Why Are Explainer Videos So Popular?
Why are explainer videos so popular. It’s no secret that people have turned to video content to inform their buying decisions. An enormous percentage of customers have watched explainer videos to better understand a product or service, to the tune of a staggering 96%. [Source] Clearly, explainer videos are more than just a welcome addition to your marketing strategies; they are a must-have. Explainer videos are unique in their ability to grab your viewers’ attention, delivering a great deal of important information in a short space of time. As such, it’s no surprise that explainer videos are so popular.
In this article, we will be covering explainer videos, breaking down what they are and how they’re used, and answering the question – why are explainer videos so popular? Let’s get started.
What are explainer videos?
As the name suggests, an explainer video is a type of video that aims to inform the viewer in a short space of time, typically no more than 2 minutes. It uses a range of creative techniques to capture and keep attention, from colorful animation to storytelling. In marketing, they are an invaluable tool for building brand awareness in an easy-to-watch and memorable way.
The many uses of explainer videos
One of the main draws of explainer videos is their versatility. They can be used in a wide range of ways, from introducing a concept to breaking down a complex product. As such, they are a fantastic tool for creating videos unique to your brand, and allowing your creative side to run free for a while. Let’s take a closer look at some of the applications of explainer videos.
Introducing a product or concept
Due to explainer videos being short and to the point, they can be an excellent gateway into your product, service, or idea. Explainer videos can be used to introduce new customers to your subject, delivering a concise overview to potential customers that lack any knowledge of you or your brand. As explainer videos are quick, easy to watch, and attention-grabbing, they can be especially useful for new brands aiming to build brand awareness.
Training and teaching
Video content, and explainer videos in particular, are an excellent tool for teaching information. With the internet so readily available, nobody wants to reach for a manual in order to learn something new. This is partly due to the inherent limitations in writing instructions, and partly due to video being more interesting. Explainer videos can provide visual depictions of the subject being taught, adding a creative flair that cannot be achieved with the written word. To spice up your employee training sessions, or to learn something new yourself, explainer videos are the tool for the job.
Idea breakdowns
Explainer videos are unrivaled in their ability to break down a concept, while ensuring your viewers enjoy it too. By providing a visual representation of the concept being discussed, complex ideas can be physically split into constituent parts, making them easier for your viewers to digest and understand. As explainer videos are both concise and attention-grabbing, it is far easier for your viewers to devote their attention to your videos. For complex subjects, this is invaluable.
Why are explainer videos so effective?
Explainer videos are both brilliant and versatile, but what is it that makes them so effective? Like any type of video content, they allow new methods of adding creativity to your content, along with engaging your viewers. As such, both your brand and your viewers can enjoy the benefits. Let’s take a look at some of those benefits.
Explainer videos are engaging
One of the core reasons behind the effectiveness of explainer videos, and why they are so popular, is that they are engaging. Explainer videos include video and audio elements, something proven to capture your viewers’ attention more easily. Combining creative animation and imagery with fitting music and narration gives your audience more to chew on. Making for a more memorable experience. Information presented using two formats, in this case, video and audio, is much easier to digest than honing in on one format. This further boosts your viewers’ ability to get stuck into your video, as they aren’t being overloaded on any one front. These two points, in addition to the brevity of explainer videos, allow for a quick burst of information to be easily viewed and digested, contrary to many other forms of information presentation.
Explainer videos are evocative
The format of an explainer video allows for the use of techniques that other formats simply can’t support. For example, an explainer video, no matter how brief, can be bolstered by telling a story and including characters. People like stories, and moreover, they are an excellent way to impart information to your viewers in a memorable fashion.
But stories aren’t the only technique enabled by explainer videos. You could add tone-setting music to evoke emotion. Opt for an emotive narration rather than simple text on the screen, or instead add a few jokes. Whatever you do, ensure it isn’t bland. If you get your audience feeling something, you’ll get them to remember it too. A memorable video is what will draw attention to your brand.
Explainer videos are cost-efficient
Creating top-quality training materials isn’t cheap, in terms of both resources and time. By using explainer videos, you can reduce that commitment without sacrificing any effectiveness. In fact, you’ll likely find your training workshops benefit from the introduction of explainer videos.
Other types of training materials tend to require a recurring cost. Instructors need to be booked and paid. Demonstrations need to be given repeatedly, and any equipment or physical materials must be transported, rented, or otherwise procured. The costs of these approaches can mount, and even more pressing, the quality of these training methods will not be the same every time. With explainer videos, your only cost is the one-time expense of creating it. Your employees can even watch your explainer videos outside of the workplace, increasing their availability at no cost to you.
By spending less on the creation and upkeep of your training materials, you can invest more in other areas of your business. This is, of course, quite beneficial to you, but the better training materials are beneficial to your employees, too. With explainer videos, everyone’s a winner.
Wrapping up
Explainer videos are a powerful tool that can help in a multitude of ways. Provided you keep to a high level of quality. They can boost your brand visibility, train your employees effectively, and explain complex concepts, all while keeping the costs low. It’s no wonder explainer videos are so popular, given their wide range of uses and considerable benefits.
However, though the reasons to use explainer videos are obvious, making them is not so clear cut. Outsourcing to an explainer video production company can simplify the task significantly. Check out our guide on the process or contact us to learn more.