How to Use Explainer Videos to Promote Your Business
Video content is becoming increasingly important as a part of your online marketing strategy. Explainer videos are videos that explain your business, products, or services to your ideal customer in the form of a short, easy-to-digest cartoon or animation. In this post, we’re going to look at the typical elements of explainer videos, how to create them, and where you should use them to promote your business.
Elements of an Explainer Video
Explainer videos usually consist of one or more the following elements, depending on the type of product or service they describe.
- An animation representing the ideal customer, the problem the customer has, and the solution that the product or service delivers.
- A voiceover telling the story as represented in the animation.
- Screenshots of the product.
- Screencasts of the product in action.
For example, an explainer video could just include animation and a voiceover. Or it could include just a screencast and a voiceover. Or, it could be a combination of animation, screencast, and voiceover.
How to Create an Explainer Video
One of the reasons businesses love explainer videos is it doesn’t require getting front of a camera to speak, actors, or other potentially costly elements. Best of all, you don’t have to be a videographer to create one.
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If you like the feel of an animated, cartoonish explainer video, you can use online services and software like PowToon, GoAnimate, and RawShorts to create it. The key to services like these is to look for ones that allow you to download your video once it has been created without any watermarks so you don’t have to keep paying for the subscription just to share your video.
If you would prefer a simpler screencast as an explainer video, you can use a variety of different screen recording tools. Popular ones include Screenflow, Camtasia, and Jing. Your choice will depend on the platform you use (Windows or Mac) and the features you need, especially in the editing department.
Where to Use Your Explainer Video
Once you have created your first explainer video, you will want to promote it as much as possible so you can reach your target customer base. Some of the best places to use your explainer video are as follows.
- On the landing page for your product or service.
- On your Facebook page as the featured video.
- On your Twitter profile as the pinned tweet.
- On YouTube as your channel trailer.
- On your SlideShare profile as the featured presentation.
From here, you will also want to promote your explainer video using advertising. You can create video ads on Facebook, Twitter (by promoting a tweet using the Player Card), and YouTube in a variety of ad formats. With the right targeting, you could easily draw in customers using your explainer video like a commercial for your product or service.
You can also pin your explainer video to Pinterest, upload it to Flickr, share it on Instagram as a 15 second teaser, and distribute it on various video sharing networks like Vimeo, Daily, and others.
In Conclusion
If you want a great video for your product or service, but you’re not ready to jump in front of the camera, give explainer videos a try. You can use the tools mentioned above, or look for a company to do the heavy lifting for you. Then place your video on all of your channels and distribute it for the best reach possible among your target customer base.
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