The world of digital marketing is an ever-evolving, and ever-more difficult place to stand out, where strategies and tactics seem to shift with every click. However, a largely untapped digital marketing gem is that of the explainer video.
We’re going to explain exactly what goes into creating an engaging and effective explainer video, as well as outlining the benefits of them to show you why they should change from an underrated or even unused tool in your marketing toolbox to a pivotal part of your video marketing strategy.
What are explainer videos?
Explainer videos are short animated or live-action videos designed to communicate everything from your company’s story to your product or idea to your target audience. These videos often utilise a mix of clear visuals, engaging animations, and a compelling narrative to convey information effectively.
The power of visual communication
Simply put, people prefer videos. When it comes to learning about subjects, brands or stories, videos are the public’s preferred choice every time. In fact, internet users watch and consume on average 17 hours worth of video content every week, with this number steadily on the rise.
Human brains are wired to process and retain visuals faster, and for longer periods of time. Explainer videos leverage this innate cognitive trait to their advantage, enabling marketers to deliver their messages in a format that is both memorable and impactful.
Benefits of explainer videos
Simplifying complex concepts
Explainer videos excel at breaking down intricate concepts. Text-heavy explanations can overwhelm and confuse audiences, but explainer videos transform complex ideas into straightforward narratives. By incorporating visuals that complement the narration, you provide viewers with a multi-sensory experience that clarifies even the most convoluted subjects.
Easily shareable
In the age of social media and online content sharing, explainer videos are a brilliant asset. Their succinct format and engaging visuals make them incredibly shareable across various platforms such as Youtube, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.
Attention-grabbing
In a world where attention spans are fleeting, explainer videos offer a solution to captivate your audience from the first second. The combination of captivating visuals, concise storytelling, and dynamic animations helps to maintain viewer interest. By transforming complex information into an easily digestible format, these videos ensure that your message resonates with the audience.
Can drive conversion rates
When visitors land on your website, you have a limited window to convince them to take action. An explainer video, strategically placed on your landing page, can be a game-changer. By delivering a concise and persuasive overview of your product or service, these videos engage visitors, build trust, and drive conversion rates. The combination of visual and auditory stimuli makes it easier for viewers to internalise information, nudging them towards making a purchase or taking the desired action.
How to craft an effective explainer video
The best explainer videos follow a simple, yet effective structure to help amplify your message and keep the audience engaged.
Define your goal and target audience
Before diving into the creative process, clearly define the goal of your explainer video. Are you aiming to educate, inspire, or persuade your audience? Identifying the purpose and key message of your video will guide your content decisions throughout the production process.
Write a script
Without a script, there is no explainer video. The video script is one of the most essential parts of any explainer video, as it works to deliver all the important information you want your audience to receive. All other important elements of the explainer video such as the visuals and music are the basis of the script, helping to form the direction of the video. You can have all the bells and whistles in the world, but without a good script, your explainer video will always fall short of the mark.
It stands to reason then that a large chunk of time should always be allotted to writing the script, as this ensures it will deliver the exact message that you want to put across.
To help make this happen, it’s always worth working directly alongside the video production company to help discuss the script and note all of the important words, phrases and messages that you want included. You also know your customer’s pain points better than we do, so it’s a great opportunity to note them down so that they can be addressed in the video.
If you need some inspiration for your script, don’t worry, because our creative team is here, ready and on-hand to help. We collaborate with clients from start to finish, helping to combine ideas to create a well-rounded, engaging script.
Choose the right visual style
The visual style you choose should align with your brand identity and resonate with your audience. There are a range of different types of explainer videos to select from, and it’s important to consider which one is going to be best for your business.
- Animated explainer videos are a great choice when you need to explain a product or service such as a software, rather than a physical product that can be showcased in the video. Extremely versatile and revolving around simplicity, this makes animated explainer videos one of the most popular choices for explainer videos. Animated explainer videos can showcase step-by-step animations of how your product works, as well as include important statistics on screen. As well as this, they offer a lot of creative freedom and an opportunity to incorporate engaging, colourful visuals.
- Live-action explainer videos are best for companies selling a tangible product, as these videos offer a fantastic opportunity to showcase exactly what your target audience will be spending their hard-earned cash on. You can also combine a live-action explainer video with animation to help create a unique and visually striking video.
- Whiteboard explainer videos are a type of animation where content is presented on a digital whiteboard. This animation is typically hand-drawn, making an effective way to convey different statistics and key pieces of information on screen, as well as being a simple, fun and engaging way to learn about a brand. This style resembles someone physically drawing on a whiteboard, often accompanied by a voiceover to help walk the audience through the story.
From picking the right animation style to the perfect location, it’s important to maintain consistency in visuals, as this helps reinforce your brand’s image and ensures a seamless viewing experience.
Voiceover
Selecting the right voiceover artist is a crucial aspect of crafting an effective explainer video. The voiceover serves as the narrator who guides viewers through the content, so it should match the tone and personality of your brand.
Consider the target audience – if your audience is young and vibrant, you might opt for an enthusiastic and energetic voice. For a more serious subject, a calm and authoritative voice might be appropriate. The voiceover should enunciate clearly, maintaining a steady pace that aligns with the visuals.
Voiceovers are typically more important for animated explainer videos than other types of content, as the narrator’s job is to help guide the viewer through the story.
Add music and sound effects
Sound design is another important part of any explainer video, helping to build an emotional connection and maintain your audience’s attention. The right music can set the mood for the video, whether it’s upbeat and energetic or serene and contemplative.
Your music should complement the video’s content and enhance its overall impact without overpowering the voiceover. Sound effects, when used subtly, can emphasise key actions, transitions, or visual elements. For instance, a gentle “ding” sound can highlight the appearance of text, creating a satisfying visual and auditory journey.
By thoughtfully integrating music and sound, you can elevate your explainer video from a mere presentation to a captivating and immersive storytelling experience.
Explainer video examples
Now we know how to craft an effective explainer video, let’s take a look at some of the best explainer videos out there to help get an even better understanding of what your explainer video should consist of.
Headspace
Animated explainer videos offer brands ultimate control and creativity over their content. The Sleep by Headspace’s animated video conveys the idea that many of us, despite living our own entirely unique and varied lives, can experience the same difficulties in trying to clear our minds and get the rest we need.
The animated video closes in on an apartment building, where the residents are all finding it difficult to calm their minds and wind down. They present a few different examples why people may struggle to switch off, helping to reach their target audience through showing they understand their audience’s difficulties and problems.
The animation itself is simple and doesn’t attempt to distract too much from the soothing voiceover. Sound effects are used to convey the chaotic nature of everyday life, from sirens to dogs barking. Sound is then also combined with animation and a voiceover to show what their app offers to help overcome this feeling.
It draws on the idea that many of us are in the same boat without even realising it, and that their product can help consumers to relax after a long day. Even the carefully chosen colours align with the overall message the brand is trying to convey, with the use of soft purples and blues illustrating a very calming feel.
Dollar Shave Club
Dollar Shave Club’s explainer video is a perfect example of how to leverage humour to really grab your audience’s attention. In fact, this explainer video propelled Dollar Shave Club to new heights, going viral for its creativity, simplicity and humour, which resulted in them eventually being purchased for a whopping $1 billion.
The video works so well because it doesn’t let the humour dilute the overall message one bit. Instead, it helps to turn something that we’ve all seen and heard of before, razors, into something that is genuinely funny.
It’s fair to say that Dollar Shave Club understood the assignment, going full throttle with swearing, engaging narrators and simple but effective visual gags to show that they don’t take themselves too seriously. Even smaller details like the narrator having their top button undone helps to evoke a more relaxed feel which matches the dialogue and overall tone of the video.
This all works because it displays authenticity. Where other brands would try this approach and most certainly fail, Dollar Shave Club knew exactly what audience they wanted to reach and they managed it successfully.
Best practices for explainer videos
- You want to use simple language throughout the explainer video. Not all of your customers are going to be experts, otherwise, they probably wouldn’t be coming to you for help, so it’s always best to keep things simple to ensure you don’t alienate your viewers and keep their attention throughout. Save the technical terms for in-house!
- Don’t make the viewer wait till the end of the video to see why they should be investing in you. A good explainer video conveys the value proposition within the first 30 seconds of the content.
- The term short and sweet has never been more applicable than it is to an explainer video. They’re more effective when they’re between 60-90 seconds, any longer is unlikely to keep your audience’s attention.
- Speaking in second-person helps to direct the information straight to the viewer, helping to connect with them and make your video more direct and meaningful.
- In terms of structure, an explainer video typically begins by outlining the problems faced by your target audience. After which, it will then address these problems by demonstrating a quick overview of how your product or service fixes this problem. The explainer video should always round off with a CTA (call-to-action) to help point your audience in the right direction. If you can, adding in any well-known companies you’ve worked with or awards you’ve won can help to build trust.
How to use an explainer video
Explainer videos are very versatile, and can be used in a variety of different ways. For example, you may want to place your explainer video on your landing pages, homepage or popular product pages to help further engage people when they visit your website.
When visitors land on your website, you have a limited window of time to grab their attention. Including an explainer video on your landing page can increase dwell time and lower bounce rates. The video will provide a dynamic way to showcase your product’s benefits, encouraging visitors to explore further.
Alternatively, explainer videos can be included as a part of an email marketing campaign. Instead of relying solely on text, embed a video to deliver your message with flair. Videos not only engage readers but also increase the likelihood of your email being opened and read.
In the fast-scrolling world of social media, content needs to be attention-grabbing from the get-go. Explainer videos fit this bill perfectly. Craft short, impactful videos that quickly communicate your message – these are more likely to be shared, liked, and commented on, extending your reach organically.
How we’ll help you create an explainer video
If you’re looking to create your own explainer video, you’re in the right place. As a video production company, our team at Perspective Pictures can guide you through all of the important steps to ensure that you’re kept in the loop from day one to the final product.
Our production team will be there to listen to all your needs and requirements, helping find a way to fit them into an explainer video that will put a smile on you and your audience’s faces.
We’ve created explainer videos for a wide range of different companies, from small businesses to larger enterprise clients in an even wider range of industries! Whether it’s an animated explainer video, live-action, or a bit of both, we’ve got you covered. We know what goes into making a good explainer video, and by working together we can produce a video that will level up your video marketing and help to drive more conversions.
Feel free to contact us today to get started on your very own explainer video.