It is 21st century and our attention spans just got shorter! Yeah, there is a whole lot of truth that goes into that statement and you are probably wondering if I have gone bananas! Nope, I have not. I am actually talking about why having an explainer video is the best option for your marketing needs. And I have not one but nine innovative ways to make it work for you. Stay with me!
But before I actually start pointing out the benefits and getting into the details, I would like to elucidate on what an explainer video actually is!
Explainer video, as the name suggests, is an effective video marketing tool that supplements texts in a more interesting and engaging audio-visual form. It is typically a short video that spans from 1-3 minutes and simplifies complex ideas using animations, stop-motions and voice overs. So, here goes:
1. Opinion Research:
Explainer videos are a great resource for getting to know your market or as we phrase it, “testing waters”. The idea is to create an explainer video that explains your idea even before you have a beta version or even a prototype and wait for response. A good idea always generates palpable interest and similarly, a good explainer video tends to go viral in the internet. If nothing interesting is happening, then you get the clue! You probably need a better idea. Imagine how much time, efforts and cash, a simple explainer video can save you! If you are still curious, check this out:
2. Video Book invitations:
Have you heard about video books before? In the marketing world, they are like the ‘newest kid on the block’ – the future of video marketing. With an LCD screen embedded in a book, it unlocks a whole world of possibilities. It is a tool where you can exploit the power of explainer videos to reach your select potential prospects.
3. Crowd funding campaigns:
So you have a great business idea but no fund to kickstart it… No worries! Just build a prototype or a sample and create an explainer video. If your idea has potential, you can get crowd funding from an equally eager group of individuals who are rooting to see your idea come to life. Ever heard of Tile? Tile is a connected objects startup that has raised a massive $2.6 million via its self-starter crowd funding campaign. You have an inspiration right there!
4. Introduction for books, authors and speakers:
Suppose you have spent years of efforts and love into writing a book or struggled very hard to become that motivational speaker who has explosive ideas to share with humanity. But you just cannot get people enthusiastic about your ideas or even you. You find it difficult to prove that your ideas are different, that you have something worthy to share. After all, why should they listen until they know that you are ‘somebody’ they cannot afford to ignore? Fret not! Explainer videos are capable of presenting you and your work in a way that generates curiosity and interest around your work. They set you apart. Reaching out to your audience becomes as easy as clicking your fingers. And you know what? There is a good chance that you would end up with a band of followers before you even know it. Check out this video. You will know what I am talking about.
5. Advertising via social networking sites:
Facebook promoted posts and YouTube pre-roll ads generates better interests than TV advertisements. But that is a no-brainer… Of course, you knew that, right? There is just something about video ads – they move people to choose you instead of your competitors. The audience is targeted according to their interests or geography and hence, reaching your potential customers only gets easier. The conversation rates are also high in this case. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Video Rascal, 85% more people are more likely to buy a product with an accompanying explainer video.
Since I feel super-excited today, I am giving you a tip free of cost: Office-goers tend to watch more videos during Mondays, Tuesdays and weekends so in case you are eager to get more responses for your videos, post them on those days!
6. Employee engagement:
Imagine your first day in office. There is so much to take in and so much to learn. You have too many doubts and no idea whom to ask. For any company, ramping up a newbie or even a regular employee on internal processes of a company, which they have no idea about, is a nightmare. Explainer videos are the best option when it comes down to explaining internal process to your employees, especially for a company of humongous proportions. Be it explaining a new product or service or even explaining how to apply for a vacation, explainer videos simplify the whole process. It saves your employees time and effort and therefore, makes them even more productive. What’s there not to like?
7. NGO and Charity work:
There is so much goodness that can be achieved if there was a way to voice and reach out to people who matter. With so many NGO’s mushrooming up, people are getting confused on which organisation is legitimate and which is not, which to chose and which to avoid. Good intentions are lost in this melee of confusions. If you are passionate about bringing a change in the world we live in but you have no idea how to connect to people who care, explainer videos can do your work for you. Not only are they capable of creating great outreach campaigns, they are also powerful fundraising tools. For example – check out this video created by Mypromovideos, that was used for ‘Menstrupedia’ campaign.
You might have also watched ‘The girl Effect’ in your social networking sites which went viral some time back. If you haven’t yet, you should. That must ‘explain’ everything! Btw, you should also check out the YouTube nonprofits program.
8. Video Emails:
For any company that seeks more business, newsletters and cold mails are perhaps the best available options to approach potential prospects. It is understandable why video mails are opened more regularly than the regular text mails. There is more than 300% improvement as found from a study by Wistia. Wow! Now, that is really something… I guess I will let the numbers sink in and do the talking. As for me, I rest my case.
9. Landing Pages:
Explainer videos are best used on home pages and landing pages for generating leads. This is what most companies are doing right now. So instead of placing long, boring paragraphs of seemingly never-ending text – go for an explainer video. A short and interesting video that explains your work engages your visitor more than anything. Besides, the visitors are more ready to pay for your services directly because it takes only a few minutes for them to completely understand your service and make a decision. Check out Crazyegg to get the feel. I am sure you would agree with me on that now!
Now, that I have given you nine innovative ways in which explainer videos can be used for your business, I realized I could still go on… For example, imagine you have a booth during business conference or you are doing presentations to spread a word about what your company or product does. You can use an explainer video to explain all the nitty-gritty without allowing your audience to lose interest (yeah, short attention spans! Now you know what I was talking about…) Carry them on your mobile or tablet or just loop it around in your booth. Your work is done! That’s it! Similarly, explainer videos can also be used on your blogs which have become a major source of traffic be it a personal blog, corporate blog or a PR blog.
Explainer videos are going to get bigger in future with mobile use seeing a meteoric upward trend. Yeah, ask any friend with a high-end mobile. They will probably tell you that they prefer internet on their mobile or tablets than logging into their laptops. Again it’s a no-brainer that it is easier to watch a video than read a bunch of tiny, scrawling letters on the teeny-weeny screen.
Now there, I have given you enough reasons on why an explainer video makes an excellent marketing tool. So if you want something explosive to happen, you know what to do!
