The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Videos: From Concept to Conversion

Marketing videos have become an essential tool for brands looking to connect with their audience. In 2024, engagement is at an all-time high—viewers are watching 44% more video content, and total video plays have increased by 15%. But it’s not just about getting views—businesses are seeing the highest conversion rates with videos within 30 - 90 seconds, especially when they include a clear call-to-action (CTA) at the end.

So, what’s driving all this? Video marketing is one of the best ways for brands to tell their story, build trust, and drive results. But while demand keeps growing, many companies struggle with time, budget, and resources—which even led to a slowdown in video production in 2023. Now, since 2024, interest in video marketing is back on the rise, and brands are looking for fresh ways to stand out.

That’s where we come in. As a motion design agency, we help businesses bring their ideas to life with eye-catching videos that not only grab attention but also leave a lasting impression. Video marketing isn’t just about selling—it’s about creating something memorable, engaging, and uniquely branded. And for companies with a great story to tell but no in-house production team, partnering with agencies like Motion The Agency makes the process easier.

How Do You Bring a Marketing Video to Life?

Maybe you come to this article with the question, “How do we even start to create a successful marketing video?”. Well, for us, it follows a workflow that ensures every output we produce fits with what our clients need. Okay, let’s break it down:

Pre-Production: Laying the groundwork

Planning is everything when it comes to video production. A well-thought-out plan keeps the process smooth and ensures the final product delivers real impact. Before jumping into production, here are a few key questions we always ask:

• What’s the goal? Are we aiming to drive brand awareness, generate leads, or educate customers? Having a clear objective is essential to staying on track. We use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Time-Bound) Marketing Objectives to clarify our goal and determine how to measure success. To keep everything organized, we’ve created helpful tools like the Animation Video Project Master Plan Template and the Creative Brief Template to ensure everything aligns with your objectives.

• Who’s the audience? Knowing exactly who we’re speaking to helps shape the messaging and visuals to resonate with them.
• What’s the story? A compelling narrative is at the heart of every great video. This is where storyboarding comes in—it’s the blueprint for the entire production. A well-thought-out storyboard maps out scenes, pacing, and key visuals, ensuring the video flows smoothly and delivers its message effectively. It also helps align the creative vision before production begins, reducing revisions and keeping the project on track.
• How Do You Want Your Visual Look Like? – For animated or motion design videos, this is the phase where we gather all the visual elements needed to bring the story to life—every detail matters. The goal is to make sure all the elements align with the brand’s style and message.
• What’s the budget and timeline? Proper planning prevents last-minute surprises. A clear timeline and budget ensure the project stays on schedule and within scope, making the production process seamless and stress-free.

By nailing these foundational steps, we set the stage for a seamless production process and a video that delivers results.

Production: Slowly Bringing Your Ideas to Life

This is where all the planning pays off and ideas start to take shape. It’s the most exciting part of the process—turning concepts into actual, engaging visuals that will capture the audience’s attention. However, this is also the part that takes up a huge chunk of the whole process. Our team estimates it can make up 50% of the total project timeline. This part of the process tends to involve:

• Live Action Shooting – Filming real people and locations can bring a great sense of authenticity, but it also comes with bigger costs for equipment, crew, and talent. Since we’re all about motion design, we don’t offer live-action production—but that’s why we focus on animation! It lets us create high-quality content without the hefty price tag of a full shoot.
• Editing & Animation – This is where the story truly takes shape. We cut and arrange footage, add motion graphics, and fine-tune visuals to keep things smooth and engaging. For motion design projects, animation breathes life into static elements, making everything feel more dynamic and polished.

• Voiceovers & Sound Design – High-quality narration, music, and sound effects enhance storytelling and immersion.

It’s not just about making the video look good. Every detail works together to tell a compelling story, ensuring the final product is both visually stunning and emotionally engaging. However, production can be time-intensive, so we streamline the process by using AI tools to handle repetitive tasks like auto-generating assets, cleaning up motion capture data, and refining animations. This allows our designers to focus on the creative details that truly elevate the project, delivering high-quality results more efficiently.

Post-Production: Refining & Finalising

Now comes the most interesting part—bringing everything to life in the edit. This is where raw footage and assets get refined, polished, and transformed into a final video that’s engaging, professional, and ready to make an impact.

• Subtitle and Voice-Over — ****Well, depending on the video you are creating, subtitle and voice-over might be important to tell your story and make it look professional!
• Branding & Quality Control – Every detail, from colors and fonts to logo placement, ensures brand consistency. This step also catches any visual glitches or inconsistencies, guaranteeing a polished final product.
• Video Distribution – A great video won’t perform if it’s not optimized for the right platforms. That’s why we tailor content for different formats, depending on what our clients need—cropping for Instagram, tweaking thumbnails for YouTube, or creating bite-sized clips for LinkedIn—to maximize engagement.

Just like production, post-production can be time-intensive, we also use AI to speed things up. Automation tools handle repetitive tasks like color correction, subtitles, and resizing, giving our designers more time to focus on the creative details that make each video stand out.

How Much Does It Cost?

Let’s be real—video production costs can vary a lot. Some videos are quick and budget-friendly, while others require high-end animation and complex edits that drive up the price. So, what makes a video more expensive? Let’s break it down.

Factors That Influence The Cost

• Video/Animation Complexity — One of the biggest cost drivers is the complexity of the video itself. A simple motion graphic is far more affordable than a high-end animation with intricate movements, dynamic effects, or live-action elements. The more detailed the visuals and the more elaborate the production—whether through animation or multi-location filming—the higher the price.
• How Long the Video Is – More time on screen means more work behind the scenes—extra scripting, more animation, longer editing sessions. A standard explainer video is usually 60, 90, or 120 seconds, and every extra minute can increase the cost by 20% to 50%.
• Animation Style – Not all animations are created equal. Basic motion graphics are budget-friendly, but if you want smooth character animations, intricate transitions, and custom-designed elements, expect to pay more.
• Talents — The right talent can make or break a video, but it comes at a cost. Multiple voices, languages, or accents add up, and live-action projects get even pricier with casting, contracts, and on-screen talent.
• Several other factors can significantly impact production costs, with revisions and edits being major contributors. The more changes required, the more time and resources are needed, which naturally adds to the budget. That’s why a clear vision and well-planned pre-production phase can help keep costs under control while ensuring the final video meets expectations.

Marketing Video Costs: What to Expect with Motion The Agency

When it comes to creating your marketing video, the price really depends on what you're looking for and who you're working with. Hiring in-house can be a big investment, but if you need a lot of content, it might be worth it. On the other hand, if it’s just a one-off project, going with an agency could be the way to go. Prices can vary between agencies, but here’s a quick look at what we offer:

Basic Package (£950–£3,300)

Perfect for typography animations, talking-head videos, user-generated content, and sizzle reels. This one skips the storyboard phase but still includes sound effects (SFX) and background music (BGM) to make your video shine. Video length: 30s to 150s | Delivery: 4–12 working days

Premium Package (£1,200–£4,200)

‍A great choice for custom 2D & 2.5D animations with more creative flexibility. This package includes a storyboard, up to 5 rounds of revisions, 2 animation revision rounds, and an AI-generated voiceover. Plus, we’ve got SFX and BGM covered. Video length: 30s to 150s | Delivery: 1–4 working weeks

Enhanced Package (£1,450–£4,900)

‍For those looking for something top-notch, this package gives you custom 3D animations with a professional voiceover. You also get enhanced sound design, BGM, and unlimited revisions to make sure everything’s just right. Video length: 30s to 150s | Delivery: 1–6 working weeks

If you want to get a better idea of how much your project might cost, check out our cost calculator for a detailed breakdown!

Planning Your Budget and Resources

Just like we mentioned at the beginning of this article, one of the first things we tackle in any project is planning and budgeting—it’s key to keeping everything on track. Before we dive into design and animation, we work closely with our clients to set a clear budget, map out costs, and make sure there are no surprises along the way.

Here’s how we recommend structuring a budget for motion design projects:

Map Out All Known Costs

Start by listing out every expense—design, animation, voiceovers, revisions, and anything else that might come up. To stay ahead of surprises, it’s always a good idea to set aside an extra 10-15% as a contingency. Breaking larger costs into smaller, trackable pieces also makes it easier to manage and adjust as needed

Keep Your Budget Updated

Regularly updating actual costs as they come in helps keep a clear financial picture and ensures there are no unexpected gaps. Noticing discrepancies between estimated and actual costs early can save a lot of headaches down the line.

To keep things simple, we always recommend our cost calculator. It helps clients plan their budget, avoid surprises, and ensures we can develop their project most efficiently and cost-effectively possible.

Want an Impactful Marketing Video?

Now that we have a better understanding of the process of creating marketing and what influences the budget, we have arrived at the main question of the article: “How do you make sure your video stands out?”

Little Tips & Tricks That Work

• Hook Your Audience Fast – You’ve got seconds to grab attention, so start strong with eye-catching visuals or an intriguing statement.
• Tell a Story – People connect with narratives, not just sales pitches. Structure your video like a mini-story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• Optimize for Every Platform – Format your video for different channels (short clips for Instagram, longer content for YouTube).
• Add a Clear CTA – What should viewers do next? Subscribe, visit your site, or make a purchase? Spell it out!

Marketing Video Type

There is no formula for one type of marketing video that fits all companies. The right format can make all the difference in how your message lands—whether you’re explaining a product, building brand trust, or driving sales.

Let’s take a look at some of them and what situation you could apply them to:

Explainer Videos

Got a product or service that needs a little more explanation? Explainer videos break down complex ideas into simple, engaging visuals—perfect for SaaS, tech, and brands that need to educate their audience in a fun, digestible way.

Product Demos

People want to see how something works before they commit. Product demo videos walk them through the experience, highlight key features, and show off what makes your product stand out. Ideal for software, apps, or any product that benefits from a hands-on showcase.

Brand Story Videos

Your brand is more than just a logo—it has a story. Brand videos help you connect on a deeper level, whether that’s through your company’s mission, values, or a behind-the-scenes look at what you do best. If you want to build emotional connections, this is the way to go.

Corporate Videos

Need to showcase your company in a professional light? Corporate videos highlight your business, team, and achievements. They’re often used for recruitment, investor presentations, or internal communications—helping to solidify credibility and company culture.

Should Your Company Invest In Marketing Video?

Video marketing is one of the most powerful tools for business growth—driving engagement, boosting brand recall, and increasing conversions. But there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. The right strategy depends on your budget, target audience, and the story you want to tell.

If your company aligns on these key elements, then the answer is simple—yes, investing in a well-crafted marketing video is absolutely worth it. A high-quality video isn’t just a one-time asset; it’s something you can repurpose across multiple platforms, maximizing its value over time.

At the end of the day, a strong video strategy is about more than just production—it’s about making sure your content serves a purpose, resonates with your audience, and drives real results. Hopefully, this guide has helped you navigate the process and given you the confidence to take the next step in your video marketing journey.