Whether a small business or an established enterprise, every organization exists to bring something of value to a particular target audience. Regardless of the product or service, bringing it to the attention of the people it’s meant to help is a make-or-break proposition. Communication is key! In this case, creating eye-catching video content is your best bet — here’s why.
Why Animation Videos for Business Use Have Become So Popular
To maximize your marketing efforts, create animated videos. Some of the best-animated videos for business are geared toward social media users, who will share such content 12 times more often than any other kind. If that’s not enough, online video has also increased an online store’s sales figures by 134%. They’re popular because they’re incredibly effective.
Clear, Concise Communication
You have about eight seconds to get your point across to the average consumer. When communication is at such a premium, it’s best to say as much as possible in the least amount of time. The efficacy of animated videos for business communication is a fantastic way to get a message in front of the people for whom it’s intended.
Lights, Camera, Complications & Expense
Live action is expensive. Every warm body that shows up for a video shoot needs to be paid, fed, kept safe — and stay busy. Factoring in wages, operating costs, insurance, permits, equipment rental, wardrobe, and anything else that might come up (and something always does) makes this one of the most expensive messaging efforts a business can make.
The opportunity to create an animated video for your business simply can’t be passed up. Professional animated videos represent a much more affordable and effective option, whether it’s a B2B corporate video or a B2C marketing effort.
Monkey See, Monkey Remember
The long, steady course of evolution has made humans some of the most visual creatures on this planet. A stunning 40% of all the nerve fiber in a person’s body is linked to their retinas — because 90% of the information our brains take in is visual in nature.
Visual information is processed 60,000 times faster than the written word, and we only need 13 milliseconds to process an image, which means we can process about 36,000 visual messages an hour.
Animated video for business is essential to getting a message noticed, understood, and remembered. People retain 95% of the information they take in through visuals and only 10% of that which is spoken or communicated via text.
Easy on the Eyes
This dedicated hardware means visual information is the easiest for people to process. Animation videos for businesses are a fantastic way to communicate the essential ideas behind a product or service quickly and completely. Because video animation demands minimal effort from an audience, it won’t tax the patience, energy, or understanding of potential customers.
Want Results? Create Animated Video for Business Ventures
Online video is arguably the best opportunity to engage and inspire the public. Every advantage should be pressed, and in a media and marketing saturated environment, you must stand out to move forward. Want to engage and inspire? Create animated videos for business ventures that will draw your viewers in and keep them watching.
Choosing a Video Animation Style
Knowing the value of professional animated video is a great place to start — but that’s really all it is. You also have to figure out how to get where you’re going. Here’s a rundown of some of the most common online video types businesses use.
2D Overview
This is what first comes to mind when most people think of animation. 2D animation is a classic artform, with characters, obstacles, and the cartoon world around them drawn on a flat surface.
Motion Graphics Overview
Motion graphics animation combines traditional graphic design elements with pie and bar charts, text and numbers representing particular data, and smooth, computer-generated movement intended to put the viewer at ease.
Whiteboard Animation Overview
Whiteboard animation videos are frequently confused with explainer videos, and it’s easy to see why. Explainer videos are a type of whiteboard animation with a specific focus. Whiteboard animation can be a great way to showcase financial information, organizational changes, or anything else that a more straightforward approach would suit. Animation of this type looks exactly what it sounds like — someone drawing and writing on a whiteboard accompanied by a spoken narrative.
3D Overview
3D animation relies on a computer-generated digital mesh to “hang” shapes and shape components. It’s very time and CPU-time intensive, involves comparatively minimal hand-drawn artistry, and is not generally the best option for most customers. Because of these reasons, The Sketch Effect doesn’t work in 3D animation.
Business Use Cases for Video Animation
It’s not enough to know that you should; you must also know how to make the best-animated videos for business (we’ll get there). Understanding the available options can help to inform your efforts.
Product Explainer Videos, Company News, & Launches
The first two explainer videos described the function of web-based services that were novel at the time — but ubiquitous now. The animation makers were the Creative Commons nonprofit, which made an explainer video that described how Twitter worked. The video went so viral after it first came out that Twitter’s social marketing team posted it on its website.
Dropbox followed suit with its own explainer video extolling the features and benefits of its service. The effort gained Dropbox ten million new customers and increased revenue by $50 million.
Change Management
Professional videos can be used in internal communications, especially regarding change or organizational management. As new teams form and old ones are dispersed, motion graphic video illustrating who’s in charge of what can be a great way to ensure a team is up to speed.
Training & Educational
A lot of the educational content on YouTube now is 2D animation of one type or another, and there are countless educational explainer videos for free. An animated video of this kind is a great way to get your message to resonate with your target audience.
Internal Communication
Most internal business communication is … let’s just say, quite dry. Adding color and motion to the content of most corporate videos is a sure way to increase engagement. It will also help your internal teams absorb information faster, understand it more thoroughly, and retain it longer.
The Sketch Effect Process
Creating an animated video of any type is a complex undertaking. It takes hard-won expertise, plenty of production experience, and sincere dedication to ensure each customer — and their message — is treated with the care and respect they deserve. Here’s what the process looks like at The Sketch Effect.
Kickoff!
It starts with listening. Each client is unique, with nuanced messages and particular goals. It is essential to understand where those clients are and where they’re trying to get. Defining the client’s overall mission and values relies on really hearing what’s being said and caring about it.
Outlining, Scriptwriting, and Voiceover Work
Carefully consulting notes and plans developed during kickoff, writers will write a script describing each scene and the information it needs to contain. Narration drawn from the client interview process is included in the appropriate places and passed on to voiceover artists.
Storyboarding
Storyboard artists then sketch out the action in familiar boxes reminiscent of old comic books. Critical moments in the animation are identified, and the narrative message is threaded throughout in the most strategic manner possible. This way, the information is expressed at the right pace to be experienced, understood, and absorbed.
Illustrations
Building on the work that’s come before, illustrators bring it all to life. It’s a laborious process but can’t be rushed. The message depicted in the storyboard, script, and voiceover reels is almost fully realized and ready for launch through a combination of hand-drawn elements and intricate computer work.
Final Edits
The finished work is carefully reviewed. Every frame is painstakingly checked and rechecked. If everything is exactly where it should be and there are no dark spots or rough corners, the project will be finalized and handed over — with our gratitude — to the client.
Bargains Can Be Costly
There are plenty of self-proclaimed video animation experts on gig economy platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. Some even seem like they could be lovely kids. Although, we don’t know too many experts who will work for Fiverr.
Pirating animation software and downloading video templates don’t count for much. A misplaced keyframe or a botched composite can be enough to ruin a project. On top of that, a video maker who will work at a 60% discount could cost you 100% of the time you’ve budgeted, damage your enthusiasm, and effectively end your mission before it even starts. So, trust us, it’s vital to choose your creative partner carefully.
How to Make Animated Videos for your Business – Work with The Sketch Effect
Your message is essential. You have objectives and goals, you want to make your mark, make a difference, or make a profit — there’s no shame in any of that. You deserve the best chance to present your communication to your target audience in the most effective way.
The Sketch Effect team is passionate about helping our customers realize their dreams. There’s a tremendous amount of experience, talent, and expertise in our organization, and while that might sound like we think pretty highly of ourselves, it’s actually quite humbling.
Your message is why we’re here. Helping you get it to your audience in the most effective and engaging way is how we’ll get to keep these challenging, demanding, rewarding jobs. We’d love the opportunity to help you realize your communication goals — schedule a consultation to discuss your event needs, and let’s start something extraordinary.
Interested in video animation but need a faster solution?
Our timelapse animation voiceovers offer the same benefits as animated videos without intensive production.
