Informative, entertaining and short- explainer videos not only boost customer engagement, but improve SEO rankings and take your business to the next level.
Whether you are new to the idea of explainer videos or are not sure if they would be the best solution for your business, you have arrived at the right place! In this article, we will be covering the:
● Basics of explainer video -what is an explainer video, its benefits, different kinds and components of a stunning explainer video.
● How to know if your business needs an explainer video and,
● Appropriate practices that should be followed while creating an explainer video.
Part 1 What is an Explainer Video? (And Examples You Can Steal!)
Just as the name suggests, an explainer video is an informative yet entertaining short video that explains a unique concept or the features of a product or service to prospective customers. Since the video deals with explanation, it must act a form of answer to:
● What is the product or service about?
● How beneficial it can be?
● Why should viewers invest their time and money it?
1. Benefits of an Explainer Video
Explainer videos offer benefits in abundance. From enhancing conversion rates to increasing SEO and website rankings, you will never be disappointed by a memorable, well-scripted and powerful explainer video.
But, why exactly do they work so well, and what are the advantages that are exclusive to these videos? Let's find out:
● Easy to Digest Short Videos As compared to other common types of video marketing, explainer videos communicate important information in a short span of time. The result is in this fast paced life, the viewer is able to retain every bit of information in the video without a cognitive overload.
● Designed for Target Audience The videos are primarily curated for your target audience, i.e. the buyer persona, their key requirements and complaints can be addressed while creating the video. Put it simply, the video tends to resonate with the audience who are more likely to engage with the service or product of your company.
● Spreads Brand Awareness Professionally designed explainer videos, especially those customized according to the logo, colors and theme of your company lead to brand awareness. Think about it, after watching the video, there is a high chance that your viewers will recognize your company through the logo.
● Breaks Down Complex Concepts When you have visual effects, animated characters and texts in motion graphics, live action and whiteboard explainer videos then even the most complex concept becomes easy to understand.
Being a versatile video marketing tool, you can use explainer videos on website, social media page, and many more platforms to engage and entice the prospective customers.
2. Different Kinds of Explainer Video
Though every kind of explainer video serves the same purpose, still there are several methods that can be implemented depending on what you are planning to explain. Some of the popular forms of explainer videos for business, education and infotainment and are:
● Motion Graphics Explainer Videos The motion graphics explainer video contains an incredible harmony of cinematic technique, visual effects and animation. Though they may not be story-driven, but most of them often include logos, text and abstract shapes. The best part about motion graphics is that the possibilities are endless, and apart from this you can update or edit such videos in a hassle-free way.
● Live-Action Explainer Videos The live-action explainer videos are created using real people. Unlike videos that have animations. In this kind, you incorporate real people who are explaining or performing a certain task. Hence, a great benefit of live action videos is that it aids in building a strong emotional connection with the viewer, while the integration of visual effects make it more realistic.
● Whiteboard Explainer Videos Whiteboard explainer videos are a form of animated video, where the story is showcased on a whiteboard. This style of video is suitable for educational purposes, but it even turns out to be an incredible marketing tool too! With an amazing script, superior quality animation and flawless voice, this style would definitely be a good option for emerging or small companies, mostly those who are running on a strict budget.
● Live Stream Explainer Videos Similar to live action, the live stream explainer videos are raw footage that cannot be updated or edited. Though it might sound a bit scary at the beginning, yet it's these videos that humanize your brand, where there is absolutely nothing to hide, and making things as real as it can be.
3. Components of an Explainer Video
Explainer videos are made up of several crucial components that should complement one another. Here are the basic elements of a successful explainer video:
● Script
● Storyboard
● Sound Effects & Background Music
● Animation and
● Voiceover
Part 2 How Do you Know If You Need an Explainer Video for Your Business?
When you want to level up your digital marketing strategy with innovative and one-of-a-kind tools then explainer videos is the ultimate solution for you. It combines graphics, animations, images and texts in any way that any other form of marketing would fail to deliver. As a matter of fact, using explainer video is a wonderful way to help the buyers or clients understand what your business has in store for them. But, the question still remains to be the same: how do you know whether your business needs an explainer video or not?
The answer: no matter what the size or type of your business might be, you will have competitors, and with explainer videos you can assure your potential customers that your service or product stands apart from rest.
Not sure how this will work? Let's break it down in a systematic way.
Customers get promotional messages from everywhere, and so it's important to
● Attract the prospective customer
● Explain how your business would solve their problem or be the game changer.
Doing both the tasks is tricky, and this is where an explainer video comes for the rescue.
With a high-quality explainer video for your business, you not only capture the attention of the viewer but even get an opportunity to convey the message and get them converted into a customer in a matter of minutes.
What's even better is that when satisfied the product or service of your business, the customers end up sharing the video with the people they know or those who may require your product.
It's a no brainer, every business needs an explainer video to connect with the audience, and the videos do guarantee a massive ROI (Return on Investment), making it a win-win situation on both the sides.
So, you undoubtedly need an explainer video for your business if:
● You aspire to excel the game of video marketing.
● You want to acquire a competitive edge from the rest.
● You aim of achieving a strong social media presence (YouTube, Twitter & Facebook.
● You offer innovative and result-oriented services and products.
● You want to make your website and social media pages look more engaging.
● You dream of presenting ideas that are better reflected through animated videos.
Wondershare Anireel - Easy Tool for Creating Animated Explainer Videos
1,435 people have downloaded it.
Built-in rich animation templates, including characters, actions, props, text, audio. Drag and drop to use for ease
Easy Text-to-Speech conversion through deep learning technology.
Anireel can animate built-in and imported material. It includes intro & outro animations and keyframing function for more versatility.
Anireel will instantly match your script to rich animations, convert the text into voice over, and generate complete and vivid Animated Explainer Videos.
Each animated character speaks in sync with accurate mouth movements according to the audio.
Part 3 Most Appropriate Explainer Video Practices
Producing killer explainer video is simple only where you adhere to the best practices, and these are:
1. Formulate an impactful script
Your script is the heart of the explainer video. Therefore, do stick to appropriate practices while working on it, such as:
● Key Message and Value Proportion should come in 30 seconds of the video and do keep the entire video short (ideal timeframe is 90 seconds or less)
● Always speak in second person with words like Your and You
● Avoid complex words or technical terms; instead use general words and simple language.
● Focus on the tone of the explainer video, it can either be conversational or a casual tone
2. Have some good music and effects
Sounds give a vibe to the explainer video. This is the reason why you should consider adding subtle effects and music that would keep the viewers hooked till the end of the video. For this, you can get free audio from reputable platforms like:
● YouTube: This place gives you access to the largest collection of sound library that can be used for any video.
● Free Sound: It's a database of sounds that features recordings and audio samples too.
● Audio Jungle: Here you can find a wide range of sound effects, loops and more to complete your explainer video.
3. Incorporate enticing visual effects and animation
Based on the kind and theme, consider animations and visual effects that will breathe life into the explainer video. You can either do this yourself in a DIY (do-it-yourself) method using free animation toolkits or opt for create a wonderful explainer video using committed platforms like Wondershare Anireel that will help in creating every element of the video right from scratch.
4. Use an incredible voiceover to connect with viewers
You simply can't have a good explainer video without the perfect voiceover. To do this, you can go for a professional artist or other platforms including:
● Voices: Features a large network of voice artists, allowing you to discover the ideal match for your explainer video。
● Fiverr: This is the best platform if you are running on a tight budget, and chances are you will be able to find almost any type of voice needed for the video.
● Craigslist: It's a reliable place, where you can choose voiceover artists from different parts of the world.
Wondershare Anireel
We make video animation better for everyone. Electrifying features that satisfy your imagination.
Final Thoughts
Explainer videos are a remarkable way of connecting with your potential audience. You can never go wrong with them. The punchy, short and easy to absorb videos:
● Communicate with the audience in a faster and effective manner, as compared to other mediums.
● Compatible with any scale and type of business (retail, agriculture, pharmacy or medicine, it doesn't really matter).
● Cater 100% profitable results that are relatively easier to track, making it a boon for emerging startups and SMEs (small and medium enterprises).