Video marketing is a big deal today. If you find that hard to believe, just take a look at your Facebook or Instagram feed and you’ll know what we’re talking about. Video is a proven content format that boosts engagement and delivers the results you’re looking for.

To make things better, creating video-based content is much easier these days, thanks to digital technology. There was a time when creating videos was a complicated affair. Today, you just need your smartphone and an editing suite to get most of the work done. Plus, you have fast internet, which simplifies distribution as well.

Now, there are different kinds of videos a business can leverage towards its marketing goals. One of those types is the explainer video. As the name indicates, explainer videos “explain” things. This can include explaining the usage of a product or educating consumers about troubleshooting common problems. The topics for an explainer video can be endless.

What’s important to know here is that explainer videos work and consumers are starting to take a liking to them. So, it’s a wise idea for businesses to invest in these videos. But, before you do, it’s best to know what makes them so effective.

So, let’s begin.

A GOOD SCRIPT

One of the first things you need to focus on is your script. A script is what forms the foundation for your video. So, sit people down and start brainstorming. In fact, we even suggest hiring help from the outside since it can provide a fresh perspective.

Start by developing a creative brief. Creative briefs allow you to think about your business in a detailed manner and determine what really matters. There’s key information that will have to go into your brief. This includes a quick description of the product, your target audience, what the target audience’s pain points are, the key benefits of your product, main features of your product and how they work, the tone of the video, and if needed, the visual style of the video.

Once you figure out all this, you can start working on the script. Keep referring to your creative brief when doing so because it will help you stay on track.

WORK WITH PROFESSIONALS

Animations are a common ingredient in explainer videos and we suggest you use them too. However, make sure you have professional animators helping you out with this. Sub-standard animation can ruin your video, despite how much effort goes into creating it.

When choosing an animator make sure you’re looking for qualities such as creativity, reliability, and perfectionism. But, above all, make sure they understand customer behavior. An animator who understands customers will know how to craft his/her videos to influence them.

They can create storyboards that highlight each aspect of your script and show how it can all lead to customer action. Other than that, animators must be willing to optimize your script in order to ensure that the result flows like an actual story and holds people’s attention.

Animators also assist in decision-making processes related to the kind of music or sound effects that should ideally go into your explainer video.

On the whole, a professional animator can make or break your video.

KEEP IT SHORT!

According to Helen Klein Ross, a creative director and writer, people are likelier to remember brief content. It can be tempting for businesses to share a lot of information. After all, why wouldn’t you want to? You obviously have a lot to say about product/service. But, here’s the thing – customers neither have the time nor the patience to go through all that content.

They want everything in a nutshell and prefer to figure out the rest as they go along. In fact, that’s what explainer videos are - bait. So, avoid too much detail when figuring out what needs to go into your explainer videos.

The rule of thumb here is 150 words/minute. So, stick to that.

Long videos can get boring and they are counterproductive. They obviously take more time to make, but fail at being effective. So, make life easier and stick to only the most important aspects.

So, there you have it - a few basic points to help you get started on your explainer video.