What is explainer video and why your business needs it?

The internet gets flooded with hundreds of videos every second. However, many of those videos are of no value. Though, one thing we can not deny is the rising demand for videos.

A study predicts 80% of the total internet traffic to be videos by 2021. You are missing out on a massive opportunity if you're not harnessing the power of videos. There are many types of explainer videos that can help you achieve your goal.

You must have observed many YouTubers uploading talking-head videos on their channel. Now the question is, "Why explainer videos out of all the choices?"

Here are some facts related to explainer videos:

• Insivia found that an explainer video is the most effective way to communicate the new product's concept to your potential customers (Source).
• Around 45% of the businesses use explainer videos on their homepage, and they are happy with the result.

The most important thing about an Explainer video which makes it more popular is its simplicity. Moreover, it also helps to enhance the conversion rates as 81 percent of people tend to buy a product/service after watching an explainer video on the website.

In this playbook, you will get a clear insight about explainer videos, importance of explainer videos, along with the steps you need to take for creating and getting a massive return on your explainer videos and finally how to use explainer video to grow your online presence.

Here are some of the things that I will walk you through in this playbook:

• 1. Introduction to Explainer Videos
• 2. Benefits of Explainer Videos
• 3. Neuroscience and Explainer Videos
• 4. Types of Explainer Videos with Examples
• 5. Top Explainer Video Software
• 6. Explainer Video Production Process
• 7. Most appropriate Explainer Video Practices
• 8. Common Explainer Video Mistakes
• 9. Advancing to the Next Level
• 10. Outsourcing Video Production Task
• 11. Final Verdict

Chapter

1. Introduction to Explainer Videos

1.1 What’s an Explainer Video?

An explainer video is a small animated video that focuses on explaining various types of sophisticated problems, business and product/service concepts to others in a simple way. It simplifies the complicated theories and breaks them down into many simple ideas that are easy to digest.

Just imagine how boring it would be if we start lecturing about the black hole in a traditional fashion. I guess most of you can relate what I'm trying to convey. Thus, explainer videos allow organizations to convey the message that the viewers want to hear.

If you also want to enhance your retention rate by clarifying the unfamiliar ideas, then explainer videos will help you fulfill the demands concisely. So, if you also want to enhance your retention rate by clarifying the unfamiliar ideas, then explainer videos will help you to fulfill the demands in a succinct way.

 

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2. Benefits of Explainer Videos

There are numerous major and minor reasons for publishing explainer videos. It is a fantastic tool that works like a charm for both internal and external communication.

Now, without any further reasons, let’s have a look at some reasons why organizations prefer choosing an explainer video.

 

2.1 Grabs Audience Attention

Attention in today's day and age is an asset. It is incredibly challenging to get a notice of people. According to a report, we found that human beings' attention span is now even less than a goldfish. 

Image Source: policyviz

How to get the attention of your targeted audience in a time when advertisers bombard them with advertisements? The answer to this question is an enticing video. An explainer video is an incredibly powerful tool that helps to get the attention of viewers.

Our brain gets more attracted to entertainment videos than traditional web content. When your mind looks at a compelling animated video, it commands you to watch it. It is because it awakens your curiosity and offers you an exciting medium to understand new concepts.

However, it is not the case with TV ads as your brain already associates it with tedious interruption, trying to push a product down your throat.

Furthermore, embedding a video in your blog does not even slow down the page load speed like flashy images and other bulky items.

2.2 Easy Explanation of Complex Topics

We cannot explain every single product easily as it also includes some technical products like software, specialized equipment, and so on that need detailed explanation.

The users will definitely purchase the product if they understand its use. Thus, you should also give them strong reasons to spend their hard-earned money on the product.

A survey found that around 98% of the people learned something after watching an explainer video. Thus, start using creative and exciting images, characters, etc., to make your audience understand your products and services' importance.

An animated explainer video is an effective medium to bring your character into a real-life situation that links to your brand. Your audience will have fun watching your characters facing problems and how they solve that problem, thanks to your product/service.

Our brain processes visuals 50,000 times quicker than texts. As you are promoting a product and service, it is better to let your audience go through the content they can quickly process and understand.

2.3 Increase Web Traffic SEO

Embedding a video can significantly increase your web traffic. What is the most critical factor that determines the success of your online business? It is traffic. If there are no viewers on your site, it will cease to exist in the future.

Google loves videos. If you search for any term, you are most likely to see the list of videos on the search result's first page. Your page will get a lot of love from Google, and you will witness a spike in organic traffic if you integrate a top-notch video in your page.

The search engine users are 50% more likely to find your site if you integrate a video in your content. Furthermore, the users will spend more time on your page if the video is interesting. That will give more positive signals to search engines, leading to a boost in your rankings and organic traffic.

A great thing about organic traffic is that the viewers you get from search engines are highly targeted visitors. This means that there is a higher chance to engage them with your content and buy your products if it provides value to them.

Furthermore, around 1 out of 4 online purchasers said they searched for YouTube videos online before making a purchase decision.

2.4 Restores in Consumer's Mind

There is no point in publishing content if the users do not get what you are trying to convey with it. The retention rate of the explainer video is mind-boggling. According to one of the stats , the retention rate of an explainer video of less than a minute is 77%.

If you give out an immensely valuable message with your video, the chances of them taking action will increase. The explainer video will not only break down the concepts for your audience, but it will also stick to your viewers' minds. You get a lot of Return on investment from an explainer video template.

In addition to understanding and retaining, your viewers will share what they have learned due to a higher retention rate, leading to valid word-of-mouth promotion.

2.5 Appeal to Mobile Users

More and more internet users are shifting to devoting more time on their smartphone. The smartphone is so capable these days that you can do almost everything what computers can do (applicable for regular users).

Additionally, mobile users appreciate the explainer video. The size of the content is crucial when we are dealing with smartphone users. The explainer video perfectly fits on the mobile screen, giving them a great user experience. As we saw at the beginning of this article, mobile video demand is tremendously increasing.

High-Quality video content is an excellent fit for mobile users; also, you can use the video editing apps for any editing purpose.

2.6 Skyrocket your Conversion Rate

Another massive advantage of publishing an explainer video is the boost in the conversion rate. Having an explainer video on the top of your landing page can significantly improve the engagement and sales.

Here we found that a landing page with a video can boost the conversion rate up to 80%. Do remember that uploading a crappy video will not work. Instead, it will ruin your brand image. You need to integrate exciting product explainer videos to get great results.

However, if you devote some time to creating a video or outsource the task to a reputed agency or a freelancer, you will see an increase in conversion rate.

2.7 Connect and build a Relationship

People resonate with a video more than written content. That is why a great video manages to get so many views in just a few weeks.

Building a relationship is vital in the world of digital marketing. You cannot expect a sustainable income without having loyal followers who trust you and your offering. Those loyal followers are the ones who purchase the product from your company regularly.

A survey shows that repeat customers are more profitable than new customers and they spend more money on your business. Moreover, a repeated customer also comes out as your brand ambassador. They continually recommend your brand to others, which leads to more sales.

2.8 Higher chance of going viral

The explainer video is not limited to your content page. You can distribute the videos to various video hosting sites like YouTube, Vimeo, and so on. These social media platforms make it easy for users to share the video.

Having a great video means a higher chance of being viral. Once you have a viral video, your reach will significantly improve along with the number of leads and sales.

Thus, make use of videos to enhance your online presence and improve your business sales.

2.9 Suitable for Social Media, Blogs, and Emails along with TV ads

We have seen how videos get viral in social media platforms, and we have discussed how embedding a video can increase the time on site. As per the analysis, inserting a video in an email helps to increase the open rate by up to 13%.

Another study found that around 93% of the businesses increased their sales because of posting a video on social media platforms. You can use the explainer video for TV ads as well. It has multiple uses.

Are you excited to avail the benefits, but don’t know how to create appealing explainer videos? Need note fret! You can consult the best video making companies that offer excellent services at best prices.

 

Chapter

3. Neuroscience and Explainer Videos

Neuroscience is a branch of science that deals with the study of the nervous system. Explainer video stood at the top in terms of the most preferred type of video.

Here is how you can use neuroscience concepts to understand the effectiveness of explainer videos:

3.1 Mirror Neurons

Do you enjoy watching DIY (Do it Yourself) videos? I do not personally know about your preference, but I love it along with millions of people all over the world. There is a scientific explanation behind why those types of videos are effective in fulfilling its objective.

When you watch a character going through various trials and using a product for solving a problem, it gives you a second-hand experience. Scientists call that second-hand experience mirror neurons.

Those neurons make you feel like you are in that specific situation and going through various trials and using the product to solve that problem.

With every scenario, your brain releases extra dopamine as you feel like you have overcome a problem. That feeling gives your audience an extra satisfaction, making your viewers stick to the video till the end.

The audience who goes through every second of your video is more likely to take an action that you want them to take. With that said, you must structure a video strategically for getting the results that you desire.

For that reason, you need to either master the art of creating an animated video or you should outsource the task to someone who has a good grasp of this art.

3.2 Our mind craves for Visual Information

A lot of information is circulated throughout the day on the internet and also in our physical environment. Advertisers continually bombard us with different advertisements to make us purchase their product/service.

However, we do not open our wallet to everything we see because we need to understand the value of a product/service before spending our hard-earned money. The animated video allows you to stand out amid information chaos.

A study found that our brain processes visuals 60,000 times quicker than regular text content.

One of the great things about the animated video is that we can not only integrate tons of mind-blowing images and characters in our video, but we can also insert texts. This drastically improves our audiences' chances of grasping the basic concept of the video.

No one wants to put an additional effort into understanding something, and with an animated video, you simplify the complicated concepts into many simple ones.

3.3 Rewire Audience's brain with an Animated Video

Human mind has a fantastic ability to rewire itself to give room for new concepts. Interestingly, our brain loves rewiring itself; that is why we crave new and exciting things every day. It is not like we want to try new things all the time, but we want to experience unique events now and then.

Our brain creates new neurons every time it encounters a new concept. The way animated video works is fascinating. We can store the information and then grasp fresh information related to the existing data, and this cycle goes on.

By doing this, we are building up in neural networks that already exist in our audiences' minds. The well-structured animated video is a pathway to make your audience gain in-depth insights about a concept that makes them excited to take action.

If a person understands something in detail, he/she has a higher chance of being able to decide whether the product is the right fit for their needs or not.

Do you know? The video can boost email open rate by 19% and a click-through rate by 65% (Source).

3.4 Includes ingredients to grab Attention

Forget selling if you cannot get enough attention from your audience. As said before, the modern human's attention span is now lower than that of a goldfish. Our minds are quickly attracted to novelty, motion, error, and ambiguity.

A study shows that novelty appeals to our brains. If you analyze a stunning animation video, you will find a great deal of innovation, a new turn out of events, motion, ambiguity, and error.

By error, we are trying to say a video representing an error in an exciting way. For instance, a cat beating a dog in an advertisement can quickly grab our attention.

3.5 Brain Releases Oxytocin after watching an Animated Video

Like dopamine, there is one another chemical that your brain releases when it watches a fantastic explainer video, and that is oxytocin. An engaging and emotional story can quickly connect your audience to the message that you want to deliver.

Here is a superb explainer video created by Webdew for Xcellhost. It is the Cloud Hosting Solutions hub, offers world-class data center facilities in various countries across the world.

 

 

Chapter

4. Types of Explainer Videos with Examples

4.1 Screencast Video

There are plenty of products and services that require you to educate your potential audience before even expecting them to take action. You may find your product reasonably simple to use, but that is not the case with all your potential customers.

A screencast video is a type of explainer video that advertisers commonly use to explain the process of using various kinds of products. Proper use of a screencast video is for teaching the software product and walking your audience through multiple features.

A screencast video consists of a sequence of screenshots to explain the working process, such as an animation video, a content management system, and so on.

You can use this type of video for both internal and external purposes. What is so great about a screencast video is that it is within many organizations' budgets, whether small or big.

Here is an example of a screencast video that will help you understand the principles of a quality screencast video.

 

4.2 2D Animated Characters Video

If you are like most people, you probably love to watch animated videos with characters, even if you are an adult. However, it does not mean that most of you would want to watch the same type of video that a 4-year-old would like to see.

The animation that you will watch in an animated 2D character video is not going to be much different from other animated videos that kids watch. But, there is one thing that will make a huge difference, and that is the story of the video.

A 2D animated character video is a type of video that has plenty of characters acting in it based on a specific story.

Moreover, it is a fantastic way to tell a story to your audience. These videos help in arousing emotions among your audience that will make it memorable to them, which is the reason why it is a common type of explainer videos.

In this type of explainer video, you show how the character goes through a lot of problems and then he/she finally finds the solution to their problem, thanks to your product/service. By promoting this type of video, you can show what your brand stands for by humanizing the issues.

Here is an example of 2D character animation video of Nemacolin. It aims to become the token to support third-world countries' development in a comfortable, fast, and secure way using Namastree device.

 

4.3 2D Motion Graphics

2D motion graphics video is different than 2D animated character videos despite the fact both are 2D videos. Unlike 2D animated character videos, you do not need a super exciting story in this type of video. In this type of video, you head straight to the point.

Go with 2D motion graphics if you want to explain a complicated product to your potential customers without wasting much of their time. It is an ideal type of video for breaking down a complex business process into many small parts that are easier for your audience to understand.

The 2D motion graphics video is visually appealing and is capable of explaining a concept to your customers in an appealing manner. Watching this type of video is fun.

Here is the best example of 2D product explainer video. Invst is the first simulator for rental property investment in Australia. It stimulates the investment and gives you only the information you need in a digestible manner so that you can trust yourself and make an informed decision instead of putting all your savings there. Invst runs stimulation in a few seconds one can save a lot of time and most importantly, a lot of money.

 

4.4 Whiteboard Animation Video

I believe most of you have seen a whiteboard animation video. It is a new type of video that can drastically increase your potential customers' interest in the message you are trying to convey to your audience.

It is a simple concept where the video explains the idea or tell the story by drawing and writing on a whiteboard. If you pull out a fantastic whiteboard video, you will undoubtedly be able to engage your viewers.

The whiteboard animation video may not suit all types of businesses, but for those which it fits, it can work like a charm for them. You can explain a tedious or complicated concept with a whiteboard video in an appealing manner.

Below is an example of a whiteboard video that demonstrates the relationship. Nowadays you can be a friend with many people virtually you can share whatever you like.

 

4.5 3D Animation Video

A 2D animation works excellent for many types of businesses, but for commercial ones, 3D works better. These videos can quickly grab your viewers' attention, and you can take your audience to wherever you want. There is more room for creativity in 3D animation videos.

You can get an impressive return on investment if you come up with a stunning 3D animation video. With that said, it is a comparatively expensive type of video in comparison to the 2D animation videos.

You do not always need to produce this type of video, but if you are planning a commercial for a larger audience, you may consider 3D animation videos.

Check out this 3D animation explainer video that shows the power of ADDAPS, which uses blockchain technology and precise user interface.

 

4.6 Live Action

The final type of video that I'm about to explain is a live action video. It is not like other types of videos that I have mentioned where you choose animated characters.

In this video, you experiment with real people. You shoot these types of videos with actors that can help you explain the problems and solutions. By creating this type of video, you portray people with real needs, which help in building trust in your brand.

This live action video of S4M walks viewers through the process of using its service along with the benefits.

 

 

Chapter

5. Top Explainer Video Software

There are many pieces of software on the market that allow you to create an explainer video, and you will waste a lot of time if you carry out in-depth research in every available option.

I'm going to cut the research task for you as in this section; I will be revealing some of the best pieces of video editing software that will allow you to create and edit an explainer video with ease. However, you need to learn how to use that specific software.

But, you do not need to worry as there are plenty of tutorials and walkthrough videos that will teach you how to use the software. Click here, to know the ultimate list of explainer video software to make a unique video. 

5.1 Adobe Photoshop

The first piece of software that you might get your hands on would be Adobe Photoshop. It is a top-rated product with a massive community. It is capable of rendering Disney-style animation, thanks to its frame by frame techniques.

There are features, such as timeline and onion skinning, that allow you to take your animation to a whole new level. Adobe Photoshop is compatible with both Mac and Windows. It supports a wide range of video formats and lets you play around with opacity, images, color, and more.

5.2 Adobe After Effects

The other software on the list also belongs to Adobe Creative Cloud Suite. It fully integrates with Adobe Photoshop and other Adobe products. You can create titles, cinematic intros, and more with After Effects.

There is no difficulty in adding animation effects, playing around with background, creating motion graphics, music, adding background sound, and more with After Effects. It has been able to satisfy massive users so far due to its amazing features and support.

5.3 Go Animate

Go Animate is an easy-to-use and flexible animation creator that allows various sorts of customization with your characters, background, and so on. It provides a flexible environment to recreate characters, add voiceover, and more.

You will be handed over with almost every tool that you need for bringing your imagination to reality.

5.4 Maya

Maya is an excellent piece of software for producing a stunning 3D video. It allows you to create, simulate, model, and do many other things with an animated character. You would love to render your video in Maya.

It has Arnold Renderview that allows you to view real-time changes, letting you observe and tweak with lighting, camera, and so on.

Maya has a powerful motion graphics toolset, which you can use for quickly developing complex procedural effects. Use MASH toolset to insert new nodes that could contain curve, placer, and so on with existing node updates.

5.5 Blender

For those who want to start with 3D animation, you can go with Blender. It is open-source software that you can use for working on your project without spending a dime. It has a wide range of tools for rendering, simulation, animation, motion tracking, game creation, and so on.

You can find libraries like bullet and Magnaflow for playing around with various features. With modeling toolbox, you can do modeling alongside with retopology, sculpting, and so on.

Furthermore, there are separate in-built functions for letting you synchronize sound, edit walk-cycles, and so on.

5.6 Videoscribe

Videoscribe is a unique software that allows you to create a fantastic whiteboard video. It is incredibly easy to select images, add background, music, and so on with Videoscribe for producing a whiteboard video.

The software provider has excellent support, and the software comes up with a huge library that lets you borrow images, characters, and so on to come up with your whiteboard explainer video quickly.

5.7 Doodly

is an excellent tool for beginners to start their whiteboard animated explainer video creation journey. Anyone can use this software because it has made things simple for users with its simple-to-use tool-set. There is no need for any technical skills whatsoever.

All you need to do is choose your characters, themes, music, and then organize them together for creating a video.

 

Chapter

6. Explainer Video Production Process

6.1 In-depth research of Project Requirements

You can not even imagine pulling out a compelling explainer video without understanding your audience. At first, we define the pain points of the audience. After that, we decide on the type of explainer video that will do the trick for the project.

When we finish the task of defining our audience and choosing the type of video for solving those pain points, we then decide what we want from our audience. Is it creating awareness, selling more products, or something else?

In addition to that, we should also determine if we're going to communicate our message formally or informally. To get a better outcome from your campaign, you should try to answer some of the common objections that you might tackle from the viewers.

6.2 Time to write a script

One of the most critical factors that determine the success of your campaign is the script. We also call it a copy. Even if you create a great video, you will not be able to make a profit if the text is not appealing to your audience.

The attention span of human beings is too short for a crappy script. You need to have a proper script structure to quickly attract the viewers and make them stick to a video. If you are not good at copywriting, you should not risk writing the copy by yourself.

You can also hire a copywriter and let them do the scriptwriting for your video to get the best result from your campaign. A mediocre video with a compelling copy will work better than a fantastic video with a weak script.

6.3 Storyboarding

The storyboarding process is a method to analyze whether your visual styles and story resonate with your company's mission and objectives or not. Furthermore, it also minimizes the time that you need to spend on revisions.

In this step, we bring together the characters in the video, break down the whole story and arrange it sequentially, and bring characters to life by exposing them to a different background.

6.4 Voiceover

Just like the story, a voiceover is also an essential part of the video. If the voiceover does not suit the nature of the character, it can ruin the whole fun of the video. You have two options for voiceovers. You can go for a professional voiceover artist, or you can do it yourself.

You must make sure that the voice that you select matches the nature of the video along with the image of your brand. There will always be the need for making a tweak in the voiceover part, and it will take some time to create a perfect voiceover for your video.

It is not possible to know the best voice for a specific character until and unless you do some experiment. Try more than one voice for an actor to decide the best one.

6.5 Prepare for your first draft

After the completion of the storyboarding and voiceover, you are now ready to bring out your first draft. Do not be nervous when you publish your first draft as there will be a need for changes before your final copy is ready.

When you create a first draft, observe it and distribute it to your team members. Allow them to pass on some comments and suggest what you can do to improve the video's quality. 

Also, read the comments and note down the changes you need to enhance the video quality.

6.6 Add Sound Effects

Adding sound effects is different than voiceovers. In voiceover, you bring professional artists to give voice to characters. In the case of sound effects, you can make enjoyable videos to grab viewers' attention and retain their attention.

You should consult with professional sound designers to create sound effects that would be the best match for the video. It is like giving the final touch to the video.

6.7 Deliver, Publish, and Market

The final task is to add the finishing touch to the video for ensuring the video is of the highest quality. It is essential to check out the video performance in various resolutions along with its adjustments in different kinds of devices.

Finally, you should focus on reaching out to your targeted audience with your video. If you are not good with an advertisement, you should consider hiring a marketer that can do the job for you.

 

Chapter

7. Most appropriate Explainer Video Practices

Here are some of the best practices that you can follow to improve your video quality and enhance your chances of impacting people's lives with your video.

7.1 Emphasize a lot on your script

Your script is a decider whether your video will rock your audience or not. One of the best practices before creating a video is writing down a creative brief. The original brief contains some specific questions that will allow you to produce a fantastic script.

Here are some of the issues that you should answer before moving forward with script writing.

• What are the traits of my target audience?
• What is the purpose of my product and how will it help my viewers?
• What are some of my product key benefits that make it unique?
• What is the process of purchasing or signing up for my product/service?
• What is the theme of my message? Is it funny, professional, dangerous, or some others?
• What do I expect my customers to do right away?

After you answer each of the questions in the creative brief and write a script, following an entire structure, if you do not know how to structure your text, you can check out others' or consult with a professional copywriter. After you answer each of the questions in the creative brief and write a script, following an entire structure, if you do not know how to structure your text, you can check out others', or you can consult with a professional copywriter.

7.2 Do not stretch your script like an elastic

At times, a longer video can work out for you. However, the general rule in video marketing is shorter the better. To keep your video in a maximum length, you should carefully structure your script. There is no point in beating around the bush in a video, as it may negatively impact the retention rate.

In fact, around 95% of the online viewers said that they prefer videos for less than 2 minutes.

Here is a formula to keep it short:

• Show a problem
• Jump to solution
• How the product solves the problem?
• Statement to entice your viewers to take action

7.3 Emphasize on Benefits

More often marketers talk about demonstrating benefits, but they are emphasizing on features. Whether you are selling a product, software, or some other types of service, you need to communicate the benefits and how it can impact your customers' life.

For instance, if you are selling 100 GB of storage, do not talk a lot about the inside technology.

The better way to sell big storage would be giving a reason to take action. For instance, a big storage device enables a person to save all the memories without compromising their happiness, and this is the message that you should focus on transferring.

7.4 Professional Voiceover

An unprofessional voice over can turn off your viewers. It is no fun watching a high-quality video with poor voice quality. You must invest in professional voiceover to increase the standard of your video. Investing in text to speech software can help you create professional voice overs.

AI text to speech technology has gained popularity in recent years. Now you can create a professional sounding voiceover using text to speech software without needing recording equipment or a studio setup.

Don't forget to check out the nature of every character and choose the best voice for each style

7.5 Add some element of fun

An explainer video works great because it explains the complicated concepts in a fun manner. Add a bit of weird stuff, humor, surprise, exciting music, and so on to avoid bothering your viewers.

7.6 Work hard on Visuals, but there is no need to make it perfect

The script and voice-over play a significant role in deciding the success of your video launch. Visuals are outstanding, but it is not as important as many think. It is for sure that visuals should reflect the story of the video.

With that said, there is no need whatsoever to come up with something unusual like Avatar-type character.

7.7 Work on Background Music

For instance, background music in a movie's romantic scene can instantly change a person's mood from neutral to a romantic. Similarly, finding some cinematic music for a promotional video will increase the emotion of that video."

 

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8. Common Explainer Video Mistakes

Some mistakes are common and repetitive, and if you become aware of those common mistakes, you will significantly reduce your total errors.

Here are some of the common mistakes that you need to avoid for not ruining your whole effort.

8.1 Inserting too much Filler Content

You can not retain your viewers if you insert too much filler content on your video. Try to keep everything short and on-the-point. You should try to remove all unnecessary lines from the script and shorten the video.

Get straight to the point, but do not add a lot of words on a short video. A general rule is around 150 words in a minute.

Check out how the producer goes straight to the product's central theme while still making it enjoyable.

 

8.2 Drifting away from the Viewer's Interest

People only care about what they want, so they always, "what is in it for me?". The video makers often try to talk too much about themselves, leading to a fall in viewers' interest.

Do not drift away from the video's central theme and make every second valuable and exciting for your viewers.

8.3 Hesitating to spend time and money on a good script

We talked about the importance of a top-notch script in the previous section of the playbook. Knowingly or unknowingly, many company owners do not want to spend enough time and money on script development. It can lead to a lot of mess, eventually ruining your efforts.

If you do not know how to write a great script, invest in someone who does know how to gain viewers' attention and make them take action.

The study by Renderforest shows that viewers retain 95% of the messages they watch in a video. What this means is that a script can make or break your video marketing campaign.

8.4 Overestimating or underestimating the need of Video Quality

Some people try to pull out, and some underestimate the importance of video quality. The one who overestimates the value of video quality wastes a lot of time in the video creation process.

On the other hand, those who underestimate the importance of video quality publish low-quality videos.

You need an appealing video quality, but keep in mind that you do not waste your time trying to come up with out-of-box characters and creativity.

8.5 Making your Video Serious

One of the critical features of an explainer video is fun. If you take away fun from an explainer video, you will end up making it yet another boring and dull video. Never take away jokes, humor, surprises from the video to shorten the video length.

8.6 Not thinking about Marketing

It is excellent to stress the video and script's quality, but your video is of no value if no one watches it. You must think about marketing channels and have a marketing strategy to get a return on investment. Make marketing a priority if you want results from your efforts.

 

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9. Advancing to the next level

Earlier, we talked about different types of animated videos. A great professional is usually the one with T-shaped knowledge, which means a broad understanding of various concepts and an in-depth understanding of one specific theory.

After learning to animate different types of video, you should focus on specializing in one or at max three types of video creation. Here are some of the great resources for advancing your knowledge of video production:

• Lynda
• Udemy
• Ripple Training
• Larry Jordan
• Premiere Gal Media
• Inside the Edit

Chapter

10. Outsourcing Video Production Process

Here are some of the reasons why you would want to outsource your video creation task.

10.1 If you are short of time

A good video production company has a team and a perfect structure for speeding up video creation. In case you are short of time, you must consider outsourcing the video creation task.

It allows you to focus on your marketing side of the video while the third-party is doing the heavy lifting for your company.

10.2 You have not mastered the Video Creation Skill

Video production is not only about learning how to use specific software. You need to master the art of storytelling, scriptwriting, animation, and so on. If you do not have adequate skills in your arsenal, you must consider outsourcing the video production task.

10.3 You want to capitalize on the Hot Trend

Like said before, a video production company has a team that can quickly create a video for you. If there is a hot trend that you want to capitalize on, you should not hesitate to outsource the video production task for immediately publishing your video for marketing purposes.

10.4 Other business processes are more important

Doing everything on your own is almost impossible, and it will lead you nowhere. In other business processes that are more profitable for your business, you might well consider leveraging other people's skills to get more out of the available time.

 

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11. Final Verdict

I hope by now it is clear to you what an explainer video is, how to use explainer video, and the types of explainer videos. If yes, you can easily create any explainer video for your brand, be it corporate explainer videos or product explainer videos.

Now that you have finished reading this playbook let me ask you a question. Is an explainer video the right fit for your business? If you're like most other businesses, the answer to this question should be yes. The reasons that I have mentioned are quite compelling to give explainer videos a try.

You can expect the demand for explainer videos to increase in the time to come because of its benefits to businesses. It is suitable for small companies, huge corporations, non-profit organizations, and also individuals. You can find many individual YouTubers uploading videos without showing their face.

You now have enough information to choose your route of either doing it yourself (need to learn about storytelling, video editing, and more) or hiring a reliable third party to do the task for you.

Do you have anything more to say? Or have second thoughts regarding explainer videos? If yes, do let us know by commenting below. Or you can always contact us to get expert advice.