Explainer Videos are short videos, animated or otherwise that explain a business product and service. They have become by far the most common videos you will see on ‘landing pages’ as they are the best bang for your buck in website real estate. They get the most content “in” – in the shortest amount of time…. at least if you do them right.
What to think about when making an Explainer Video
Keep it simple: say it best by saying just the main thing
Make it memorable (be unique, maybe funny?, quirky, etc). Maybe hire a writer to help – it can pay dividends.
Know who your target audience(s) are.
Types of Explainer Videos:
Live Action
Animated
Screencast
Kickstarter Style
Whiteboard
Some Explainer Samples
The first is a video from Dollar Shave Club – you’ve probably seen this one. This “live action” video went viral and literally put their company on the map. Well written and ‘who knew’ the CEO was so good on camera. All while being funny the company explains their product in simple terms, how much it costs, and the benefits of using it.
Second up: a shameless plug for our team. This is a video we made for DataXu’s new OneView. Pro voice over, custom graphic work with their fonts/colors, and product info throughout. This is an example of an animated explainer.
Here is a whiteboard video about how to start a business. A simple but effective way to communicate, whiteboard videos can be cost effective and get a lot of details across to your audience. It may be good to say here you should be careful that you realize these are not the most ‘sexy’ of video styles but if the content is good and informative and people want that content (as with people wanting to go into business) than people will eat it up.
Lastly, here is a sample of multiple KickStarter pieces in the humorous genre again. Unique and stylish for sure, these are super enjoyable to watch and help companies get some cool (heh, and/or interesting!) products out there.