Did you know our brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text? Moreover, it soaks in image or video-related data around 10x faster than text. No wonder explainer videos have stood the test of time and become a powerful marketing tool for companies across different sectors.
With an average attention span (8 seconds) less than that of a goldfish (9 seconds), it can get extremely challenging to engage and captivate your audience's attention effectively. Explainer videos leave a strong impression on your audiences, concisely explaining your brand, products, services, etc.
Marketers need to understand the different types of explainer videos before they can choose the best format for their business or marketing campaign.
Let’s start by getting familiar with explainer videos before delving into the different types and how to narrow down the most suitable format for your business requirements.
What Exactly is an Explainer Video?
If the name hasn’t given it away, here’s a short explanation. Explainer videos are short and crisp marketing videos, typically used by brands to explain their services and products.
These videos primarily feature on landing pages, the home page of a website, and important product pages.
Different Types of Explainer Videos and Which Style is Best for Your Brand
It is easy to lose your way and get confused about which format is best for you given the number of styles and types of explainer videos available. In this section, we will explore the main types of explainer videos and which format works best for different businesses.
1. Animated Explainer Videos
Animated explainer videos are arguably the most popular format a majority of the brands in the software space use to explain their products. Whiteboard explainer videos, animated motion graphics, and 2-D and 3-D animation explainer videos are a few popular formats that are covered under the ‘animated explainer videos’ spectrum and each style offers something unique and adds a different flavor to your videos.
- Motion Graphics
Motion graphics, as the name suggests, are created using animated technology to create an illusion of rotation or motion combined with a running commentary or audio in the background. These videos can either use 2D or 3D animations to deliver a message or explain something.
While 2D motion graphic videos are a good option for tech explainer animations, app demonstrations, and corporate explainer videos, 3D animation is ideal for storytelling, explaining online services, etc.
You can also create a hybrid of 2D and 3D explainer videos to share ideas and engage your audience.
- Kinetic Typography
Have you seen videos with moving texts and dynamic transitions? Yes, you guessed it. They are created using kinetic typography, a common animation technique that combines text and motion to present or communicate ideas, and concepts, and narrate a story to the audience.
These explainers are extensively used for storytelling, giving presentations, and commercials.
Some other types of animated explainer videos include stop-motion animation explainers, cutout animation, isometric or 2.5D animation, hand-drawn or classic animation, and parallax animation.
2. Live Action Explainer Videos
Unlike animated videos, live-action explainer videos feature real people wherein the content is recorded using camera equipment. Using live-action explaåiner viådeos is one of the best ways to establish a connection with existing and potential customers. Moreover, it is also one of the most effective ways for a few relevant people in an organization to connect with their customers, especially if they sell people-oriented services or physical products.
Some of the most common types of live-action explainer videos include how-to tutorials, interviews, customer testimonials, etc.
- How-to Tutorials
How-to video tutorials often feature a product manager or the founding member of a company who talks about the product’s benefits, features, and how it addresses customer problems.
- Interviews
Interview-style explainer videos have quickly become an integral part of the video marketing strategies of many brands, especially in tech startups. These videos feature the founding members or other key personalities of the company explaining the company’s vision, product line, or unique value proposition.
3. Product Demos
Well of course there are product guides and sales brochures that explain more about the product, its benefits, and how it works.
Video product demos have rightly become a key element that complements the sales and marketing strategies explaining the nitty-gritties of a product highlighting the key benefits and use cases in a more engaging format.
Here are a few more formats that fall under the product demos bracket.
- Screencast Explainer Videos
Today, many software-as-a-service (SaaS) and software review websites create screencast explainer videos to interact with their audience while showcasing the features of a product, and applications, and using workflows to guide users. The objective is to simplify the user experience of a product without encouraging users to go through long and text-heavy documents.
Additionally, the production cost of screencast videos is significantly lower than live-action and animated videos making it a great explainer video alternative for businesses operating on a shoestring budget.
- Feature Breakdown
It is worth noting that feature breakdowns and similar walkthrough explainer videos are made using a combination of different styles mentioned in this article including kinetic typography, 2D-3D animation, motion graphics, etc.
These videos aim to make customers familiar with the product’s features using engaging animation, glowing lines, and captivating graphics.
Ingredients That Make a Good Explainer Video
Now, how do you create a good explainer video? Let’s look at a few things you should keep in mind.
Every good explainer video has a few key things in common.
Who: Who is the video for?
What: What are the issues faced by your audience?
Why: Why should they watch your audience?
How: How does your product or service address their problems? Capture the user story succinctly.
Here are a few things to keep in mind while creating a good explainer video.
- Keep it short: Typically, most explainer videos are under 180 seconds. Therefore, keep your videos short and convey the message without distractions.
- Clear call to action (CTA): The CTA should be clear and indicate what the audience should do next.
- Address a problem: The objective of creating a video is to highlight the problem your product or service is solving.
- Quality: There’s no reason you should create sub-standard or low-quality videos. Invest in high-quality production equipment to create engaging content and communicate your message effectively.
- Invest in a good thumbnail: This helps capture visitor attention. This also improves engagement when it is included in your sales presentation.
- Keep message consistent: Make sure that the problem statement and offering in your explainer video is consistent and complements the rest of the message on the landing page.
Choosing the Best Format for Your Business
Choosing an explainer video format for your business depends on several factors including the type of product or service, target audience, nature of challenges, budget, etc.
That said, here are a few points to keep in mind while picking an explainer video format.
Budget
How much capital can you invest in your video marketing and customer acquisition strategy? Screencast and whiteboard explainer videos are the best options since they are easy to produce and do not require expensive production equipment.
That said, screencast and whiteboard explainers may not do the job if your audience is seeking a more refined and engaging visual experience.
Nature of Customer Problems
It is very important to choose a format that can address your customer’s pain points without confusing them and keeping them engaged. Always choose a format that can best illustrate the solution to their problem.
For instance, you can pick animated and whiteboard explainer videos to explain complex concepts. Similarly, you can choose product demo videos to showcase the product’s features and other functions in real time. Consider opting for live-action videos if lack of personalization is the problem you are trying to solve.
Type of Service/Product
Product demo videos are a great choice if you offer SaaS or other digital solutions to highlight the user interface, key features, and functionalities. However, if you sell physical products, you can use live-action videos as you can talk about the performance, use case, and benefits.
Call to action (CTA)
What kind of action do you want the viewer to take after watching the explainer video? Animated explainer videos can include links that let the viewer set up a meeting or download a sales proposal. With Product demos, it is easier to seek a free trial. Experiment with different CTAs to see what works for your audience.
Target Audience
Is your business B2B or B2C? Interview style or motion graphics are a safe bet in the B2B realm since most businesses prioritize clarity, professionalism, and data-driven videos. You can consider creating 2D animated videos if you are running a B2C brand since customers are primarily drawn toward engaging visuals and the quality of your content.
Ultimately, it’s important to note that an explainer video is a marketing asset and should help build authority and brand for your business. Make sure that your explainer video showcases your logo design, and the voiceover mentions your brand name in order for them to be memorable.
Final Words
It is worth noting that every type of explainer video has its fair share of pros and cons. So, your choice should depend on all the important factors mentioned in the previous section. It is also crucial to craft a solid video marketing strategy with a detailed understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of every video format.
Consider exploring the different tools and platforms that allow you to seamlessly create explainer videos and deliver your message to the right people at the right time.