What is Whiteboard Animation and Why Should You Use it?

by AConnollySeptember 6, 2021

If you have been looking to introduce explainer videos into your video marketing strategy, you have probably come across whiteboard animation. Though a bit old and simplistic, it is nonetheless an effective and affordable approach to video marketing. Whiteboard animation provides plenty of room for your creativity to flourish.

This article will go over the various advantages offered by whiteboard animation. How it can benefit your marketing strategy, and why you should consider implementing it.

What is whiteboard animation?

A veteran of video marketing, whiteboard animation is one of the more artful approaches currently available. It primarily consists of a series of images being drawn on, you guessed it, a whiteboard. Accompanied by a narrator that tells the story behind the images. Accentuating colors and annotations are often used to give key parts some flair or importance. Though this is, of course, up to personal preference.

While very straightforward, whiteboard animation is undeniably an effective tool. What it lacks in bells and whistles it more than makes up for in other regards. From low costs to high audience retention. Let’s dive into some of these benefits.

Ideal for complex ideas or products

The more complex your message is, the more difficult it is to get across in one piece. Meaning your choice of how you communicate is quite the important one. The more complicated the idea, the more detailed you need to be in your explanation. Something that makes it harder to keep the attention of your audience and for them to retain the information.

Whiteboard animation can be a great way to solve this predicament. With a high-quality video, you can better capture your audience’s attention by using a good animation to go along with your explanation. What’s more is that by doing so, you can boost their understanding and retention of your message. Your audience has visual reference and something to associate it with. As far as explaining difficult ideas goes, whiteboard animation is certainly a good way to get the job done.

Perfect for any budget

One of the best aspects of whiteboard animation is availability. Compared to alternatives, whiteboard animation is low in cost and easy to produce. Making it a viable method for small businesses to create quality content. However, you have a few options available if you are working with a larger budget. Like adding music, outsourcing, or blending it with other video types. Additionally, it is easy to make changes throughout the production of your videos, unlike some other video types, meaning you won’t have to worry about costs mounting if it isn’t to your liking on the first draft.

For businesses that are new to this sort of marketing and looking to keep costs low, a great trick with whiteboard animation is to use any old voice recordings you might have. For example, old presentations, speeches, clips from videos or podcasts, or anything else you can think of. This way you can shorten production time and potentially save a few pennies along the way. Not to mention avoiding wasting any diamonds in the rough that could be turned into great content.

Great for discussing a multitude of ideas

Quite like with complex ideas, whiteboard animation can do a great job of explaining a large number of ideas at one time. As whiteboard animation combines art with narration, you can essentially create a presentation, changing the topic of discussion as you change the art on screen. That way, you can cover many ideas in a structured format, without losing the attention of your audience. Sprinkle in a few creative additions for each idea, for example, notable music or unique colour palettes, to ensure each topic is clearly separated, making it harder for your different ideas to blend together in your viewer’s memory.

Social media is becoming an ever increasingly integral part of marketing, particularly video marketing. It allows you to market to a much greater number of people than otherwise, hugely increases your exposure, and can help drive traffic and sales. With some platforms boasting a monthly user base of tens to hundreds of millions, it goes without saying that social media is worth targeting.

Whiteboard animation is a good choice for the task of social media marketing. By posting high-quality short-form videos, you can markedly increase your organic traffic, as viewers you make a good impression on are likely to move onto your site, or other places should you direct them there. Additionally, many people like the style of whiteboard animation, as they explain interesting topics and ideas well, without the boredom of listening to a dry lecture. There are plenty of successful channels on YouTube alone that make use of whiteboard animation, or variations thereof. There is no reason you couldn’t be one of them.

One of the best ways to tell a story

It is well known that one of the easiest and most effective ways to market your brand is by telling a story, the only question is what method is best to do it. Well, though there are several approaches to this, whiteboard animation is old yet still widely used for a reason. Like with any animation, the only real limit to what you can do is your own creativity. This means it can be easier to inject humor and emotion than alternatives, live-action video for example. Its versatility allows you to tell a range of stories however you like, without having to fret over how to keep your audience’s attention, or whether your idea is too obtuse and won’t be understood. Of course, you will have to put the work in to make a good, clear video, but with whiteboard animation, that won’t be a problem.

Conclusion

Whiteboard animation is a fantastic marketing tool for any business, regardless of budget size or target market. It can be relatively cheap and quick to produce, yet doesn’t sacrifice quality or control as a tradeoff. By using whiteboard animation, you can create a visually interesting narrative that can tell a range of stories that can be posted almost anywhere. So, what are you waiting for? Start using whiteboard animation today!