Six Ways to Use Animated Explainer Videos

Animated explainer videos are everywhere. You know, those short, super engaging animations that visually present concepts, processes or statistics. As marketing departments scramble for more and more content, these quick bursts of information have become essential tools for brands. Why? Lots of reasons. Research shows that 95% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.

Even better? Eighty-three percent of marketers think using video gives them a good ROI.

So now that you know you need an explainer animation. What are the best ways to use them? We’ve got six ideas.

1. To visualize an abstract concept, idea or service. Let’s say you offer a really cool service. It’s a bit abstract and sometimes your prospects have a hard time understanding exactly what you do. Plus it’s difficult to fully explain in writing. An explainer animation is the perfect way to communicate. By using animated graphics with voice-over, people more fully understand what your idea or service is and how you can help them solve their problems. 
2. To creatively present a complicated or technical process. Technical animation has been around since…well, animation. It’s the best and easiest way to convey complicated information. You can break through the clutter and dive down into the basics of a process or machine, for example. And you can visualize ideas or process that may not be tangible, visual things in real life.
3. To visualize a subject that may be difficult to shoot on video. Imagine you’ve developed a machine. It’s really big and makes cool widgets. And it’s completely different from your competitor’s machine because of a very small doo-dad somewhere in the middle of it. Because it’s new and different, you want to feature it. But how? There’s no way you’re getting a camera anywhere near that small doo-dad. But you can created an animated version of it!
4. To creatively present statistics. Numbers can be scary. And hard to remember. And sometimes boring. But most often, they’re the most concrete way to present hard facts and information. An explainer animation is a great way to make that information easier to digest, more persuasive and more memorable. In fact, a study conducted by the Wharton School of Business found that 50% of people were persuaded by a purely verbal presen­tation, while 67% of people were persuaded when the presen­tation included visuals.
5. To reinforce your brand. You’ve put in the work. You’ve created a graphic look, logos, icons and narrowed down the color palate. There are print ads, signage, mailers and other collateral. Now you need to give your brand a voice. Literally, give it a voice. Through scripting, voicing and design style, you pull together all of the elements you’ve already created, thus creating one solid brand identity.
6. They’re shareable. Not only are explainer animations compelling to watch, they can be used across multiple screens. And with 92 percent of mobile video viewers sharing video with others, these little nuggets of information are infinitely shareable.