazing videos for your social media.
VivaVideo
Another great video editing/creating mobile app I have been using for a long time is VivaVideo. It provides a variety of motion templates, the ability to add titles and music, and many other cool features. It also has a free and a paid version. I only started paying for the app last month, because I needed to create a slideshow for a client and had to remove the watermark. But if you need it for personal use, even if it is in relation with your business, you don't really have to get the premium. It's not that expensive anyway - just around £20 for a year.
PhotoGrid
PhotoGrid is one of the oldest apps on my phone. I use it primarily to create collages, however, it was recently upgraded to video editor too. Most of the features on there are for free and you can even add your business name as a watermark. However, if you want to remove the PhotoGrid logo, you will have to pay for premium, which comes to £28 a year or £4.50 a month.
Wideo
Now we come to the video creation and editing softwares that I haven't yet used personally, but found to be really highly rated by marketers. If marketers recommend a video software you know it's good, because if it's not, they won't be using it. So, Wideo is one of these great video editing softwares for small businesses. It has all the editing features you would need to produce a really engaging video for social media. It allows users create highly personalised videos, which is a must for email marketing campaigns and good click-through rates. It comes with a 7-day free trial, but ultimately, you will have to choose a package if you want to continue using it. The prices start from $230 to $950 a year. A bit pricey compared to the above options, but looks like it's worth it.
PowToon
PowToon is another video software for the creation of animated videos. The interesting fact about it is that it's used by huge brands like Coca Cola, Starbucks, Costco, eBay and many others. Surprisingly, it's paid packages aren't totally breaking the bank, which is why PowToon qualifies for one of the best video creation softwares for small business. You have all the features you would find in Animaker, for example, plus some more and the packages worth to pay for could cost you between $230 and $710 if billed annually.
Filmora
This right here, is probably going to become the 7th video editing software from this list I will be using for business. Filmora just looks amazing and is used by the majority of YouTube stars and vloggers. It can add mind-blowing effects to footage and well... it's super cheap for what it can offer. First of all, you get to download a free trial and if you are happy with it (which you will be!) pay for the license just once! Yes, people, one-time fee of $60.
Common Craft
The last video creation and editing software for small business on my list is Common Craft. This is not to say it is any worse than the rest, it's just a little bit more niche orientated. It provides various features suitable for educators, photographers and entrepreneurs. You have access to a video creation tool, as well as a ton of cutouts you could use in your presentations if you are a public speaker or a course creator. The pricing plans really vary depending on your type and size of business, but it could be anything from $99 a year to $700 per year.
Bonus: Momento
That's a little bonus from me. Momento isn't exactly a video creation or editing software but it's the perfect app for creating gifs. And as we know, these short forms of moving visual content are really popular on most social media channels. Especially Twitter and Facebook. Momento can be used for free and apart from creating gifs, you can save your work as a short video too. This way you can upload it on Instagram, for example, because the platform doesn't play gifs. Of course, there are additional features like frames, effects and music. You can make one time purchase for £75 and all the features are yours forever.
And if you are looking for good quality free stock video, Pikwizard's library seems to have quite a lot of content you can use to create engaging marketing videos.
