Are you making an animated explainer video for the wrong reasons?

It is fair to say that animated explainer videos are making their rounds on social media very frequently these days. Because more and more companies create them to provide clarity to consumers in marketing their products and services.

There are many advantages to using animated explainer videos in marketing campaigns. In this article, we will identify how you can benefit from this form of feature animation.

Importantly, remember they come in many different styles and formats. The key is in selecting the right storytelling technique to showcase your product to current and future customers. When done well, animated explainer videos can make a world of difference to your marketing campaign. In contrast, one that lacks quality or detail can leave customers feeling underwhelmed, or worse, confused!

Now you are ready to begin working on your very first animation, but are you doing it for the wrong reasons? Let us have a closer look at the the wrong reasons to produce an animated explainer video:

Making animated explainer videos: the ‘wrong’ reasons

1) Your product is complex and you think customers need simplification

Animated explainer videos shouldn’t be about simplifying — if your product or service is ambitious, your marketing should be too. Dumbing down your content won’t help reach a bigger audience and is definitely the wrong way to make an impact.

2) Competitors in the market all have one and you think you should too!

This is an obvious reason to not do something – your competitors may have animated explainer videos on their websites but creating these videos for yourself will not help you stand out. Using video and motion graphics is a strategic decision, with the intention of communicating more effectively to consumers, and should be part of a bigger chain of decisions that have led you to choose that medium of communication.

3) You want to target all the consumers in the market

Put away that shotgun and pick up your bow-and-arrow – this is about accuracy! The idea that you can create a creative marketing masterpiece that appeal to everyone is a misconception. You still need to have careful consideration about who you want to speak to through these animated explainer videos which involves writing a script and planning the distribution. There is just simply no magic bullet for this!

What are the ‘right’ reasons?

1) Your product is unique and you are looking for valuable product awareness

Modern WordPress websites always carry a variety of media which is a fantastic way of garnering attention to what really makes your product stand out. Animation can liberate the locked-in value of your product and elevate the consumer’s perception of you product.

2) You are looking to expand your visual identity into moving image

This is probably the most natural step for a company with an established logotype, color scheme and slogan, as combining all these into an in-depth animated feature can really redefine the perception of your brand. Consumers not only look for high quality graphics and responsive websites but they also want to see you thinking creatively like they do.

3) You want to highlight 3-5 very important unique selling propositions (USP).

This is the most important point to make: think about an animated explainer video as you ‘elevator pitch’ that’s being made to thousands of viewers on social media to drive them to your website. You have about 45 seconds to a minute to make a deep impact on the viewer and breaking the storyline down between 3 or 5 genuinely impressive USPs is going to serve you the best. In this aspect, it is definitely better to think “less is more”.

How to get started?

Featuring motion graphics and animation on your website for the right reasons can be a game changer! Ready to get started? We work with clients to make sure there is focused outcome and a well thought out strategy for distribution. Get in touch to work with us to and make sure your investment works well to your advantage.