In the modern, digital marketing landscape, video content is pretty much a no-brainer. If you don’t want to look at your competitor’s back in the current marketing race, stop hesitating and create your first video now.
A great way to kick-start your video strategy is an explainer video, a short but compelling video which outlines your product’s benefits, and how it fits into your audience’s life.
Did you know that 73% of consumers say that they're more likely to buy a product after watching a video which explains how it works? In fact, a consumer who views a product video is up to 144% more likely to add that product to his/her cart than a non-viewer.
Got your interest? Here are some key stats, and tips, on explainer videos and their potential benefits for your business.
On your marks…
First things first - what is an explainer video?
Explainers are generally short videos which focus on explaining a business idea in a simple, engaging and compelling way. The keys to an effective explainer are clear and concise language and appealing, attractive visuals which can quickly grab the viewer's attention.
The main benefits of explainers are:
- Direct Communication - Explainers enable you to showcase your brand and product benefits in a simple, clear way.
- Online visibility - 88% of visitors stay longer on a site with a video displayed, and Google rewards that. As a bonus, you can also rank on the second largest search engine: YouTube.
- Improved Conversion - Pages with video convert up to 80% better than those without videos.
- Inbound marketing focused - Explainers will help convert leads into customers.
Do you know when to use your explainer video? Let’s review the basics of inbound marketing with this video:
Explainer videos work great for the 'Consideration' stage of the buyer’s journey. You can provide your prospects with the information they need so that they know that your product is the best option in the market.
Get set: how to create the perfect explainer video
1. Write an engaging script
It’s worth taking your time in this first step - your script is your video’s foundation, and will largely dictate its failure or success.
An explainer video script should cover three moments:
- The what - You need to show what problem/s your product solves. This way, you'll quickly grab your audience’s attention.
- The how - Now that they know what problem you solve, you’ll need to show how your product can improve that issue. In general, at this moment your logo will appear.
- The why - Show off your sales skills. Tell your target audience why your product is the best choice in the market to solve their problem.
2. Keep it short
How do you join these three moments together? Think of a story in which a character has a problem (your audience’s pain point) and your product is the hero that will sort it out. Bear in mind that you need to keep it short, so you can’t tell all of your company’s story or detail your product’s every feature.
Focus on your audience’s needs and how your product will help them. Think about benefits more than features.
The rule of thumb here is that the shorter the better, but in general, 90 seconds works for most products. Keep in mind that 80 words on your script (in English) is equal to around 30 seconds in your video.
Do you think it’s impossible? Check out this 75-second video as an example.
3. Feature your target audience with your characters
This is one of the absolute key elements of an engaging video.
First, you need to know your audience. Based on your online traffic, Google Analytics can help you out with some basic demographics, such as gender and age.
Then, you need to build a character based on that information. How would your audience look? What would they wear? What’s their style?
You can see that in the previous video (above) the young female character represents that company’s target audience. Sometimes, as in this example, it’s also important to state their job position, or describe their everyday tasks in the script.
In this way, you’ll be able to approach your audience with empathy - they’ll put themselves into the main character’s shoes, who have the same problems that they are experiencing. The video’s overall style also needs to speak to them so they feel related to the video.
Think about it for a second - do you need the same style, music and voiceover for a young audience and for a CEO? Even if you can use templates to create an explainer video, the result may not be engaging enough to make you stand out from your competitors.
4. Brand your video
Apply your brand’s colors to the background and landscape of your video, so that viewers will know that your company is the one behind that proposal.
You can also add your brand color to highlight some important parts - that’s what the UN has done in this interesting explainer video about peacekeepers.
5. Add a call-to-action (CTA)
Your video also needs to state what you want your audience to do next - whether it’s download an eBook, sign up for an email list or buy your product. You should ask it out loud - don’t be shy.
You can also add an image at the end of your video to support your message.
6. Only the highest quality
As you can probably guess, a poor-quality video will make your audience think that your company is poor-quality too, and that’s a clear waste of time and money.
Online videos can be fantastic assets for a business, but here is the bad news: your competitors know that too.
You need to lift your game to stand out.
Create your own explainer video
As noted, explainer videos can be a great way into video marketing, and its worth getting started on your own in order to stay up with evolving marketing trends.
Remember to start on the right foot and take your time in writing a simple, but engaging, script. Don’t focus on your company or your product - what you’re saying needs to ring true with your audience. They should be the focus for an empathic explainer video.
And don’t forget to put care and love into your visual aesthetic, as this is what will set your video apart from the rest. Fully customized characters and brand colors will surely make your message more memorable.