An explainer video can give you the chance to capture and showcase your services and products in a fun and clear way – something that’s not always possible through text or images.
But, while a beautifully-crafted explainer video can visually sum up who you are in less than a minute, it also does so much more for your brand. It can help boost your ranking in the search engines, get you more exposure as it gets shared far and wide across social media, and increase conversions.
On top of that, an explainer video helps you position your business in your industry and show off your personality to create deeper connections and build trust with your audience.
How can you do that?
1. Keep It On-Brand
It can be tempting to get over-the-top creative with your explainer video and have all sorts of flashy animated graphics, but remember the main aim of it: to showcase your services and build trust.
Visuals combined with sound (a.k.a. a video) help people quickly learn and retain information which will keep your brand front of mind.
But, to do that, it’s important that you keep your video on-brand. Colors are a great way to reiterate brand identity and, by using the same colors you use on your website and social channels, you’ll create a sense of consistency and recognition for your audience.
This explainer video from Spotify’s uses a unique style of illustration to project their personality, but they keep their colours on-brand.
2. Tell a Story
Storytelling is one of the oldest art forms, helping us connect with fellow humans and share important information.
We no longer sit around fires in loincloths and regale a captive audience with tales of sabertooth tigers and mammoths, but we can use narratives to build relationships with our audience.
You can use your explainer video to appeal to emotions they might be feeling about a particular problem they have – emotions that you can then weave into your video.
The easiest way to do this is to use the tried-and-tested storytelling method that starts by presenting a conflict or problem and then builds towards a conclusion or a solution for the viewer.
When you structure your video in this way, people are more likely to remember the benefits your services or products offer and how they will solve a niggling pain point.
Animation can be a really captivating way for prospects to explore your products or services. This video format literally brings ideas to life and illustrates the what, how, and why behind your brand rather than simply listing off a load of benefits, which solidifies your brand personality.
Ethical Coffee Chain uses their explainer video to describe how their coffee is made in an eco-friendly and sustainable way.
This allows viewers to get a deeper insight into the values and ethics of the brand, which instantly creates a deeper, more meaningful connection.
3. Make It Relatable
In order for a viewer to feel a connection to your brand through an explainer video, they need to feel like the video was made especially for them. You can do that by sharing a story they really care about and showing that you understand their problems and how to solve them.
The quickest and easiest way to do this in your explainer video is to actually put your prospects in the video – more specifically, create characters that resemble your audience or that they can relate to.
If viewers can identify with the characters on screen, they’ll instantly feel a stronger connection to your brand.
It also helps to create backgrounds and settings that are familiar to your audience; settings like an office, a living room, or the cinema. This means that not only will your viewers relate to the characters, but they’ll also feel represented by the situations that contextualise the story – and it’s this that creates empathy (and we all know how important empathy is in creating strong bonds).
Pinterest’s explainer video has a selection of characters that its target audience can relate to.
By showing viewers the different ways Pinterest can be used, it allows the audience to put themselves in the lead role and think about the ways they can use Pinterest.
Explain Your Way to a Memorable Brand Personality
Personality is everything in an age where people are overrun with options.
It helps position your brand in your industry and creates deeper connections with your target audience.
And, one of the best ways to show off your sparkling personality is through an explainer video, where you can highlight key customer pain points, provide a solution with your products and services, and create an emotional bond between you and your buyers.
Just make sure you keep your explainer video on-brand and relatable, and make sure it tells a story that really resonates with the people you want to connect with.
A guest article by Ryan Gould
Vice President of Strategy and Marketing Services at Elevation Marketing
An expert search, social and content marketer, Ryan leads Elevation Marketing’s digital strategy department, helping brands achieve their business goals, such as improving sales and market share, by developing integrated marketing strategies distinguished by research, storytelling, engagement and conversion. With proven track record of energising brands, engaging audiences and managing multidiscipline marketing teams, Ryan is a respected expert in achieving consistent results through creative design, thought-provoking narratives and innovative problem solving.