Gone are the days of lengthy explanations for businesses and what they do. People don’t want to read through a long block of text. That’s where explainer videos come in.
Explainer videos are 60-90 second long videos that explain your product or services.
Typically, they are animated to create engaging content. It’s important to remember that just because you have an explainer video doesn’t automatically mean you’ll generate new leads. The video needs to be concise, engaging and tailored to your audience.
Your explainer video should be the first thing a new potential customer sees. According to research, using a video on your landing page can increase conversion by 86%.
If you don’t hook them with the video, odds are they won’t stick around to check out your website. The good news is you don’t need a prestigious film degree to create a decent one. Let’s look at 7 steps to help you create the best explainer video.
#1: Choose Your Explainer Video Style
To start, there are several styles to choose from for your explainer video. The style you choose is going to depend on the type of business you have. Typically, explainer videos will either be live-action or animation.
Live-Action
A live-action video is going to work best to humanize your product or service.
For example, if you’re offering personal consulting services, a video with you actually in it will let potential customers create a connection. Live-action is also best for a more serious tone. You wouldn’t want an animated elephant explaining your funeral home services, would you?
Choosing live-action is also great if you’re on a budget. You could even film a simple ‘talking head’ explainer video on your phone and use simple editing tools.
Animation
You’ve likely seen an animated explainer video before. It’s the best format for grabbing your audience’s attention.
Animation allows you to show things that live-action wouldn’t. You can be as creative as possible, and incorporate the colors your brand uses to be cohesive. If you’re not an animator, you’ll probably have to hire someone for this style.
#2: Create an Engaging Script
After you’ve chosen the style, you’re going to need a stellar script. Just because the video is short doesn’t mean the script isn’t important! The script is going to be the ‘meat’ of your explainer video. Without it, your audience isn’t going to get anything out of it!
A good rule of thumb is to have someone from outside the company write the script.
You know your business inside and out, so it might be difficult for you to write something that someone without your knowledge can understand. When you hire someone, you’ll need to make them a list of want you want to be included such as the who, what, where, when, and why?
#3: Construct the Perfect Storyboard
Along with your script, you’re going to need a storyboard to create the perfect explainer video. A storyboard is what you use to break down the video scene-by-scene. This is especially important with an animated video so you can see how everything is going to look.
#4: Utilize Your Branding
The whole point of the explainer video is to capture the interest of your potential customers. If they are left at the end not knowing what your brand is, we’re sorry but you have failed at creating the best explainer video.
If you’ve got a logo, use it! Put that thing everywhere in your video. Use your logo colors in the animation, and make sure everything is visible in high resolution. A good tip is to have your logo in every scene in the corner or place it at the beginning and end of the video.
#5: Keep it Short and Sweet
With so much content online these days, you’ve got to hook people as fast as you can otherwise they will scroll right on by.
The longer your video is, the more likely people will lose interest and not pay attention. You don’t need to explain your entire business model in the video.
Think of it as a bullet point list to give them the main ideas. It should be just enough that they are interested in clicking around your website and using your services or buying your product.
#6: Pay Attention to Sound
Sound is going to be an important part of your explainer video, too. Make sure you have a clear and easy-to-understand voice that uses a professional tone. It doesn’t have to be stuffy, though. Using a conversational tone with some humor peppered in is a great way to build a connection with potential new customers.
Along with your voice-over, the best explainer videos will also have music. The type of music you choose is all going to depend on the type of business that you have and what you’re trying to convey. For example, you may want to use a soft electronic mix in the background of a tech video to keep your audience engaged.
#7: Use Captions and Text Overlay
While sound is an important part of the best explainer videos, marketing research shows that 92% of consumers will watch videos without sound. Think of all the times you’ve watched videos without sound because you’re in public, or don’t feel like taking your phone off mute.
So, to combat this it’s important to add captions and text overlays. That way, even without sound they will be able to watch your video and engage. Using text can also help make things easier to understand even with the sound on.
Conclusion
To sum it up, there are many ways to create the best explainer video.
Keep it short, sweet, and simple. Choose a style that will reflect your brand and slap your logo on everything. If you have no idea where to begin, contact an explainer agency to get started. They will guide you through the process and leave you with a spectacular explainer video that’ll be sure to wow your audience!