Do you remember when a video recorder was as big as a shoe box?
Back in the day these tools of the trade made us feel like pretty savvy travel marketers.
Today, marketing hasn’t changed as much as the tools have over the years. Today we can carry pretty much everything we need in our pocket. It’s a matter of choosing the tools that do the best possible job for YOU.
Let’s look at some new tools of the trade that will save time, give us inspiration and help us create even more compelling marketing stories to build stronger relationships.
Video Tools
Did you know that 51.9% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI?
While we all look for opportunities to shoot top notch video on our travels, what we do with the video afterwards is key to its success. Let’s assume you’re shooting the video on your phone, here are some editing tools to use in addition to the onboard tools you have in your phone.
- Movie Maker (Windows) and iMovie (Mac). Both are free and easy to use. Add text, overlays, edit, add still images, music, animations and visual effect. You can even add voice-overs.
- VSDC Free Video Editor. This is the easiest editing tool I’ve found other than those above. With a bit of help from the tutorials you can add text, special effects and image stabilization. Color correction and blending is helpful with video that’s less than perfect quality. Check it out here.
- Lumyer. Adding augmented reality effects to your videos is a great way to capture attention. Imagine adding confetti, lightning and lens flare to your group tour videos. Lumyer lets you do this for free! Lumyer is available on Android and iOS.
Special Video Tools
- Want to create video from an article or blog you’ve written? This free (and really cool) tool takes your written copy and turns it into a video slideshow complete with your text and images. Editing is simple and the end result is shareable socially. Lumen 5. Not sure you need a blog? This may change your mind.
- Do you want to create a video showing people how to use your booking engine or other tutorial? Screencast-o-Matic lets you record on-screen activity for short tutorials, visual presentations, and communicate while you demonstrate! You can even use the screencasting and your webcam at the same time. Webcam tips here. “Show and Tell” in action.
Your video strategy starts with the right tools. (No strategy yet? Check out this roadmap) With these tools at hand, you’re ready for your next scene!
Which one will you use in your next video?
This post was written by Catherine Heeg, international speaker & trainer, focuses on social media marketing strategies for the tourism and hospitality industry. Join the conversation and connect with her at www.cmsspeaking.com and socially.
