Do you want to make your website more engaging and eye-catching? There are a few ways to elevate your content and grab your audience’s attention. One is by adding high-quality images to your website. Another way is by adding short videos to your website. In this article, I’ll share the advantages of using stock videos on your website and my top 5 sources for free stock videos.
Custom videos are ideal but can take a lot of time and money. There are dozens of websites that offer high-quality video content at minimal cost. As a small business owner, it’s always exciting to discover tools that can enhance your website while staying within your budget. Whether you create your own video or use a stock video, adding the right visual element will engage your visitor and make your website more compelling.
The Most Common Ways I Use Video
I’m a big fan of using videos on my websites and often use them for teaching purposes in my programs. In my business, I record videos for the classroom, post replay videos for webinars, and use Loom videos for communication with my team and students.
Another common way in which I use videos is by embedding YouTube videos on my website. YouTube is a great resource for finding relevant content or topic ideas. For example, I found great YouTube videos to include in my blog post What is a Mind Map and a very funny video for my blog post Do You Go Crazy Trying to Remember Your Passwords?
Many people prefer learning through videos over reading text. Fortunately, embedding a YouTube video into your website is easy to do.
The What and Why of Stock Videos
A stock video refers to a video clip or footage pre-recorded by professional videographers or filmmakers to be licensed and used by individuals, businesses, or organizations. Stock video clips can be used in various business projects, such as websites, marketing campaigns, social media content, advertisements, and presentations.
Using stock videos offers several advantages:
1) Cost Effective
Stock videos are more budget-friendly compared to producing custom videos from scratch, so they’re especially helpful for smaller projects or when working with limited resources.
2) Saves Time
Stock videos are readily available, eliminating the need for time-consuming video shoots. This allows you to focus on other aspects of your business and speed up the content creation process.
3) Versatile
Stock videos cover various topics, themes, and styles, providing diverse footage suitable for various purposes. Whether you need clips for marketing campaigns, social media content, presentations, or websites, you can find relevant stock videos to meet your needs.
4) High Quality
Skilled professionals often create stock videos, resulting in a more polished and attractive visual presentation than videos produced at home or by amateurs. This professionalism can elevate the overall quality and impact of your content.
How I Use Stock Videos on My Websites
I primarily use stock videos in my business as a webpage header. Check out how I use a stock video to add a dynamic element and visual appeal to my Website Marketing Workshop enrollment page:
https://www.websitemarketingworkshop.com/
Top 5 Sources for Free Stock Videos
I’ve listed my five favorite sources for free stock videos below. With these go-to sources, you’ll have many options to elevate your website and social media presence without spending a dime. Remember, always check the specific licensing requirements for each platform and give credit where necessary.
1. Pixabay (https://pixabay.com)
Pixabay is my go-to place for stock images. It’s well-known for its extensive library of free stock photos, user-friendly interface, and high-quality content. In addition, it also offers a substantial collection of free stock videos! Their video collection covers various topics, including lifestyle, nature, animation, and more.
2. MixKit (https://mixkit.co/)
Mixkit is a curated platform that offers a diverse range of free stock videos, music tracks, and motion graphics. Their video collection covers various themes, including business, lifestyle, technology, etc. The platform offers easy navigation and search functionality, making it simple to find and download the perfect video clips for your website and social media.
3. Videezy (https://www.videezy.com)
Videezy is a community-driven platform offering free stock footage and 4K videos from videographers worldwide. Their library includes videos on various topics, such as aerial footage, nature, urban scenes, etc. While Videezy provides free and premium (paid) content, their free videos are excellent. The platform also offers user-friendly search and filtering options to help you find the perfect video for your needs.
4. Pexels (https://www.pexels.com)
Pexels Videos is a popular platform that provides a vast collection of high-quality stock videos free of charge. With a wide range of subjects and styles, you can find videos for various purposes, from nature and travel to business and technology. The user-friendly platform makes searching for videos by category, keyword, or popularity easy.
5. Coverr (https://coverr.co/stock-video-footage)
Coverr is a unique platform that specializes in providing free, high-quality videos specifically designed for use as website backgrounds. Their collection features captivating videos across different themes, including nature, cityscapes, people, etc. The platform also provides an easy-to-use search feature. It offers Zoom virtual backgrounds. These are perfect for ensuring you look good in those video calls and webinars!
Important! Attribution…
We haven’t listed the attribution requirements for each website because they can change over time. Some websites operate under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, which means you can use their videos without giving attribution. Others may allow you to use the videos with attribution for personal, educational, or business purposes. However, some websites might require you to give credit or attribution for the videos. Before adding these videos to your website or marketing content, be sure to research and understand the terms of use for each website to know if attribution is necessary.
Other Ways to Use Stock Videos on Your Website
Website Background: You can use a captivating stock video as a background on your website’s homepage or landing pages. This instantly grabs visitors’ attention and makes your website look more professional and visually appealing.
Showcasing Your Products or Services: If you have products or services to showcase, you can use stock videos to create attractive demonstrations.
Social Media Posts: You can include stock videos in social media posts to make them more eye-catching and shareable. This can increase engagement and attract more followers to your social media accounts.
Brand Storytelling: If you’re a small business owner, you can use stock videos to tell your brand’s story.
Video Advertisements: Using free stock videos, you can create product or service advertisements. These ads can be shared on social media or used in online marketing campaigns to reach a wider audience.
Educational Content: To provide educational content to your audience, you can use stock videos to illustrate concepts or explain complex topics more effectively.
Wrapping It Up…
When used in website design, marketing materials, or social media content, stock videos can enhance the visual appeal of the content, make it more engaging, and effectively convey a message or story. Finding high-quality stock videos doesn’t have to be expensive. The top five sources mentioned in this article—Pexels Videos, Pixabay, Videezy, Coverr, and Mixkit—offer many free stock videos to enhance your online presence without breaking your budget.
I’ve shared my top 5 sources for free stock videos, but there are many others. Whether you’re looking for nature shots, cityscapes, or animated clips, these platforms provide a range of options to suit your needs.
Try incorporating these free stock videos into your website and social media posts to captivate your audience and create engaging visual content. However, be sure your stock video aligns with your branding and message. In addition, you must adhere to the licensing terms specified by the stock video provider to avoid copyright infringement issues.
If you have a WordPress website and are ready to take your marketing to the next level, check out the Website Marketing Workshop…
