With advances in technology and popularity of smartphones, video is an integral part of marketing today. SEO agency Single Grain co-founder Sujan Patel says video promotion improves your chances of higher Google ranking, enables you to showcase products and services in more compelling ways than with text or images, and can earn ad revenue with YouTube channels. He says having a goal for videos and knowing your audience are important factors in video marketing success. Video doesn’t have to be expensive to be effective.

Use Vine to Refine Your Message

Emily Green, writing for Business 2 Community, says marketers using Vine, the 6-minute video app, need to decide on their message and simplify it dramatically and always be sure to include a call to action.

Major brands including Dove, General Electric, and Gap have Vine videos that drive their messages in fun, unique ways. Gap’s message is two words: “Be Bright” but it’s supported by five seconds of bright colorful jeans. Distill your message into one sentence or even one word and visually portray it. No matter how much money you have to spend on video marketing, Vine is going to keep it very economical.

Use Stock Video

Don’t have the time, equipment, or budget to create videos but still need to incorporate video marketing? Don’t overlook stock video footage from Shutterstock. With stock videos, you can easily add visual imagery to your message without the equipment, or expertise of shooting video. You benefit from a quick and easy way to translate your message to video while cutting out half the process, saving time and money.

Optimize Video

Use a keyword strategy that includes relevant keywords and long search terms. That’s the way people search for video online. For example, use a descriptive phrase or sentence instead of just one or two words. Mixpo vice president of marketing Glenn Pingul recommends using relevant in-video text. Testing and optimizing video content is important to understanding what works and how to improve results.

Other Ways to Create Inexpensive Video

Get creative and use what you have to work with to create videos. Take a cue from the online shoe retailer Zappos. The team at Zappos doesn't hire actors or models for their videos, they use their own employees. If you do want to get some actors but you don’t want to break the bank, look for acting students and freelance actors, found in databases like Breakdown Express and Casting Call Pro U.S.

Good cameras that produce quality video can be pricey, but will eventually pay for themselves if you’re going to produce ongoing video marketing campaigns. Danny Groner, writing for ClickZ, recommends making your own inexpensive equipment for shooting video if needed, such as a portable green screen made out of PVC and green material, or an improvised soundproofed room padded with cushions, pillows, and rugs.

Once you’ve got video, make sure to showcase it on across all social media channels, including Facebook, YouTube, and your Google local business listing. TurnHere director of marketing Morgan Brown recommends creating a branded YouTube channel to host your video marketing to take advantage of YouTube’s billions of queries every month without incurring any bandwidth costs.