Explainer videos are a type of corporate video that you often see on a business website or social media platforms. Explainer videos are the modern equivalent of pitching an idea to a potential customer, delivering it in such a way that aims to position the company as a trustworthy authority in their field. A successful explainer video is produced to be straight to the point and easy to understand.
An explainer video is short-form video content that is used to help explain a specific service, product, or concept to the viewer. The idea is that potential customers will watch the video, be hooked and become a customer. You’ll often see explainer videos described as ‘how-to-videos’ offering helpful content to the viewer with the goal of converting sales.
Explainer videos are commonly found on landing pages, within emails and amongst social media advertising. They are designed to be viewed quickly, explaining industry terminology, products or services, in a concise and simple way. It is very important that your explainer videos are well planned to ensure the video is high quality and effective.
There are a few good reasons why explainer videos are needed. A video can be used to introduce new products and services in a way that is relevant and easily consumed by the target customer. The idea is to market and sell your products/services simply and engagingly using video. Consumers find videos much easier to consume and understand than straight text, and they look for explainer videos to help them decide on whether to buy a product or not.
When putting together an explainer video it is important to understand the common things that are included. Here are some of our best practices to help you put together an effective video;
It doesn’t matter what product, service, or topic you are explaining, you must keep things simple. Simple communication gives you a much better chance of converting leads into a paying customer. Avoid using industry jargon and keep the messaging clear.
Including examples and testimonials within an explainer video is highly effective. Instead of just showing how a product works try to include a real customer giving a genuinereview of your product. This will go a lot further in persuading potential customers to transact with you.
Every corporate video that you make should have consistent branding. This could include using your brand colours and company logo within the video. Consistent branding makes it clear that your product/service is high quality and trustworthy.
A call to action is important, as it provides the viewer with steps of where to go next. Your goal could be to guide the customer to purchase or simply learn more. Your explainer videos should allow them to get to the next steps easily. A compelling example of a call to action could include instructions such as “get yours now” or “click to learn more” for example.
There are different types of explainer videos. Let’s take a closer at the most popular;
This is the most common type of explainer video, where you see 2D or 3D animations used to showcase a product or concept. Animation is a tricky thing to get right, but if you do your explainer video will be more memorable for the viewer, making it more likely to stick in their heads and for them to go looking for more information.
Whiteboard explainer videos are designed a little differently. The animation is hand-drawn with markers on a whiteboard. These are a popular type of explainer video within the educational world in particular. It is important to make sure that with a whiteboard video your concept and messaging is concise and easy to draw out. Make things as easy as possible for your audience to follow.
The opposite to an animated video, these types of explainer videos use real actors talking directly into camera or performing tasks relating to the product or service. There is a greater depth to creating a live action explainer video, including the need for actors, a script, a clear and compelling storyline, voice-overs and plenty of post-production and editing before the finished video is ready to be released.
No, we’re not talking about the post-punk art rock Gods (although if you manage to get David Byrne into your explainer video, you’ll win some fans!), but instead a live action video where an expert on a product or service talks directly into the camera to the viewer. All you need is a camera, some good lighting and sound equipment, and one person to speak. It is straightforward but as with anything simplistic, the quality of the content must shine through.
A screen capture or screen recording is not one of the most popular types of explainer videos out there, but it is worth mentioning as a cost-effective solution in some circumstances. For some software apps and developers this does provide a simple overview of how a certain product functions and you can provide a voice-over or text-to-speech as part of the process.
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to the length of an explainer video. However, the best explainer videos are around one minute long. This is especially the case for videos that are planned for sharing on social media platforms.
The benefits of explainer videos are clear for all to see. They include:
The following simple steps provide you with the best way to make an explainer video.
Working with a professional video production company will help you to put together the perfect explainer video. These commercial videos provide a strong touchpoint to position your company as an authority in your field. They are great for sales and marketing, helping to grab the attention of your audience. This helps increase sales and build company reputation. If you need help with producing killer explainer videos, please reach out to our team today.
