[Tweet “You drive 50% more viewer traffic to your website by incorporating an explainer video”]
That’s a lot of traffic. Videos are proven to catch your viewer’s attention. Check the stats here. By using an explainer video, you will not only project your business’s message, but also keep up with the continually gaining momentum of online video. With more people choosing to watch rather than read written content, you can hook your target audience with your awesome explainer video from the get go!
So now you know and understand the power of video, here are some quick tips on how to get started creating your own explainer video.
Prestep: Time management!
Allow plenty of time for brainstorming, storyboarding, and above all editing. Editing your explainer video is one of the longest steps of the process and possibly the most important. This is the part where you consider every sound, image and shot you’ll be using in your video. Don’t be soft, be ruthless. If it doesn’t add value – leave it out!
Step 1 – Make your storyline relatable and show a problem that exists
Your initial instinct may be to make your story all about the benefits and facts about your business or product. Resist the urge!!! Instead, tell a story that will promote an emotional response (positive, negative, inspirational, or even funny). Attract the attention of your target audience and lets them know you get them and their needs, as opposed to being just another company blowing their own horn. Highlight a problem that exists out there that affects your audience.
Step 2 – You’re the solution!
After making it clear that this problem is so obviously impacting on their lives, show how your product can be the solution and how using your product will benefit their lives!
It’s time for you to let your peeps know your value. However you still want to find a creative way to do it. Instead of presenting factual information, present the solutions and benefits of your brand. Demonstrate real life scenarios that your business offers a solution to.
Step 3 – Keep it short!
If it looks like your idea will take 5-minutes to explain, cut it down until it takes less than two. Take out the words or images that aren’t essential to tell the story without spoiling its flow. Make sure your explainer video has a beginning, middle and end, and remember – advertisers can do it in 15secs! Try to aviod 5 words or 10 images where only one will do but, but at the same time, stay away from large complex words or diagrams that could leave your target audience scratching their heads.
Check out what Wistia had found out in their video length analysis:
Wistia recently published an article titled: “Does Length Matter? It Does For Video: 2K12 Edition”
Remember shorter is better. But make sure it’s long enough to convey your message!
Step 4 – Keep fonts and imagery consistent.
Keep things simple and try to find fonts and image styles that are consistent with your logo and brand colours. Don’t be afraid to use a simple and common font. It’s hard for your audience to stay focussed and keep up with the storyline if the imagery is all over the place.
Step 5 – Make it sound awesome!
A great background song makes a massive difference to your video’s watchability. If you’ve got a friend who’s a musician – don’t be afraid to get them in on the deal. If not, there are plenty of great sites that can provide a fantastic, original, soundtrack for cheap, or even free. Try Vimeo music library and audionetwork.
Step 6 – Call to Action is key!
So you’ve connected to your audience and have shared the value your business and products, now it’s time to create a call to action. This is the part where you motivate your leads to become sales. Highlight how important it is not to wait any longer to add the value of your brand to their lives.
Step 7 – PROMOTE PROMOTE PROMOTE
Unless your idea is insanely funny and executed to perfection (or coincides with a topical issue at just the right time), it’s probably not going to become an overnight viral YouTube success. So don’t despair if you haven’t got millions of views in the first couple of days. Be proactive and relentless, push your video to as many people as you know. Share it on the social networks and if your budget allows it use your video in your ad campaign.
Congratulations!
Your awesome explainer video has captured the attention of your potential clients or customers. Even if it’s not a sale today, you’ve created a longer lasting impression than you would have with simple written text. Your video has created a memorable connection and now your brand has more significance than your competitors. Now you can use your video can in multiple places like live presentations, trade-shows, your website, email marketing campaigns or as posts on your social media channels.
Video can dramatically increase the search results for your business and it’s the most effective way get your point across to your audience!!
