Viral Now - 4 Reasons Why Explainer Videos Work Great For Social Media

As you scroll through your social media feeds, you’ll probably notice something: More than anything else, businesses are posting videos. Admit it: You’ve watched more than one of those cooking videos that show you how to make a delectable dish (and maybe even tried a few) or the viral commercials that everyone talks about. There’s no denying that video has become the preferred content style on social media. Need proof?

• 700 videos are shared on Twitter every minute
• More than 8 billion videos are viewed on Facebook every day
• Videos are liked on Facebook almost twice as much as text content
• Videos are shared on Facebook more than 12 times as often as text and links combined
• More than half of marketing professionals say that video has the highest ROI of any tactic

And that’s just the beginning. Video is clearly an important part of any social media marketing campaign — it’s engaging, visually interesting, and makes an emotional connection that other media can’t — but how can you do it right? Effective social media video marketing requires more than posting just your commercials or corporate highlight reel. It also doesn’t have to mean investing thousands in full-scale video production, complete with actors and craft services. The answer, as some of the most successful social marketers can attest, lies in animation.

WAIT, YOU WANT TO CREATE A CARTOON?

Image via Animatron.com

If you are looking for one of the best, most effective marketing tools available, then look no further than animated explainer videos. An explainer video is a short video (generally between one and three minutes), usually animated, that clearly explains your product, company, or service, using animated characters throughout the video. Designed to give customers a better sense of who you are and what you do, the animated explainer is in many ways a more in-depth advertisement.

So why do explainer videos work so well on social?

1.They are short

Social media users have short attention spans. Research shows that most people will start to lose interest after three minutes — and they don’t want to be taken out of their social experience for too long.

2. Animation is compelling

Most of us associate animation with happy memories of childhood, and of fun and whimsy. Even if your company isn’t known for being necessarily fun and whimsical, animation still tells a story that is compelling to users. It’s fun to watch. Animation also helps lower the level of scrutiny with which information is perceived.

3. Social media is a visual experience

Visual content captures attention significantly faster than text. Think about it: As you scroll through your feed, what gets your attention? The long, drawn out status updates from your most dramatic friend or the cute pictures of children playing on the beach? Humans are naturally attracted to images — it’s no mistake that the majority of people are visual learners — so videos simply make sense in a social environment.

4. Videos are measurable

More so than any other type of social tactic, video is easily measurable. You can see exactly how many people watched your video, where you lost your audience, and measure conversions from the specific video. You can see exactly what your reach was and gauge the response — and make changes if necessary.

EXPLAINER VIDEO TOOL FREE OR PAID OPTIONS

So now you want to make an animated explainer. The good news is that the production itself is actually quite easy, thanks to animated video-making software. The best news is that some of the tools are free while they deliver high-quality videos. Paid versions provide even more opportunities to create videos that would stand out. As a result, you can get a professionally-looking explainer video made in-house with the least effort and time involved. For example, an online animated video maker Animatron has even created a simplified version called Lite Mode to make first-timers create animated videos as if they were skilled professionals.

 TIPS TO CHOOSE A GOOD EXPLAINER VIDEO SOFTWARE

However, don’t mistake technically uncomplicated with a quick and easy project. For your animated explainer to be successful, you need to keep a few key points in mind when choosing the software you are going to use.

Image via Animatron.com

1. A good animated explainer video software should offer a few different animation styles to choose from. Whether you select whiteboard, 2D, stop motion or any of the myriad other types of animation, be sure that it’s true to your brand and the most effective way to share your message.
2. Video import is one of the most important features to look for in explainer video makers. The opportunity to leverage your own videos (recorded with your smartphone, tablet, or a professional video camera) provides further ways to customize your explainer. You can overlay branding, annotations, and animated characters on you video to create a personalized explainer.
3. To produce a compelling explainer video, the software should also allow recording voiceover. Record the narration for your explainer video in-house (just make sure you have all equipment and software needed to record the voice), or hire someone to do it for you.
4. A good explainer software should offer a wide selection of animated assets – characters, backgrounds, props, stock images, video clips, audio, etc. The more various items in your explainer video are, the more unique it will be in the end.
5. It is crucial that an explainer video maker should provide the highest quality of exported video (HD). Equally important is the opportunity to be able to export your explainer in different formats (e.g. SVG, HTML5).
6. As I mentioned above, explainer videos work great on social media, so the opportunity to instantly share your video across the most popular social media platforms is one of the essential features that the software should provide.

In the end, video is vital to successful social media marketing thanks to being cost-effective, engaging, mobile- friendly, and easily measurable. Throw in the chance of going viral, and there’s no reason that you shouldn’t include it in your campaigns.

Featured photo credit: Pixabay via pixabay.com

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