Alyson Wuamett — November 12, 2016 Explainer videos are a perfect way to teach, inform, inspire and familiarize potential customers with your business, but do you know all the other great ways to use these videos to your advantage?
Today, I’m going to tell you how.
Before we can go full steam ahead, however, I want to make sure I clarify what an explainer video is. It’s pretty self explanatory, but an explainer video introduces a product or service quick and memorable – quick being the operative word here.
According to Wistia, You can expect the average viewer to watch 82 percent of the video if it’s between zero to 30 seconds, and 75 percent of the video if it’s between 30 to 60 seconds. Which doesn’t surprise me, since a survey conducted from the National Center for Biotechnology recorded in 2000 the average attention span was 12 seconds, and it decreased to 8 seconds in 2013.
Better get your message across quickly or people will lose interest. There are all types of explainer videos too – from simple whiteboard videos to complex 3-D animation. When done right, explainer videos are a great way to engage with potential customers.
Increased Conversions
The longer you can keep a visitor on your website, the better the chances are to make a conversion. According to a recent survey conducted by Video Rascal, 85 percent of people are more likely to buy a product once they see an accompanying explainer video.
Most of all, explainer videos can relay your message in an efficient and effortless way for your users to comprehend. Thus, you increase your conversion rate. Sure, copy on your website is great for SEO, but when someone comes to your page, there is a slim chance they’ll even read the majority of your content.
Dropbox is a great example of a company who took full advantage of the effectiveness of explainer videos.
They limited their homepage design to contain only two simple things: one explainer video and one download now button. This video increased conversion rates over 10 percent, and with the video being viewed 750,000 times in one month alone, the 10 percent increase resulted in several thousand extra sign ups per day.
Turn Customers Into Promoters
A big reason online videos are so popular is because videos are easy to share. That is why social video generates more than 1,200 percent more shares than text and images. Though it is unpredictable what makes certain videos spread like wildfire across the internet, providing those easy to share videos will help spread your message.
It also provides your current customers who love your product or service with a simple way to become promoters through their social platforms.
Content Retention
To me, this is the largest advantage to explainer videos. According to Western Ontario University research, great visuals make potential customers remember your business story. On average people recall 10 percent of any visual data three days after and up to 70 percent of audiovisual information.
By harnessing both the visual and auditory senses together, explainer videos increase retention rates and clarify their value concept in a condensed way. By utilizing this knowledge of brain science, developing compelling explainer videos will increase memory retention. This two-sided approach gives new information several different avenues to enter long-term memory.
Visual clarity
Many companies have a tough time expressing what it is they do or sell in a way that potential customers can easily comprehend. An explainer video will help take the guess work out of describing just that. Text can be construed in numerous ways, and your audience may miss your main selling points. However, when you are explaining your story on video, there is a less chance of confusion, because videos tend to create less jumble than copy alone.
Having an explainer video replace your boring text will result in less misreadings and misunderstandings. It’s equivalent to an in person business demonstration.
Case Studies
Another way to use explainer videos to your advantage is to incorporate case studies into the script. Using case study stories can help bring down the level of “salesiness” in the video. It adds a certain level of authenticity to your communication, as the message is coming from the customer, rather than straight from your business.
Viewers of your videos are often “researchers” who are attracted to hearing about experiences of people “just like them.” People love to connect to a story and situation.
Qualified Leads
Explainer videos allow your company to convey the perfect message every time. It’s easier to communicate unique selling points to a visitor in a video by showing – rather than telling – them how your product works. Once a visitor decides to convert to a lead, they will be much better educated and much more qualified when your salesperson gets them on the phone – a stepping stone to generating more revenue for your business.
Do you currently have a great explainer video? Share with us some of the free ways your take advantage of it.
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