Videos are becoming a more crucial tool for companies looking to increase brand recognition and guide prospective clients through sales. With 96% of viewers watching an explainer video to learn more about a product or service, explainer videos may be one of the most effective marketing videos.
But, it’s not easy to grab your target audience’s attention. It will take a lot of effort and resources to curate a stunning explainer video that speaks to your customers in a tone(that they want to listen to) and appeals to them to take action.
But, don’t worry – we have got you covered.
By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly how to create a stunning explainer animated video that speaks the language you want to pass on to your targeted audience(in a creative way).
What is an explainer video?
Explainer videos are short videos that describe your company’s product or service. Good explainer videos efficiently market your brand and show potential clients what you do, who you are, and why they should do business with you.
Explainer videos are placed commonly on website homepages, landing pages, prominent product or service sites, and social media feeds. Explainer videos are commonly used in marketing, sales, onboarding, and education to enhance understanding and retention of information.
Why do you need an Explainer video?
Explainer videos are becoming more popular as businesses find them effective for quickly and engagingly conveying information. They boost conversion rates, enhance brand visibility, and improve customer understanding. Their versatility and ability to simplify complex ideas make them a cost-effective and impactful marketing tool.
- Concise and Clear: They get straight to the point, explaining the main features or benefits without unnecessary details.
- Engaging: Often using animation, motion graphics, or live-action footage to capture and hold the viewer’s attention.
- Simplified Information: Complex information is broken down into simple, easy-to-understand segments.
- Call to Action: They often end with a clear call to action, guiding viewers on what to do next, whether it’s visiting a website, signing up for a service, or purchasing a product.
How Are Explainer Videos Made – The Steps That You Must Take
1. Researching
Any project’s success depends on a clear knowledge of its objectives. Begin the procedure by asking all of the appropriate questions.
What is the main purpose of the animation? What issues does the product solve? Who is the intended audience? Who are your primary rivals, and how is your offering different from theirs? You could draft a quick survey.
You get the idea.
Go the extra mile here. It’s critical to have a good understanding of rivals’ market strategy. Recall that the effectiveness of your video depends on how well it presents your message to stand out from the crowd in addition to its overall quality.
Make sure you have everything you need, and sort through any distractions that can divert your creative team. When you believe you have all of the necessary information to build a stunning explainer video for your client’s needs, you can move ahead.
2. Setting the strategy
The Next step is setting up the strategy. You don’t have to jump on writing the script just now – first, you need to strategy based on your goal, and then you can move ahead.
The concept serves as a model for the script. After discussing a brief with your clients and answering all of their strategic questions, you can decide what kind of concept will best serve the purpose of the project. For example, should you employ a “Problem-Solution” framework along with storytelling tactics, or should you concentrate just on demonstration?
The approach you decide on must be in line with the goals of the project. After you’ve made your decision, you should consult with your client to confirm that everything is in line.
Another important element to consider is the platform where the video will be hosted. If it’s for a website, there’s just one technique; if it’s for numerous platforms, you’ll need to plan out multiple versions in multiple dimensions, each with a unique call-to-action. Once you’ve determined the core message and how we want to communicate it, pass it along to the content team for script development.
3. Writing the Script
The script is the foundation of your explainer video. Even if you have a lot of fantastic visual elements, they won’t be effective without a compelling story.
Avoid using sophisticated words to impress others. The writing should be flexible, simple to understand, and focused on the key point. Attempting to include too much typically causes people to forget the important aspects.
- Recognize your audience: Imagine your ideal consumer and talk to them personally.
- Get them hooked early: Within the first 5-8 seconds, grab their attention. Do not waste time wandering.
- Pay attention to the advantages: Highlight the benefits of your product or service, not just its characteristics.
- Call to action (CTA) made clear: Finally, include a clear and straightforward CTA that instructs viewers exactly what to do next.
4. Recording Voiceover
Explainer videos typically have voice-overs that explain the material. The voice narrations’ captivating scripts maximize listener engagement.
Compelling voice narration scripts serve to engage viewers to their full potential.
Recording voice is a quick process. The actor can begin work as soon as the customer approves the screenplay, and they should be able to complete voice recording within a fair amount of time. There are a lot of actors available for explainer videos, so it’s easy to locate the perfect fit based on the voice style that the company wants.
Don’t underestimate the importance of having the appropriate voice—it may make a huge impact!
Additional Read
9 Industries that can supercharge their marketing with explainer videos
5. Storyboarding
You have a strong screenplay for your explainer video, but if you only use it to build the video, you risk having a finished product that looks nothing like you expected. Making a mockup of a storyboard makes sure the images complement your intended narrative.
A storyboard can be thought of as a visual blueprint or a comprehensive plan. It is a combination of motion, transitions, and shots. The creative team adds animation, graphics, and artwork to the storyline to give it images. They frequently provide motion clues to objects. A storyboard also details how the whole clip will play out and appear aesthetically.
6. Illustrating
After preparing a storyboard, the next step in creating an explainer video is illustrating. This involves creating detailed graphics and visual elements based on the storyboard. These illustrations will serve as the visual foundation for the video, helping to bring the script to life and making the concepts clear and engaging for the audience.
Tips to keep in mind for illustrating:
- Consistency in Style: Ensure all illustrations have a consistent style and color palette to maintain visual coherence throughout the video.
- Detailing Visual Elements: Pay attention to details in the illustrations (such as adding textures, shadows, and highlights where necessary to make them appealing and engaging.
- Incorporating Branding: Integrate brand elements such as logos, colors, and fonts into the illustrations to reinforce brand identity.
- Preparing for Animation: Design the illustrations in a way that makes them easy to animate.
A quick tip: Share the illustrations with stakeholders for feedback and make necessary revisions to ensure they meet the project’s objectives.
7. Animating
The animation step in making an explainer video is where the whole thing comes alive! It’s like adding motion to those static illustrations and giving them personality, movement, and flair.
Timing is crucial here, making sure every movement syncs perfectly with the voiceover or music to keep viewers hooked. And let’s not forget about the details: adding subtle effects, like swooshes or fades, that make everything pop. It’s a creative blend of visuals and sound, all aimed at telling your story in the most captivating way possible.
Here’s the tip that you should keep in mind while animating!
- Maintain a consistent style and color palette throughout the animation.
- Ensure animations clearly convey the message and guide viewers’ attention effectively.
- Don’t shy away from adding creative touches that enhance storytelling and captivate your audience.
8. Rendering
The last step in creating an explainer video is rendering, which is putting everything together into the final product. This involves compiling all the animated scenes, voiceovers, sound effects, and background music into one cohesive video.
During this stage, you make any last-minute tweaks to ensure everything looks and sounds perfect. You also choose the right export settings like resolution and file format so the video works well on different platforms, whether it’s social media or your website.
Finally, you do a quality check to catch any errors and optimize the file for smooth playback and quick loading. Once rendering is done, your explainer video is ready to go live and impress your audience!
To Conclude
Almost 80% of marketing experts acknowledge that video content increases sales. Explainer videos can be one of your most successful marketing campaigns if you do it the right way.
An effective explainer video should be concise, straightforward, audience-focused, and compelling. By following the above guidelines, you can create an excellent explainer video that will meet customer needs, foster brand loyalty, and boost sales when introducing a new good, service, or procedure.
If you are looking for a professional assistant who can help you with the end-to-end explainer video production needs for your business or your client, Krisha Studio can be your partner.
Through our unique explainer video creation process, we convey your story, create your brand, capture your audience, and deliver the outcomes you desire.
