Explainer Videos Among the New Top Marketing Techniques
We’ve all had trouble finding a product or service before. Our time is spent going link by link on Google or Bing to find which site/brand/company is going to get us what we want.
As business evolves, so does technology, and so do the sites we visit online. In today’s world, a boring website simply will not cut it for the common searcher. Today a business needs to grab our attention, because in a faster and faster paced world our attention span is getting smaller and smaller. We don’t want to spend 5 minutes navigating a website to look for 5 long-winded paragraphs on what sets your company apart, written almost identically with the same phrases as 10 other companies in the same field.
It’s time for businesses to set themselves apart, and the solution is already here.
Explainer videos are short, 45 second to one minute clips that explicitly state what the company can do for the viewer. They’re generally conducted in a cartoon/animated manner that is both eye-catching and fun for the viewer.
What do these videos need to be successful?
Obviously there are correct and incorrect ways to do anything, and these types of videos are no exception. As these videos become more and more prominent in the business world, there comes inherently a risk of a plagiaristic look amongst videos in the same industry. While some of this is unavoidable for multiple companies selling the same product or service, there are surefire ways to set oneself apart.
One way to be unique is to develop a video that caters around your business or product. A small business like a local pizza shop is a great example of this. By using pizza imagery in a video (thing pizza pie charts or pepperoni bar graphs) the business can put a fun spin on what would normally be considered boring statistics.
For companies that have difficulty coming up with humorous puns or imagery, say an insurance company, it’s all about keeping the video fun and light in other ways. A well-written script is obviously important. The script needs to be both informative and playful, and have the animation to match. A cartoon man sliding down a line graph to show potential savings in an insurance policy puts a fun spin on the always positive notion of saving money.
Why stop at the website?
Any intelligent marketer knows that social media plays a huge role in our society. Companies both large and small are now interacting through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other mainstream social media. Some companies truly are seeing the benefits of posting ads, videos, or even witty banter (see the Wendy’s vs Burger King Twitter banter) for gaining a following on social media.
Posting explainer videos to these types of sites has a huge potential in drawing in followers. Followers lead to potential sales and long-term profitability.
Get with the times
Businesses can’t help but pay attention to the value of these explainer videos and how they immediately give the viewer the information they want. When done right, a captivated viewer will be significantly more willing to delve deeper into the business to see if purchasing its product or service is right for them.
Evolution and progression is what drives business forward. It would be a pity to ignore it and fall behind.