7 Things You May Not Know About Making Explainer Videos

The best explainer videos not only educate and entertain audiences, but they keep attention and sell products too. In fact they’re like salespeople who give the perfect sales pitch every time, from anywhere. There are a ton of reasons for why they’ve stood the tests of time, and while they’ve been around for years, there still may be a few things you don’t know about making them.

Below are the 7 top things you may not know about making explainer videos:

Inexpensive or free tools & companies use pre-made artwork
Use YouTube to drive traffic to your website
Your script is critical
Make sure unlimited revisions are offered (at every stage)
Optimize your videos by getting multiple versions for A/B testing
Animation is effective and efficient (especially post-Covid-19)
Explainer videos are the Swiss Army Knives of the marketing world

1. Inexpensive or free tools & companies use pre-made artwork

When you set out to make an explainer video, you typically either use a DIY tool, or hire a studio. Prices vary widely with both options and you typically get what you pay for. Inexpensive DIY tools (whether free or paid) and studios usually use pre-made artwork and video templates that allow little room for any customization.

So if you want to control every element within your video to keep your explainer video on brand you’ll likely want to work with a studio like ours.

2. YouTube can drive traffic to your website

If you choose YouTube for your video hosting, including the right metadata can help your explainer video be seen when people search (on Google, YouTube and other search engines) terms related to your business. Include a link to your website near the top of the video’s description (example below) to make it easier for viewers to visit your website if they want to learn more about your product or service.

3. Your script is crucial

While many of our clients obsess about the look-and-feel of the explainer video, the most important component of the video is actually the video script. Be sure to spend a bulk of your time brainstorming on different script concepts and be sure to put your feet in potential buyers’ shoes, since they may not know as much about your product or service as you do.

(And if you’re wondering when it comes to the look-and-feel, our team just asks for example artwork or a video to reference and we can easily match the look spot on.

Many studios don’t offer unlimited revisions at every stage of the video production process, be sure to find out what’s included regardless of who you work with.

4. Make sure you get unlimited revisions at every stage

While many custom explainer video production companies include on their website that they offer unlimited revisions, before to find out if that policy applies to every stage of the video production process like ours does. After all you don’t want to discover additional charges to complete your video or worse get stuck with a video you don’t love.

5. Optimize your videos by getting multiple versions for A/B testing

Testing your videos can lead to big performance improvements. Test different call-to-actions, video lengths and more to see which version performs best. Before you kick off your explainer video, get clarity on whether whoever you’re working with offers multiple versions for free or for an additional charge. Little changes can lead to big improvements sometimes!

6. Animation is effective and efficient, especially post-Covid-19

As the world recovers from Covid-19, explainer videos have seen a spike in popularity since they’re not made with cameras and actors (“live action” videos). Animation can be made remotely and typically costs less to make than live action videos, making them both effective and efficient marketing tools, especially post-coronavirus.

7. Explainer videos are the Swiss Army Knives of the marketing world

Sure explainer videos can be promoted on your website and YouTube channel, but there are also a ton of less-obvious places to share them too – like email footers, presentations, and more! In fact check out these 23 different marketing channels.

Conclusion

Explainer videos are not new to the marketing world, but much about them has evolved over the last few years. Hopefully you found this post helpful, and if you have any questions about making an explainer video contact us here to speak with a video producer.