Using video animation is a great way to get a message across, whether it’s information you’re bringing to your customers, shareholders, or internal team members.
Corporate video production has traditionally been pretty staid and straight-laced, which (let’s face it) doesn’t make for compelling viewing. Though marketing videos generally are a bit more engaging, they can sometimes be a bit too static for busy, distracted viewers who might disengage halfway through a presentation.
That’s where animated explainer videos come in. They’re like an elevator pitch, enabling you to deliver critical information in a short amount of time in a way that’s compelling and engaging.
Through the use of animated video, your message will get across more quickly and critical information will be retained longer. You’ll engage your audience in a way that’s not just informative but inherently entertaining.
What Are Explainer Videos?
There are different types of explainer videos, but in essence, they are all short animated videos that give a basic overview of a subject using text, graphics and visuals that illustrate and emphasize voice-over narration.
Though the first examples of this kind of video content were educational, savvy marketers quickly adopted them as an effective and engaging way to capture an audience’s attention and imagination—some even base their marketing strategy around explainer video production.
These videos are great not just for explaining facts and figures in an attention-grabbing way but also to build brand awareness. When presented effectively, great brand videos can quickly go viral and spread rapidly through social media, resonating with audience segments you may never have thought of.
Common Animation Styles Used in Corporate Explainer Video Production
Whiteboard animation is a common style for explainer videos that has become very popular, and it’s not a bad introduction to the medium.
While whiteboard animation is an excellent choice for some subjects, there are additional video animation styles that can be better suited depending on the type of messaging you want to convey.
Here’s a quick overview of popular animation styles for corporate explainer videos.
1. Whiteboard Animation
In its simplest form, whiteboard animation represents the real-time drawing of text and images on what is typically a plain white background. In most cases, the graphics used in these videos are simple and easy to follow.
Whiteboard explainers videos are an ideal way to break down and explain complex topics to your target audience.
2. 2D Animation
This style is what most people first think of when they think of animation. The earliest examples of this kind of animation consist of images representing characters (like people or cartoon characters) moving through a background landscape and interacting with objects in the foreground.
Nowadays, 2D animation is much more complex and intricate than in the past and is an effective way to communicate ideas and concepts that involve character development and stories.
3. Motion Graphicshttps
This style of animation relies heavily on classical elements of graphic design—logos, bright and bold colors, crisp geometric shapes. Imagine the most awesome PowerPoint presentation possible, and you’re halfway there.
Because it relies so heavily on stylized shapes and other non-illustrative elements, it requires particular expertise to do well. If this animation style appeals to you, be sure you’re working with an explainer video company that has ample experience with it.
Ways To Use Corporate Explainer Videos
Explainer videos are an excellent choice for a wide variety of corporate needs, both internal and customer-facing.
It’s not only a great way to communicate a lot of information in a short amount of time, but it can make otherwise dry content much more relatable and engaging.
High-quality explainer videos can capture and hold an audience’s attention in ways that few other formats can, making them an excellent choice for marketing purposes, as well.
Here are just a few of the ways you can leverage explainer videos to enhance your communication effectiveness.
Promoting Brand Awareness
Whether through animated characters or through more abstract animation styles like motion graphics, building and defining a brand with explainer videos is an excellent way to communicate your core values, mission statement, or awareness of your product to a broad audience.
Explainer videos can be a kind of content marketing, with valuable information communicated directly to professionals in your industry. This kind of offering is a great way to reach an audience on LinkedIn, who might be short on both time and attention. The average LinkedIn user only uses the site for about 17 minutes a month—so every second counts.
Content that aims to engage a more populist audience can do well on platforms like Facebook, where there are even groups of people dedicated to sharing and discussing explainer videos. Anything novel, with broad appeal, or that explains a complex current events story in an interesting way, can go quickly viral on this platform.
If it’s clearly branded, it can build both recognition and reputation for your brand.
Shorter explainer videos are great for platforms like Twitter, where they can be shared and retweeted hundreds of times by interested viewers. This kind of word-of-mouth traffic is perhaps most endemic to Twitter, and a video that presents your brand as knowledgeable or dedicated to a specific cause can build the perception of your brand as caring, committed, and well-informed.
Enhance Internal Communication
Explainer videos are an excellent choice for communicating with team members and are useful in many different circumstances. Reading about restructuring or policy updates in the wake of a management change can be slow going even for the most dedicated employee, but through the use of high-quality explainer videos, critical information can be expressed quickly and in a way that lends itself to greater retention.
Another excellent use case is for product rollouts, where vital information about a new service or product offering can be communicated quickly to sales and marketing teams, who rely on that kind of information to highlight the features and benefits of what you’re bringing to your customers.
Empower External Communication & Marketing Strategies
Explainer videos are also an excellent choice for communicating with partners or clients regarding new product offerings or services that you provide of which they may not be aware.
Explaining how a product solves a problem or addresses a customer’s pain points is an excellent way to show them how you can serve their needs and help them reach their goals.
Educational, Instructional, and Training Series
It’s no coincidence that the earliest forms of explainer videos were educational or instructional in nature. Animated video productions can explain even detailed information or highly technical subjects in ways that live motion video can’t compete with.
Product Explainers
Being able to show a prospective customer how your product works and what it does in as much or as little detail, as you want, is a great way to showcase the versatility and usability of your product.
The explainer video format lends itself to illustrating how a product works, what problems it addresses, and how its various design features accomplish the task at hand easier and more effectively than your competitor’s.
Work With Experts in Corporate Explainer Video Production
Your choice of video animation production company is essential to the success of your project. You should look for a company that has experience with many different kinds of projects and techniques to deliver your message in the right way to the intended audience.
We are more than just an explainer video production company. At The Sketch Effect, we pride ourselves on our ability to understand a client’s needs and wants, know when to listen, and what questions to ask. We’re here to ensure you reach your communication goals in the most effective way possible.
Schedule a consultation to discuss your video animation needs with us today!
