So you are thinking of creating an explainer video for your company or product? An explainer video is a great way to show your potential customers what you do in a really short space of time and without reading reams of text. The hard part is creating something that works.
Your explainer video is more than likely going to sit, pride of place, on your landing page and will be the first thing your visitors are going to engage with - so it has to be effective. Below are 6 tips for creating an explainer video with real punch.
1. Your Script will make (or break) your explainer video
A well written script is arguably the most important part of the video process. There is no doubt that you know your business inside out. However, it sometimes helps to get a fresh pair of eyes to look at how your business works. From there, note down the top 5 things that make your business special. Using these points are a good base to create a short and snappy explainer video people will remember.
2. Time is key
People have a very short attention span. Most people will leave a website if they are not engaged in the first few seconds of landing there. You have to produce an explainer video that captures their imagination and you can't do that if you have an animated version of War and Peace.
Ideally you should be aiming to create something that is between 30s - 2 minutes. Any longer and you will lose the viewers attention. As a rough guide, 150 words equates to about 1 minute of animation. You can obviously go faster but it has to sound like you are not rushing through.
To make things easier you should break your explainer up into 4 sections:
- PROBLEM - Highlight the issues your customers are having.
- SOLUTION - Introduce your product or service which will combat the problem
- HOW IT WORKS - Explain how your product or service works
- CALL TO ACTION - Sign off with what your customer should do next i.e. "Call now"
3. Benefits, benefits, benefits
It's always tempting to tell your customers how many features your product or service has. In actual fact, all your customers want to know is what are the benefits of going with you? Instead of telling them that your cleaning company has 3000 different mop heads tell them that their floors will shine like never before.
4. Don't be 'stuffy'
People are sometimes hesitant when creating explainer videos not to be too humorous or quirky as this is sometimes seen as 'unprofessional'. Just remember, whoever is watching the video, we all like to be entertained. The very fact that someone is clicking on your video tells you that they want to be shown something that they couldn't just read about on your site.
5. To narrate or not narrate that is the question
There are many types of explainer videos but one thing can change the whole feel of the finished piece. Narration. Having a narrator, especially when your product or service is very technical, is a great way to help the visuals flow. However, sometimes an explainer video works best when there are just visuals and some on screen text. Have a think about what would work best for you.
6. Share your Explainer video with the world
So, your swanky new explainer video is complete and firmly embedded on your website. Now just sit back and wait for the phone to ring. Not quite. For your explainer video to be effective it has to be seen, so get it out there. Share on social media, write a blog about it and send it to friends and family to share. If you upload your video you can keep an eye on the views it recieves to see if it is getting the required reach you are after. There are also some great websites out there, such as Wistia, that allow you to get more detailed user feedback.
Good Luck!
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