[Case-Study] How to Make a Facebook Video Ad for less than $500

It almost has become our blog’s sole goal – showing business owners that the Internet has none of the limitations of the physical world – you can make your business seem BIG overnight and without breaking your wallet.

Video Commercials have long been the luxury of big and established businesses only. Up-until Youtube and other online platforms enabled small businesses to reach millions of potential customers with video ads, without having to buy TV ad space.

Our blog covers the different ways in which small businesses can create awsome video ads and the different cost tiers to it. But this blog post is different.

In this article, we’re going to walk through actually hiring a professional videographer from Fiverr.com to create an engaging 45 seconds Facebook Video ad for an online business.

Here’s what we got from Fiverr:

Here are the topics we’ll cover in this Case-Study:

What is Fiverr.com?

If you ever had an online business you’ve probably heard of Fiverr. If not – Fiver is the biggest and most reliable marketplace for freelance workers online. Whether you need a graphic designer, a content writer, or a videographer – Fiverr is the go-to place to look in. Founded in 2010  and hosting millions of gigs and thousands of freelancers, you are more than likely to find what you are looking for.

With prices starting at as low as 5$ and a transparent seller ranking and feedback system you can be sure you’ll find a trustworthy videographer within your budget.

Fiverr’s Video Making Gigs 

Within the video ads category, you will find plenty of options to follow through for your project. They can be easily summarized into these 3 main types:

• Animated Video –  As the title suggests, these kinds of videos consist mostly of animation done by an animator. The great thing about animation is that the possibilities are pretty much limitless and could be highly customized while not necessarily very expensive. Obviously not all animators were created equal, some will be better than others, some types of animation require a lot of work and therefore demand a higher price.

• Spokesperson Video – Spokesperson videos are a great way to convey reliability and give your brand a personal touch. Many people are much more engaged by a seeing or hearing another person and using a spokesperson helps connect your brand to a face. A great bonus to this is that you can also use different spokespersons to increase the authority of your message. For example, if you’re advertising a dental product, having an ad with a dentist could have a very positive effect. Spokesperson ads prices vary though they tend to start off a bit more expensive as they usually require more than one person to make. As with the rest, quality varies quite a bit as well.

• Purchased Footage – In this type of ad, a video editor will use various types of purchased pre-made footage in different combinations, timing, and effects to create a unique and engaging video ad. The results of this kind of ad could be great when done by a skilled editor using great and professional footage. On the other hand, the result could be mediocre or worse when the editing is boring and even worse when overused stock footage is used which viewers have seen before and will reflect badly on your brand.

Approaching Fiverr Freelancers

So you’ve decided to find videographer on Fiverr? Great! Here are some tips on approaching freelancers on that will help you off to a great start:

• Know What you Want – It’s well expected that you won’t be a professional in making videos (otherwise you wouldn’t be hiring). Still, it’s a very good idea to research what type of services are available and what will suit your needs best. Some freelancers are very busy and knowing what you want will save both you and the seller precious time.

• Check Them Out – Most sellers put effort into building their pages, uploading samples, and writing down important details. Paying attention to their page for details such as prices, delivery time and the quality of their work will save you time and will probably make the seller like working with you, which is very good for you.

• Be Kind – Remember that freelancers are humans as well and not service robots. Furthermore, most freelancers don’t have many working partners and mostly talk to clients which could be quite tiring. Therefore a little bit of kindness goes a long way.

• Ask Questions – If there is something missing or unclear on their page of if you have specific requests, It’s best to ask in advance to save time and avoid unwelcome surprises along the way.

Choosing the right Fiverr Freelancer

Picking the right seller on Fiverr could make all the difference between a mediocre result and an excellent one. Fortunately, Fiverr has supplied us with various tools to help make the best decision when it comes to hiring freelancers.

• Portfolio – Be sure to check your seller’s portfolio and samples of their work so you know what to expect. Going through their work will give you an idea of their capabilities and could give you some great ideas for your project along the way. Moreover, If there aren’t enough samples, make sure to ask!

• Buyer’s Feedback – As with anything else on the internet – Fiverr is full of reviews with an easy to follow feedback system. Every seller you’ll see (except the brand new ones) will have a rating using the five-star system and reviews praising or criticizing their work. There’s no better way to get an idea of a seller’s quality than what other customers have to say about them. This comes in handy when a seller is great but even way more important when he’s not.

• Seller Levels – One of the easiest and fastest ways to know how competent a seller is, is by their level. There are free levels on Fiverr – Level One, Two, and Top-rated. The level of a seller is determined by different aspects of their work such as ratings, volume, experience, and consistency.  Top-rated would be your best bet though they would probably price themselves accordingly. Don’t have that kind of budget? Don’t worry there are level two and one that indicates hardworking professionals making a name for themselves and every Top-rated seller started off with no ranking.

Briefing your Fiverr Videographer

Once you have found the Videographer you were looking for it’s time to brief them about the job. Giving a good, thought through brief is critical to the success of the project and your satisfaction with the final product. 

• Clarity is Key – When briefing, avoid vagueness about what you want. The better you communicate the better the result you will get. The seller has no idea what you have in mind unless you tell them specifically. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and communicate back and forth until you feel your ideas came across.

• Tell Them all – Try to be specific about your expectations and things you want. Sure, projects evolve and need change but additional work that wasn’t agreed upon in the brief may incur extra costs and also bother the freelancer. If it does happen, be upfront about it and ask how much is the additional work.

• Include Relevant Information – It’s a very good idea to give your seller access to relevant information such as your website, photos, or anything that will help them understand your niche better. A good seller would be able to take that information and incorporate it into his work, creating a superior final product.

• Goals and Deadlines – Let your seller know about your goals and deadlines and communicate them through. There is room for negotiation as the seller might have other projects and can’t supply within your timeframe. If so, you’ll need to decide whether to proceed with this seller to find one that can supply in a timely manner.

We’ve tried it ourselves – here’s our $450 Fiverr video result

As promised we will review an example of a great video ad done on Fiverr and what’s great about it. Here is a case study of an ad for a music promotion company aimed at young musicians:

As you can see, the video looks very professional, to the point it could easily pass as a TV ad even though it cost a fraction of the price. The aesthetics and quality of the video convey to potential customers that this is a well-established business that has a fair share of success and experience.

More than just aesthetics, the creator of this video did a great job of sectioning this video to get the full effect and best results:

• The Build-up – the first part of the video is building up expectations using fast cuts and music while combining high quality animation. All of this creates anticipation and grabs the viewers attention off the start. This is super important as most videos are skipped after the first 5 seconds. 

• The Message – This ad makes excellent use of the company’s slogans to pass the message across. The slogans change and don’t repeat themselves making them interesting and exciting for the viewer. The messages are clear (‘’Be heard 24/7 around the world’’) but also practical (‘’Grow your youtube’s view count”). All of this gets viewers motivated to check the website and get them interested in the product or service.

• The Call-To-Action – Arguably the most important part of any advertisement is the Call to Action (or “CTA”). Having a beautiful ad that tells a great story isn’t worth much if it doesn’t direct potential clients where you want. CTAs should be clear, simple and easy to follow. In this ad the CTA is to log on to the business’s website. It’s done beautifully by the build up through the whole ad and finish by showing the web address. A great addition to the CTA are the elements taken directly from the website such as the price packages which lets the viewers know what to look for.

We’ve used a Fiverr freelancer called ‘janarmbruste885’ for this gig.

Summary

To sum it up, Fiverr is an invaluable resource when you need a video ad. There are numerous options for any type of video you want and with any budget. The options are pretty much endless, and you are bound to find a seller that will meet your expectations. The platform makes it very easy to find a trustworthy videographer for your budget and from our experience, without a doubt, deliver the best outcome for the price.