You've poured your heart into developing a revolutionary app that simplifies daily tasks, from managing finances to organizing family schedules. You know it can change lives, but there's a hurdle: potential users are scrolling past your lengthy text explanations and complex diagrams. They're interested but quickly overwhelmed by the details.
Picture this: instead of a dense paragraph, your audience is greeted with a vibrant, minute-long video. It features a character they can relate to, juggling work, finances, and family. The animation flows seamlessly, showing how your app turns Alex's chaos into order with just a few taps. It's a story that captures the heart, illustrating the tangible impact your app can have on their daily lives. This is the power of animated explainer videos—they turn viewers into users and users into fans.
What is a business explainer video?
A business explainer video is a concise, typically one-minute-long visual piece designed to communicate a company's product, service, or overall story to its audience. This type of video distills complex ideas and processes into an easily digestible format, utilizing a combination of engaging visuals, clear narration, and compelling music to hold the viewer's attention. The goal is to convey the essence of what the company offers or represents in an informative and appealing manner, making it an ideal tool for quickly capturing the interest of potential customers or clients.
Beyond just showcasing products or services, explainer videos often delve into the company's mission, values, and the problems they aim to solve, providing a comprehensive overview of the company's story. This educates the audience about the company's offerings and builds a connection by aligning the company's solutions with the viewer's needs or challenges. Explainer videos serve a dual purpose: they simplify the message for better understanding and retention and create an emotional bond with the audience, encouraging them to engage further with the brand.
What are the benefits of an explainer video?
Explainer videos are versatile tools for businesses aiming to communicate their message in a fast, succinct way. They grab attention quickly, making them more appealing than blocks of text or static images. This heightened engagement is crucial for capturing viewers' interest in the first few seconds.
Explainer videos contribute to more robust SEO (Search Engine Optimization) rankings. Search engines favor content that engages viewers, and videos often lead to longer page visits, signaling to search engines that your site offers valuable content. This can improve your website's search rankings, making your business more visible to potential customers.
Explainer videos can serve multiple roles in the sales funnel, from awareness to consideration to decision-making stages. They help potential customers understand your product or service's benefits without feeling overwhelmed by technical details or industry jargon. This clarity can accelerate decision-making, moving leads closer to a purchase.
Explainer videos also come across as less salesy. Focusing on education rather than overt selling helps build trust with your audience. This approach is often more welcomed by viewers, who may be wary of aggressive sales tactics.
Are explainer videos effective?
Yes, explainer videos are highly effective as they align well with various sales funnel stages, catering to generating interest, building awareness, and lead generation. Their versatility means they can be tailored to address potential customers' specific needs and questions at different points in their journey. At the top of the funnel, explainer videos can pique interest and attract attention by presenting a problem and offering a solution in an accessible way. This initial engagement is crucial for building brand awareness and connecting with the viewer.
As potential customers move down the funnel, explainer videos play a vital role by providing more in-depth information and demonstrating the product's or service's value. This helps nurture leads and guide them towards making a purchase decision. An explainer video's visual and auditory elements help viewers to retain information, making these videos an effective tool for communicating complex details that might be lost in text-based content.
Explainer videos can be shared across various platforms, including social media, email marketing, and websites, boosting their reach and increasing the chances of generating leads. Their shareable nature means that they can virally spread, further amplifying their effectiveness in building awareness and attracting new leads.
What businesses and industries are a good fit for explainer videos?
Explainer videos benefit technology and software companies, including SaaS (Software as a Service) providers. In these sectors, products or services often come with complex features and functionalities that can be challenging to convey through text alone. Explainer videos can distill these complexities into engaging, easy-to-understand visuals, demonstrating the benefits and applications of the software. This is invaluable for SaaS companies looking to illustrate how their solutions can solve specific problems or improve efficiency, making it easier for potential customers to grasp the value proposition and how the software fits into their workflows.
Service-based companies also find explainer videos highly advantageous for introducing their offerings and providing company overviews. These videos can outline the services offered, the team's expertise, and the company's unique selling points in a concise and captivating format. Videos provide potential clients with a clear understanding of what the company does and why it stands out in the market.
Manufacturers and brands, on the other hand, leverage explainer videos to showcase how their products work, highlighting key features and demonstrating the product in action. This visual demonstration is effective for new or innovative products where understanding the functionality and benefits is essential for adoption. By visually breaking down the operation and advantages of a product, manufacturers can effectively communicate its value to potential customers, driving interest and sales. Explainer Videos take advantage of 3D assets like 3D product renderings and 3D models to give viewers an accurate idea of the product.
When should you use an explainer video?
Explainer videos are utilized in sales meetings, marketing campaigns, social media, landing pages, and e-learning modules. In sales meetings, explainer videos serve as a compelling introduction to your product or service, offering a succinct overview that supplements the verbal pitch. By visually demonstrating the features and benefits of what you're offering, these videos can help capture and maintain the interest of potential clients or investors, making your presentation more memorable.
For marketing campaigns, explainer videos are centerpiece content, driving engagement and helping to convey your campaign's message in a fast and entertaining format. They're particularly effective on social media, where the blend of visuals and audio can stand out in a crowded feed, encouraging shares and increasing reach. The concise and engaging nature of explainer videos makes them ideal for grabbing attention quickly, making them perfect for social media platforms where users often scroll rapidly through content.
Explainer videos significantly improve conversion rates on landing pages. By immediately engaging visitors and providing a quick understanding of your product or service, they can reduce bounce rates and guide visitors towards action, such as signing up for a trial or purchasing. In e-learning, explainer videos break down complex concepts into manageable, engaging lessons, enhancing the learning experience and improving retention rates. Whether for training purposes within a company or educational content aimed at a broader audience, explainer videos transform how information is conveyed and absorbed.
What are some best practices when making an explainer video?
Keeping the video short, typically around 1 minute, is crucial. This duration strikes the perfect balance between providing enough information to convey your message and maintaining the viewer's attention.
The quality of visuals and animation plays a significant role in the video's appeal. Crisp visuals and smooth animations aid in explaining complex ideas in a clear and engaging manner. These elements complement the narration, which ought to be conversational and relatable. A natural, engaging tone can make the information more accessible, as opposed to the formality of reading from a manual.
Storytelling is another critical aspect of a compelling explainer video. A well-crafted story with a clear beginning, middle, and end guides viewers through the information in a way that feels natural and engaging. This narrative approach helps in making the video memorable and can foster an emotional connection with the audience. Ending the video with a clear call to action is essential. A strong call to action can convert viewer interest into tangible action, whether it's encouraging viewers to visit a website, sign up for a service, or contact your company.
Updating your explainer video as your company evolves is essential. Over time, your products, services, or brand messaging may change. Regularly revisiting and, if necessary, updating your explainer video ensures it remains accurate and aligned with your current offering and branding. This practice keeps your video content fresh and relevant, serving as an effective tool in your marketing arsenal.
How much does a 1 minute explainer video cost?
The cost of a 1-minute explainer video is influenced by various factors, making it important for businesses to consider their budget carefully when planning such a project. Typically, the starting price for a quality 1-minute explainer video is around $5,000, but this can increase significantly based on the project's complexity and specific requirements. Key factors that affect the price include the project deadline, the level of detail and quality of the animation, whether there will be extensive character animation, and the complexity of the storyboard.
A tight deadline can often lead to higher costs as the production team may need to work overtime or prioritize your project over others. Similarly, videos requiring high levels of custom animation or character work demand more time and skill from animators, which in turn increases the price. The detail in the storyboard and the need for custom illustrations or bespoke features can also add to the cost. Communicating your vision clearly to the production studio and discussing these elements upfront is crucial to get an accurate estimate.
When reaching out to a studio, clearly understanding your budget and being upfront about it can help the studio tailor their proposal to meet your financial constraints while still achieving your goals. Remember, investing in a high-quality explainer video can offer a significant return in engagement, lead generation, and ultimately, sales, making it a worthwhile expenditure for many businesses.
Need explainer video services?
Are you looking for the best explainer video company? At Purely Imagined, we craft compelling explainer videos tailored to B2B and B2C audiences. We also excel in creating stunning 3D product renderings and engaging software product demos. We understand the power of visual storytelling and leverage it to explain your product, service, or concept in an informative and captivating way.
We design our videos to make an impact across various platforms, including landing pages, trade shows, and digital marketing campaigns. Combining crisp visuals, smooth animations, and a conversational narrative style brings your story to life, simplifying complex ideas and making them accessible to your target audience. Work with us to elevate your brand and connect with your audience like never before.
Conclusion
In the journey to grow your business, animated explainer videos are a strategic leap toward connecting deeply with your audience. They breathe life into your brand's story, making complex ideas accessible and engaging. By weaving emotional narratives with clear, concise explanations, you invite potential customers into a world where your solution is the hero of their story. As your animated video unfolds, it educates and inspires action, turning passive interest into active engagement.
So, as you look ahead, consider the vast potential of animated explainer videos to amplify your message and catalyze growth. It's an investment in a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience. With the right story, visuals, and animation, your business isn't just sharing what it does—you're showing the world why it matters.