We have a guest post for you today. Did you ever think about creating an explainer video? It’s not as simple as it seems, if you want it to be really great. Here are 8 tips to help from Andre Oentoro, founder of Breadnbeyond. Take it away, Andre!
An explainer video is a great way to explain something to the mass audience, especially if you’re a business owner or marketer.
There’s no better tool to simplify your complex ideas than explainer videos. Don’t believe me? Just look at the statistics.
More than 68% of potential consumers prefer to learn about a new product or service through an explainer video. That number is way higher than written articles (15%), e-books or manuals (4%), infographics (3%), and sales demo (3%).
However, not all explainer videos are made equal. Some people know how to make great videos, while others don’t.
If you’re looking for some tips on how to create a good explainer video for your business, you’ve come to the right place.
So, without further ado, let’s jump right into it!
#1. Plan It Out Your Explainer Video
Plan everything from the get-go.
Do the research, create the initial concept, calculate the budget, and assemble a team of video makers, before starting making the video. Create a video that fits your business and your buyers’ persona.
Most explainer videos are in the form of animation, maybe because it’s faster and more affordable to make than live-action videos that require more manpower and equipment. However, don’t be afraid to create a live-action explainer video as long as it fits your brand.
#2. Use the Right Tools
After the preparation is done, it’s time for the execution. If you have a budget, you can hire a video agency to create a professional-looking explainer video.
However, professional-looking videos don’t always mean that people will automatically like it; the content of the video is what matters.
With that in mind, you can create your animated video with the help of a few video-making tools and platforms.
Some of the tools are free, while others cost a little bit of a pretty penny. The bottom line is, you can cut your production costs this way and allocate the money to promote the video.
#3. Start With A Strong Intro
Whether you create your explainer video with your own hands or a video agency, one thing you keep in mind is starting with a robust and powerful intro to capture your audience from the first few seconds.
Considering your target audience prefers to watch a video that offers them a quick and handy solution to their problem, addressing your target audience problem in the first place is a smart way to get their attention.
Next, you keep them stay by offering the end-to-end solution with your product or service. Once you successfully drive them to watch your video all the way through, there’s a higher chance to have them convert.
#4. Choose the Right Voice Actors
Don’t look down on this, because this is one of the necessities in explainer videos.
Pick a voice actor who fits your brand perfectly, because this guy is the one who will represent the voice of your company and explain your product or service to the audience.
The things that are worth considering are the style, tone or intonation, and accent.
Let’s say you create an explainer video for your informal business, the best voice over you can use is the relaxed and easy-going tone, with an easy-to-listen voice just like the way you talk to your friends.
Besides, if you create an explainer video for a big corporation, the best option that is worth considering is the ones with a polished voice, formal style, and clear pronunciation.
If you can’t find the right voice actor or you have a limited budget, try to learn how to do voice acting and dub the video yourself. Who knows that you might have a hidden talent?
#5. Keep Your Explainer Video Short
The purpose of making explainer videos is to explain complicated things in a simple and engaging way. You don’t need to include a long and complicated backstory, go straight to the point.
It’s common knowledge that 90 seconds is the right length in most explainer videos, enough to explain about your product without making the viewers bored.
A 2-minute video is still okay when used to explain more complicated things, but don’t cross the 3-minute mark because viewers rarely stay that long.
#6. Highlight Your Brand Benefits
Now, let’s talk about the content.
Don’t show people about the features that your product has, because no one cares about you unless you can give a solution to their problems.
Focus on highlighting what benefits you can give to the audience and how your product can solve their problems. If you’re still confused about the difference between features and benefits, take a look at this example:
You bought an umbrella, which is equipped with a robust waterproof fabric. Because it was rainy, you used it to protect you from the rain.
Here, “waterproof fabric” is the feature of the umbrella, which everyone automatically will get once they buy it.
The benefit you get from this umbrella is that it can protect you from rain. However, benefits can be different among people. For instance, people in tropical countries use an umbrella to protect them from the sun, not rain.
#7. Create An Obvious and Clear Call-to-Action
You don’t craft your explainer video without a goal, do you?
There must be “something” you expect from your audience after watching your explainer video.
Do you want them to visit your website?
Do you want them to make a purchase?
Do you want them to sign up for the newsletter?
Or maybe you want them to watch the video all the way through to let them know about your product?
This is why call-to-action (CTA) is crucial to driving your viewers to do the desired action.
In this case, CTA needs to be clear and visible so that your video gets a full grasp of what they should do next.
Don’t wait until the end of the video just to put your CTA on your explainer video. The middle part of the video is more likely the right time to spur action.
Don’t forget to emphasize the tone while you’re delivering your CTA with a voice-over. Besides, you also can put a text on the screen if you’re explainer video is voice-over free.
So, even your viewers don’t watch your explainer video until the end; they know what exactly to do just from the half-through of it.
#8. Choose the Right Platform
Now that you’ve created a compelling explainer video, one thing that remains is to host it.
Hosting the video is not the easiest thing to do. With a lot of platforms out there, choosing the best ones for your business is what makes it challenging.
Considering every platform or video hosting sites have their own demographic, content strategy, and user base. So it’s safe to say that the best way to start is by knowing who your target audiences are and where to find them.
If you want to appeal to the younger crowd, social media like Instagram and Twitter are the best way to go. Besides, if you’re going to reach out to a more specific group of people or professionals, video hosting sites like Vidyard, Vimeo, or Wistia never disappoint.
Takeaway
Visual content like videos and infographics usually do better than written content because humans are visual beings.
We naturally understand and remember visuals better than text as a study by Invisia has proven. The research shows that people remember 95% of something that they see visually, and only remember 10% of what they read.
That’s why if you have a business, you need to create more visual content like explainer videos, especially in today’s tech-centric world where people are hooked into their smartphones almost all the time.
They can literally watch videos anywhereㅡ on the train to work, during lunch break, or while having dinner with family.
So, you better don’t waste this opportunity; the digital world has made it possible for us to reach millions of people in a heartbeat. With the right content, the right platforms, the right marketing strategy, and a bit of fortune, you can grow your business using explainer videos.
Author
Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).
Twitter: @breadnbeyond
Email: andre@breadnbeyond.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreoentoro/
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