If you’re feeling squeezed as a marketer, you’re not alone. Marketing budgets are down across industries, and at a time when the demand for content has never been higher.
This has left marketers scratching their heads as to how to maintain the effectiveness of their campaigns.
Many agencies are using AI tools to keep up, but those are proving risky when it comes to content creation.
Others are utilizing stock media to a greater effect. You can use stock audio and video footage to create everything from YouTube videos to Facebook ads to media packages. When used effectively, stock media has huge potential for boosting ROI.
There are a few obvious ways to use stock media in your marketing campaigns, such as using stock video for cost-effective ads. But we’re going to dig into a few of the more creative ways that agencies are using stock footage to save money and increase returns.
1. Streamline Campaign Development
How much does it cost (and how much time does it take) to build video templates, ad mockups, and other designs for campaign presentations? Some agencies are using stock media to create placeholder visuals, saving them from creating designs from scratch.
Of course, this requires a stock media library—it’s a smart idea to start building one of those no. Having a library of stock media tailored to campaign themes will enable you to construct strategies and narratives across multiple projects.
2. Meet Social Media Demand
The demand for video content across social media platforms is skyrocketing. If you post the minimum recommended amount across just the major platforms, you need to publish over 40 posts per week.
And it’s only going to get more intense. Video content is getting more popular on platforms like LinkedIn, and TikTok is soon to overtake Facebook as the most popular social media platform for marketing videos.
Building a library of stock videos, stills, sound effects, and audio will help you create more content and respond more quickly to trending topics.
But stocking up on stock is not enough. You need to invest in talented editors who can turn your ideas into compelling content with stock media. In the long run, hiring good editors will cost much less than constantly outsourcing content and hiring production teams.
3. Localize Ads
You don’t get a better bang for your buck than localizing an ad for cheap and tapping into an entirely new audience.
With stock media, you can easily replace parts of your content to better fit markets in diverse regions. We’re not just talking about visuals, either. With free music resources, you can localize your content even further and appeal to different cultures on a deeper level.
4. Improve A/B Testing
A/B testing is essential, but creating multiple versions of web pages or ads is costly.
Instead, try using different sets of stock images or videos in A/B testing.
This can help you determine which visuals perform better. Then, you can use the data you gain to produce your own content based on the winning design.
Not only will this allow you to A/B test faster, but it will also enable you to do more A/B testing at very little cost.
5. Simplify Mockups
When presenting a campaign to a client, you want to put your best foot forward—but you don’t want to spend so much money on your mockups that you restrict your ability to reach out to future clients.
Stock media is fantastic for building prototypes of campaigns. It’s an efficient way to pitch ideas without investing in full-scale production before approval.
Stock media is created by professionals, so you don’t have to worry about it looking tacky. You can also choose between varying levels of quality (e.g. 1080p vs. 4K). This helps you save money on smaller clients and binge on larger ones.
Once again, stock media is reusable, so you can continue to benefit from these resources when designing future presentations.
How Will Your Agency Get Creative with Stock Media?
Marketers are creative by nature, and only the most creative agencies survive. Creativity isn’t just about eliciting action from consumers. It’s also required to stay within a budget.
Above are just a few creative ways that agencies are using stock media to cut costs without cutting quality. What will your agency do?
The first step is to start building your stock library. Use your next campaign as an excuse to start picking up media that fits your brand. As your library grows, it’ll become easier and cheaper to meet your marketing goals.
