Last Updated on March 13, 2024
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Animated Marketing Videos Introduction:
The future of marketing is moving towards video. Video ads get 27x more click-through when compared to display ads. Not only ads, but the pattern is also the same across all forms of marketing. With the onset of capable devices, we consume more video content than ever.
1 billion hours of video content is consumed daily on YouTube alone.
Through video, you convey more information and get more engagement.
This makes it important for businesses to switch to marketing videos.
A brand which promotes its product or content using video will get more buyers.
But not every business has film-making resources. This doesn’t have to make you miss out on getting videos for your brand. Animated marketing videos become your business’s natural choice.
They can be defined in simple terms as short animated videos used to fulfil your various marketing goals across platforms.
Viewers retain 95% of the message when they watch animated marketing videos. They have been on the rise and are used by small-medium scale businesses. But they are not for everyone. And, even if they are for you, selecting them can be a hassle. They are not cheap. Mistakes can cost you lots of money.
Here’s where we will step in and give you a full guide on animated marketing videos. This blog will cover animated marketing videos, who are they for, some potential mistakes to avoid when getting marketing videos, the pros and cons of animated marketing videos and five examples of animated marketing videos that we have created.
What are Animated Marketing Videos & their Types?
A marketing video is a small video usually 2-3 mins long that conveys information to fulfil a certain marketing goal. It’s a way to convey complicated information in a simple and engaging way.
Here are a few common types of animated marketing videos.
Explainer Videos: They cover anything that the brands want to convey to a person who’s interested in buying. These are good for leads who have already seen an ad for the product. They are interested in the product or service and want to know more about how it works.
Educational Videos:Most content marketing is giving away free value. (like we are doing right now). If you want to build an audience, you have to give value to your content. That’s where educational videos come into play.
- Promotional Videos:
These are animated video ads. The only goal is to sell a product. These types of videos first talk about the struggles of the potential customer and how the new product or service can solve that struggle.
- Tutorial Videos:
If your business offers a service like software or product, that is not easy to use, these videos are great for you. They can make the experience of using your product and service simpler.
Who are animated marketing videos for?
What kind of business should use animated marketing videos?
Animated marketing videoscan be used by all kinds of businesses. But it’s highly effective for companies like these.
- Software companies
- Finance companies
- E-commerce brands
- Manufacturing sectors
- Health & Wellness Industry
Pros and Cons of Animated Marketing Videos.
Just like anything in marketing, animated explainer videos have their pros and cons. First, let’s talk about the good part and what it can do for your business.
Benefits of using animated marketing videos:
They are cheaper to make.
Animated videos don’t require costly equipment. They don’t require a director, cameraman or actors to get your message across. All they need is animation software, a skilled animator and something to say.
This saves your business lots of headaches if it was to make traditional marketing videos.
The cost depends on the type of marketing video it is, and the length and complexity of the animation that goes into it.
Have a marketing video idea in mind?
It keeps your content and marketing brand consistent.
Branding 101 will tell you that colours matter. Sooner or later, people associate certain colours with your brand. This helps you form a brand image.
Animated marketing videos can be made using your existing branding palette. This can help you solidify brand consistency. For example, here’s an example video of headspace.
They use existing colours from their app to colour characters and backgrounds. Soon, you start to associate these colours with their brand.
- Our brains are made for visual content.
A study found that our brain processes visuals 60,000 times quicker than regular text content. And when it comes to animated marketing videos, you have much more freedom to be creative and create more effects.
Your videos can become more engaging. They capture the reader’s attention well and keep it there. They outcompete written content when it comes to message retention.
Now, let’s talk about the negative. They are negative if your business and marketing goals don’t match.
Here are the cons of animated marketing videos:
May not be suitable for some brands.
This takes us back to our point above of determining whether animated marketing videos are for you. Animated marketing videos are not good for you if you want to set up a personal brand.
If you want a face to be associated with your brand then it’s not the way to go. For example, a private consultant will benefit more from in-person videos than animated videos.
Another is if your niche demands quick and frequent content (more than one per day). For example, if your business covers current affairs or trends then making an animated marketing video can be time-consuming compared to other marketing channels.
- A good animated marketing video needs expert skills.
If you don’t have the necessary skills to make an animation video, then trying to do it yourself will cost you more.
First, there is a big learning curve that includes script writing, audio selection, and learning animation software. All this is a career in itself and people spend years learning it.
Trying to do it yourself will result in poor-quality animated marketing videos. They are a bad fit if you don’t have the money to outsource them to an animation video company.
- Poor-quality videos will damage your brand image.
A poor-quality animation whether it’s done by you or a business you hired will look bad. It will work against your marketing goals.
First of all, nobody wants to watch a glitchy animated video.
Second, those who do will leave with a negative memory of your business and what it’s about. This is not something you want. Instead of building your brand image, it will destroy the image that already exists.
That’s why it becomes crucial who you work with when it comes to making animated marketing videos. You should take a look at their previous work samples to decide if they have the necessary skills or not.
Qualities of a Good Animated Marketing Video
- Keep it short & easy-to-understand.
Your video needs to be short. Keeping it under 2-3 minutes is ideal. If you make the video too long then you lose the viewer’s attention.
Secondly, they must be simple to understand. Your transitions, effects and visuals should complement your words not contradict them.
Too complicated stuff that the audience can’t follow will distort your message.
- Should maintain consistency with the brand image.
Your brand and business already have an image. It uses certain themes, fonts and colours as part of its branding. That stays consistent throughout your products, website & social media.
The same should happen in your animated marketing video. It should use the themes of your current branding into their animation.
Anything other than your brand’s basic colours can alienate your video and hurt your brand image.
- Keep the target audience in mind.
If you try to make an animated marketing video for everyone, you’ll end up making it for no one. In the sense that no one will watch it.
A good animated video knows its target viewer well. It starts with creating an audience portfolio which covers their lifestyle, age, gender, needs, etc.
It doesn’t stop there. Your animated video should also be dedicated to specific people in your marketing funnel. The video should take into account at what stage the intended audience is in your marketing.
Animated marketing videos for buyers and leads can be completely different.
A well-planned and structured script.
Once you have your audience in mind, it comes down to the message you want to get across. Visuals and animation aid and amplifies certain points of your message. But you do need to convey it in more depth through your script.
A good script should have the following qualities.
- Starts with a strong hook
- Uses simple and easy-to-understand words
- Say more with less words
- Conveys information in a memorable way
- Includes great visuals and high-quality elements.
All of the above was a foundation for making a good animated marketing video. Now, what you build on that foundation also matters. There are many elements in an animated video that need to be taken care of.
Some of them are.
- Illustrations
- Animation
- Voiceovers
- SFX & Music
Errors or a lazy effort in any one of these elements can break the success of your animated marketing video. It’s important that adequate attention is paid to all the elements. That’s why it makes sense to outsource your animated marketing videos to businesses that have a whole team dedicated to this process.
Pro-tip: The first 30-seconds of your video matter the most. They decide whether the viewer will watch it or click away. Buffer talks about the importance of utilizing these seconds wisely.
5 Of Our Sample Animated Marketing Videos.
We have over 13 years of experience in making B2B animated marketing videos. Here are five videos that we made for our clients.
- Slice Launch Video – Typography & Motion Graphics
Launch Video for Slice – Typography | MotionGraphics Video
Slice is a fintech startup based in India. With our explainer video, we explained what slice is all about, who it is for and how it works.
- SBI Explainer Video – 2D Motion Graphics
2D animated Explainer Video for State Bank of India
State Bank of India is India’s largest Bank. They decided to act towards a sustainable world. Our animated marketing video showcased their multiple efforts in a fun and engaging way.
- Stuck AI Explainer Video – 3D Animation
Animated Explainer Video for Stuck AI
Stuck AI brings artificial intelligence to location-based advertising, through their network of Internet-connected digital screens, mounted on car & storefront windows. Our video explained their service.
Also read: – 15 Great examples of Explainer videos for AI products
- Henry Inc. Presentation Video – 3D Motion Graphics
Motion graphic corporate presentation for Henry Inc
Henry Inc is an architecture-based company. In this video, we conveyed their brand values and passion for seeing construction as art.
- CitrusPay’s Selfie Explainer Video – 2D Motion Graphics
CitrusPay’s Sellfie Explainer Video
Selfie is a social commerce service from Citrus Pay. The video covered the basic functioning of their service and the benefits to the end-user.
Conclusion:
Video marketing is the new trend.
The brands that focus more on it get more views and buyers. Animated marketing videos become a good way to enter into video marketing for businesses that lack the resources & time for traditional marketing videos.
They are not for everyone. But, if they happen to meet your marketing goals, their pros are many. However, making an animated marketing video yourself can be risky.
Poor quality will hurt you. Even if you outsource it to a company, you need to make sure you are getting your money’s worth. The qualities of a good animated marketing video are:
- Short & easy to understand.
- Consistent with your brand image.
- An unignorable script.
- Memorable visuals and other elements.
Keep them in mind when you get your animated marketing video made.
Have a video idea in mind?
