America In Transition: 10 Handy Tools to Create Mini Videos: Marketing Through Micro Moments

Monday, April 25, 2016

10 Handy Tools to Create Mini Videos: Marketing Through Micro Moments

In our era of extremely short attention spans (Who else reads news on Twitter: It’s even worse than reading the headlines only…) micro-videos have been the most logical extension of social media evolution.

And brands have been quite quick to keep up! Just watch one the millions examples now to get inspired:

Are you still behind?

These ten handy tools will give you everything you need to produce your own micro videos to post online.

Vine

Vine has been popular from the moment it was launched, but it has now become a full on phenomenon. You can create your own looping videos that are only a few seconds long, and hey can launch you from obscurity to serious visibility in no time.

Better yet, it puts you in with a community of supportive creators who are always looking at new content. Youtube users are even uploading Vine compilations now!

Animoto

Animoto is one of the most popular video editing software services on the web. That is mainly due to the ease of its use, versus the quality of its final product.

You can make professional looking videos with pretty much no know-how whatsoever, thanks to their easy to follow platform and useful automated features. Pricing starts at $8 per month for personal, $22 per month for professional, and $33 per month for business.

WeVideo

Do you need to create a video that is being collaborated on by others? Then WeVideo is probably the best option for you. It is a cloud based video editing service that allows you to maintain full creative control between yourself and your team.

You can work on the project together, even from across the world, and see all changes as they are made. They offer a basic free account so you can try it yourself, which is great for micro videos.

PowToon

If you are wanting to create an animation, PowToon is aimed at the task. Short videos or long presentations, completely animated, are all available.

It is a powerful Powerpoint alternative that is much easier to use, and much more creative. Everything you need is already there in their database, you just string it together and fill in the blanks.

Boomerang For Instagram (iOS, Android)

Instagram primarily focused on images for many years. Now they are finally getting on board with promoting the video service that was always there, as they rush to compete with Vine.

You can make micro videos that loop and share them on your account, using your Apple or Android phone. It works by stitching together ten photos and allowing you to reverse, repeat, or edit them.

Legend

Have you ever seen those typography videos that animate words? Legend does that for you. You put in the words you want to say, and it creates an animation that can be shared with anyone.

All it takes is a few taps of your phone and you are on your way. Simple, easy, and effective, it is a great way to make short bits of digital content that get you noticed. All for just the $1.99 price of the app download.

Magisto

Already have your footage shot, but it isn’t really doing it for you? You need an edit. Magisto takes your chosen video, allows you to add enhancements and a theme, and put in a sound track.

This gives your video a more quality look and feel, rather than the bland clip you may have had before. Plus, it is ridiculously easy to use. Within minutes you can be done and ready to post.

You can also add in photos, or string photos together if you would prefer a slideshow. If you need something business quality you can choose their Business account for $9.99 per month.

Flipagram

You may have noticed a trend on sites like Tumblr of non-looping micro videos, or collections of flashing pictures set to music. Most of those are made on Flipagram, which allows you to make and share both.

You download the app for free, and start making and editing your images. It is that easy. You don’t have to deal with any complicated software or gimmicks, just give it a little time. Then post it on the site where you can share with others looking for content just like yours.

Kizoa

Kizoa is a free video editor isn’t as slick or thorough as the others. But it is easy enough to use, and it has plenty of features. You can create a video, a slideshow, or a collage.

They support full movie editing, which is an interesting plus if your footage is a lot longer. Though I would honestly keep it as a tool for mini videos, which only take a short time to edit and refine.

Giphy

What is an animated GIF other than a micro video? (Read more about cinemagraphs, emotion gifs) If you don’t mind the lack of sound, this is a great way to create a visually stimulating bit of content that is easy to share (and even easier to push to viral status).

Giphy has a database of already made gifs, but they also have a generator. There are two options: upload from your computer files, or search a URL from YouTube, Vimeo, Vine, or other hosting services. From there you select your section, edit, and wallah! You are ready to share.

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