5 Things the Best Explainer Videos Do Right
When it comes to video marketing, explainer videos are incredibly effective at introducing new products and services, generating brand interest, and building consumer trust. But to get the most out of your explainers, it’s important to understand what goes into making an effective video and what qualities your video should possess. To help you get started, here are five things that the best explainer videos do right.
At Digital Spark Studios, we have extensive experience planning and producing impactful marketing videos that generate results. Contact us today to learn more about our professional startup video production services.
What is an Explainer Video?
An explainer video is a short and concise video that shows viewers what your company does, what value your products or services offer, and why your audience should care. It’s essentially an elevator pitch for your brand and its offerings.
There are three main types of explainer videos:
● Live-action explainers: Feature real people shot on camera. Often include talking head interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and physical product demonstrations.
● Animated explainers: Feature motion graphics and animated characters that help tell a compelling story and demonstrate complex topics in an appealing and simplified manner.
● Whiteboard explainers: Feature a real or animated hand drawing on a whiteboard to visualize the points made in the narration.
Animated explainer videos are often the best option for explainer videos due to their versatility and flexibility. Depending on the nature of your video, whiteboard explainers or live-action explainers may be great options as well.
Explainer videos can be used on brand websites and landing pages, social media, at conferences and events, and as part of crowdfunding campaigns to generate qualified leads.
5 Explainer Video Best Practices
To get as much value as possible out of your explainer video, it needs to tell a compelling story, offer engaging visuals, and appeal to the right audience. To help you plan your next video, here are five explainer video best practices to keep in mind:
Target the Right Audience
Explainer videos are meant to show your target audience how your brand, products, and services can solve their most pressing problems and make their lives easier.
To do this, you first need to know who you’re talking to. Before starting work on your explainer video, you should be able to answer a few key questions:
● Who is your target audience?
● What do you want your audience to take from your video?
● What are their pain points?
● How can you make their lives easier?
● What do you want consumers to do after watching your video?
Answering these questions will help you plan the content of your video and generate more engagements.
Be Concise
Explainer videos are meant to inform. But just because entertainment isn’t the first priority doesn’t mean that your video should be boring.
To maintain your audience’s attention, it's important to try to get your point across in two minutes or less. Longer than this, and you risk losing viewers’ interest before the video finishes. Stick to the information that’s most important: who your brand is, what your products/services are, and how they provide value to your customers.
Write a Compelling Script
The key to a successful explainer video is an engaging and well-written script. If you’re working with a video production company, you’ll start by making a creative brief to inform your script. This brief should contain information like:
● Who your target audience is
● What benefits you want to highlight in the video
● What problem you are solving
● Your preferred visual style
● Your call to action (CTA)
Using this information, you should write a script that tells an engaging story and clearly explain to customers how they would benefit from purchasing your products or services.
Demonstrate Value
After finishing your video, your viewers should have a clear understanding of how your brand and its products or services will benefit them and improve their quality of life.
Start your explainer video by stating the pain points that you know concern your audience. Doing this ensures that your viewers will relate to the video and be interested in learning more about your brand.
Use words like ‘you’ and ‘your’ to communicate directly to consumers and help them understand how you will address their pain points. Focus on the benefits of your products and services more than the features.
Include a Strong CTA
No explainer video is complete without a strong call to action (CTA). Your CTA should be the next step that you want viewers to take after finishing your video. This could include encouraging viewers to visit your website, download your app, sign up for your newsletter, etc.
It’s often best to include CTAs at the end of the video to ensure viewers hear everything you have to say before taking the next step—but they can also be included at the beginning or in the middle of the video.
Work With Digital Spark Studios
Explainer videos are one of the most popular and effective types of marketing videos today. They help brands explain their purpose and demonstrate the benefits offered by their products and services.
At Digital Spark Studios, we work with brands across all industries to help them plan and produce engaging explainers that generate leads and conversions. Our production team will work with you to create a video that is true to your brand and helps you achieve your marketing goals. Contact us today to learn more about our professional explainer video production services.