There is a strong case to be made for adding drone footage to just about every promotional video made. It was not long ago that getting aerial footage meant hiring a pilot, a helicopter and a photographer, with an accompanying five figure invoice. Many promotional videos justified the expense such for such use cases as event promotion and television spots, to name a few. But keeping the camera on the surface of the earth was the only option for most businesses up until recently as few could have spent tens of thousands of dollars just to collect aerial imagery.

Today, thanks to the large number of capable drone pilots stemming from the change in Federal Aviation Regulations in 2017, the bonds of being limited to two dimensions have been broken. Drones have made aerial footage accessible even to the smallest of businesses! Many who would benefit from high quality promotional videos tend to be a bit dismissive of the impact that adding drone footage can have. This dynamic means that drone imagery in promotional videos is still novel and eye-catching for those using it and hasn’t yet been relegated to the dustbin of ‘same old, same old’.

This is a rather fundamental principle in sales. For proof, look no further than the sales presentations of a typical engineer. Just exposing the target audience to the facts of the product or service only drives the engagement of those who are already engaged and ready to buy. The audience targeted by most marketing videos are closer to the top of the funnel rather than the bottom. Thus creating content that appeals to a more broad audience is advantageous. To push the analogy further, people might prefer different types of steak, but all of the mouths water when they see any type of steak sizzle.

This is the case for adding drone footage to promotional videos. Seeing the world in three dimensions is much more eye-grabbing than the videos composed of strictly ground based cameras, much like there is more to a cube than a square. And today it is less expensive than ever to inject the sizzle of aerial imagery. In most drones, there are built in flight patterns that are designed to automate the collection of raw video of an object, be it a house, a mall, a stadium, or other (generally) outdoor subjects. This means lower skilled drone pilots can often produce the results of a seasoned pilot by relying on autopilot flight paths, many of which are designed to showcase.

Of course the easiest and most expedient option is to hire a video production vendor, most of which offer the option of drone imagery. Typically they can take a client from A to Z with minimal direction other than budget constraints and marketing objectives.

Virtually all potential vendors have sample videos on their website to view. Look for promotional content with infused drone imagery that tells a compelling and coherent story. This process can serve two important parts of the process: Finding a capable vendor and being able to identify a promotional video that can serve as a template for the intended project.

Assure that the portfolio promotional videos consistently have a clear and compelling story line, whether it is a 10 second Tik Tok or 10 minute infomercial. This is the essential quality for which to look.

The benefit of this approach (presuming that a suitable vendor was selected) is that it produces the highest quality results, with the only drawback being that it is also the most expensive option.

This strategy best serves the type of content that would gather heavy impressions like a TV commercial, or a high traffic website.

Of course the easiest and most expedient option is to hire a An oft-used strategy to reduce costs is to assume some of the tasks of the prospective vendor. This tends to happen in SME’s because they may have a very qualified drone pilot (like the boss’s nephew) or video production specialist in-house so they wouldn’t need the full service offered by a single source vendor.

Modern drones can produce 4+K video and 12+Mpx images and the price for such a drone starts under $400. Because the drones have built in flight paths, even if it is the boss’s nephew gathering the footage, using the built in automation, they will do a good job even if they are not the most seasoned pilot.

Good communication between the post production editor and the drone pilot can reduce ‘retakes’ and other project delaying dynamics.

For those that can fly a minimally equipped drone and have some experience editing video, this is a viable option. It is also a reasonable option when already sitting on an accumulated tranche of media.

Also, because there is an increasing archive of ‘B roll’ drone footage, it has never been easier for the do-it-yourself crowd since B roll drone imagery can be used without the cost of collecting it.

The main pitfall of the do-it-yourself approach is the opportunity-cost of the considerable time spent to create a quality promotional video. Further, if the video isn’t well done, engagement is reduced which would negate the savings realized by taking it on oneself.

Modern drones can produce 4+K video and 12+Mpx images and the price for such a drone starts under $400. Because the drones have built in flight paths, even if it is the boss’s nephew gathering the footage, using the built in automation, they will do a good job even if they are not the most seasoned pilot.

But should one elect to take this on, a quick tip: The time it takes to complete the post production process increases exponentially with the increase in resolution of the raw footage, so a good rule of thumb is never shoot in a higher resolution than necessary.

Once a drone video project is complete for the primary target platform, the last step is to leverage that content by placing versions of it on as many social media platforms as your target audience justifies.

Each of the platforms, from LinkedIn to Tik Tok have their own specification with regard to length, resolution, theme, etc. to optimize engagement for their medium. Thus the final step in the process is pushing optimized versions of the promotional video to as many content platforms as possible.

In most instances, the best option as measured by total value is to outsource the whole project. Those that make these types of promotional videos can do more in less time, versus the do-it-yourself crowd that inherently take more time to produce far less. This is the foundation of the fundamental business principle of outsourcing the work that is outside the company’s expertise to create more time for the work that is within the company’s expertise.