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- Today, you'll learn our top nine tips
for making an outstanding explainer video.
Explainer videos are a great way
to introduce your audience to your business.
If done well, you'll quickly create a meaningful connection
with your customers whilst sparking interest in your brand,
but it isn't quite as easy as it looks
and you don't want to waste time
and money on something that won't give
your business a boost.
Luckily, there are proven things
you can do to make your explainer video
as effective as possible.
But before we dive in,
make sure you subscribe to our channel
and click on the bell icon
so you don't miss any of our future videos.
Tip one, it's all in the script.
Your script can make or break your video.
No matter how impressive your content looks or sounds,
it won't have an impact without a great script.
The language you use should be simple
and easy to understand.
This will help you get your point
across clearly and effectively.
Luckily, there are a few tried and tested formats
you can follow.
Let's take a look at one of these now.
This example follows a classic template
that works really well.
As you'll see, it can be broken down into four steps.
For step one, highlight the problem,
identify an issue your audience's facing
that your business can help solve.
Then in step two, present the solution.
Introduce your product or service
as the answer to this problem.
Again, you'll want to make this as clear
and concise as possible.
Next, for step three, it's time to explain the benefits.
Name the main ways your customers
will benefit from what you're selling,
sell them the dream of what you have to offer.
And finally in step four, you have your call to action.
End with a strong call to action
so your audience knows what they should do
once the video ends.
This is by no means the only way to structure your video
and there are plenty of templates that you can use.
If you'd like to learn more about tried
and trusted templates for explainer videos,
check out our video dedicated to the topic.
We've added the link in the description below.
Next, let's take a look at a couple of elements
that you should definitely include in your script.
Tip two, hook them in.
You don't have long to grab your audience's attention,
so make the first 10 seconds of your video really count.
Here are three proven ways to create a great hook
that will spark a viewers curiosity.
Consider introducing a problem
that your customer might be facing.
If the viewer can relate, they'll want to keep watching.
Or why not introduce a relatable character,
your audience will want to follow them along their journey.
Everyone loves a good story.
Alternatively, surprise your audience.
A surprising or even shocking fact can do wonders
when it comes to sparking interest.
Humor can work well too,
something a little unexpected, funny,
or even wacky is great for drawing attention.
Now, let's move on to tip three,
focus on benefits not features.
Your customer is far more likely to make a purchase
based on how they'll benefit from your product or service
rather than on its features.
So what's the difference between a feature and a benefit.
Imagine I'm trying to sell you a piece accounting software
that helps people who aren't professional accountants.
Now, let's say I create an explainer video
to promote this software.
In a short 90-second video,
I list all the fancy features of this product.
It has a general ledger module,
full integration capacity with both CRM and ERP systems
produces P and L statements
and how CSF and OFX (speaker snores).
I overload you with technical jargon
until your head is spinning
and you've stopped paying attention.
Now, imagine instead that I explain
how this software will make your life so much easier.
I tell you that your accounting information
will be safely backed up
and readily accessible wherever you go.
The software is fast and user-friendly,
so it will save you a huge amount of time
and make your life easier.
And best of all,
not only will it save you money on hiring an accountant,
but it's the best-priced accountancy tool on the market.
In both cases, I'm selling you the same product
and yet the second example
is far more effective for an explainer video
because I was focusing on benefits rather than features.
I was appealing to your emotions
by telling you what you stand to gain.
And don't worry, there'll be plenty of time
to go into more detail about the features
further down your sales funnel.
Next, we'll look at some of the other key elements
to make your video stand out.
Starting with, tip four, nail the voiceover.
Your voiceover should give your video
a polished and professional feel.
Choose a voice that matches your audience's demographic.
If your customers are mostly young women, for example,
having an older man do the voiceover
wouldn't really make sense.
Tone is important too.
Do you want a voice
that sounds professional and trustworthy,
fun and quirky, sincere and inspiring.
Generally speaking, a positive, expressive
and upbeat voice works best.
Commissioning a voice actor
is in most cases the best option.
And there are some online resources
that will help you do this at a relatively low cost.
Check out some specialist websites
like voices.com, Voice Casting Hub, Mandy and SOHO Voices.
These allow you to browse hundreds of voice samples,
then audition your favorites.
Alternatively, you can hire a freelancer
directly via Upwork or Fiverr.
These websites allow you to post a job ad, set your price
and connect you directly with voiceover artists.
If you're promoting a personal brand though,
you might want to do the voiceover yourself.
Our three main tips are,
vary the tone of your voice.
Avoid sounding monotone,
you don't want to send your audience to sleep.
Secondly, make sure you invest in a good quality microphone
and thirdly, record in a space with no echo
or background noise.
For more information on how to record the perfect voiceover,
we have a video dedicated to the topic.
To watch it, check out the link down in the description box.
Next we have tip five, don't overspend on visuals.
Of course, the way your video looks is important
but you don't need a Netflix level of budget
to make it stand out.
Big budget graphics are also much more expensive to update
and might not make from a financial standpoint.
Simple, elegant visuals when combined with a good script
and a professional sounding voiceover,
are really all you need for a great return on investment.
From a stylistic perspective,
there are a few popular options.
Live action is ideal for introducing yourself
and your team and adding more realism to your video.
2D character animation is a great choice
for adding personality to your video.
This option is extremely versatile,
as you can really let your imagination run wild.
Motion graphics, if you need to project a professional
and mature image in your video,
this option uses animated graphics to break down facts
and figures in an engaging way.
And finally, whiteboard animation.
This style of animation has become
really popular in recent years
for more educational types of explainer videos,
as they've been proven to be effective
at helping people retain new information.
Now, moving on to tip six, add music and sound effects.
We cannot stress this enough,
music and sound effects are vital.
When done well, they add personality
and depth while sparking an emotional reaction
in the viewer.
To illustrate this, take a look at this clip.
Now, let's add some music and sound effects.
(upbeat music)
You see what a big difference that makes?
If you're looking for sound effects
and you're on a smaller budget,
websites like Freesound and SoundEffects+
offer sounds you can use free of charge.
The only catch is that there can be restrictions
on how you use these effects.
For more choice and higher quality sounds,
you can subscribe to Soundsnap, Storyblocks
or Epidemic Sound from $15 a month.
These sites all boast a huge library of sound effects
that are used by some of the biggest production companies
in the world.
For the best ending for your video,
we have tip seven, make your call to action count.
End your video with a persuasive call to action.
Here are five tips to make it as strong as possible.
One, use direct language.
Choose words like buy, click and subscribe.
Two, be clear.
Your call to action should appear in both the voiceover
and the visuals.
Three, provide a reason.
In no more than a few words,
remind the viewer of how they'll benefit
from doing what you're asking.
Four, spark emotion.
Create a sense of urgency
or make the viewer feel like they'll be missing out
if they don't act now.
Five, make it short.
Only include one clear instruction.
Too many requests just gets confusing.
Now let's move on to tip eight, be playful.
Being too serious or corporate in your explainer video
is likely to make it less memorable and enjoyable.
So don't be afraid to be a little lighthearted
and playful to keep your audience entertained.
You should, of course remain in keeping with your brand,
but bold decisions can really pay off,
be creative and keep things lively.
Adding a little humor or taking your audience by surprise,
will keep them watching until the end.
And last but not least, we have tip nine,
get ready to launch.
So you've made your explainer video,
job done, right?
Wrong!
Planning how you're going to share your creation
with the world is just as important as its content.
After all, even if you've made
the best explainer video ever,
it's unlikely to help your business if no one sees it.
Firstly, choose the video host you'll use
to add your explainer video to your website.
We recommend checking out Wistia, Brightcove or Vidyard
as they allow you to customize your video
and provide you with useful stats about how it's performing.
If you're on a slightly lower budget,
Vimeo is a popular option and is great aesthetically,
but you won't get as much in terms of analytics.
Secondly, create a marketing plan.
Take advantage of any existing platforms
you may already have,
whether that's a blog, a strong social media presence,
or even a work event.
If you have any well connected contacts
who'd be happy to promote your video,
don't be afraid to ask.
And last but not least,
make sure you seamlessly integrate your video
onto your website.
This includes creating an eye-catching thumbnail
that would encourage users to hit play
and place it high up on your landing page,
ideally at the very top in the cover fold
so visitors to your site won't miss it.
For more information on adding a video to your landing page,
check out our video on the subject.
We've included a link in the description below.
We hope you found these steps to be helpful.
If you need help creating your explainer video,
then feel free to get in touch with us here at Spiel
by visiting www.spielcreative.com.
Thanks for watching
and we'll see you next time.
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