Video animation is becoming an increasingly popular way of promoting businesses online. A well-made animated video can be much more effective than written texts or pictures since it uses all other media to deliver its message.
The Benefits of Using Animated Videos
1. Everyone Loves a Good Animated Short
YouTube gets over 4 billion views a day, so it’s safe to assume people like watching short videos online. A simple film, with a strong script, and well-designed characters, is sure to keep your audience hooked, even if the subject might be a bit too complex for them.
Animation can take a subject that might not sound very glamorous at first, and turn it into a spectacle of motion, colors, and sounds. Think of the 2012 Metro PSA that cautioned its viewers to be careful when they got on the train. With a catchy tune, and colorful, sweet characters, the video went way beyond merely raising awareness about the dangers of getting on the subway without being careful.
2. Animation Is Engaging
With the help of sound and movement, it’s easier to get your clients to watch a video until the end. While reading a text, they might drift off, or find other things to focus on, but an animation keeps you focused.
Seeing how long a video is on the timeline bar also helps your audience stay on track. They know exactly how much time they’re going to spending looking at the video, so they are more likely to watch it in its entirety.
3. Animations Are Easy to Remember
The benefits of using videos in education have already been highlighted by numerous studies. The benefits of using videos to convey information are not limited to the classroom. It seems people find it easier to remember new concepts if they are transmitted using both visual and audio ques.
Animations can be personalized, to reflect your unique brand. So your clients are sure to remember who you are, and what you offer. Just think of how easy it is to recognize a Red Bull ad. You can immediately identify the style and the characters. Using animation to promote your business can do the same for you.
4. You Have More Control Over The Content
Animation can be as realistic or as whimsical as you want it to be. Your only constraint is your imagination. Furthermore, video animation costs a fraction of the price of CGI. A powerful visual style and a good soundtrack can be enough to make a memorable film.
On the other hand, if you’re going for something simpler, like an animation involving kinetic typography, a good voice actor can add a whole new level of engagement to your video.
You can even choose how abstract or realistic your animation is going to be. You can go from a story involving several characters, in a clearly defined setting, to words animated to convey the dynamic concepts behind them.
5. Animations Are More Efficient
The old saying ‘a picture’s worth a thousand words,’ is true, to a certain extent. The amount of time it takes a client to read the description of a product or service is reduced to mere moments if you just show it to them. And it’s not just the products themselves.
You can explain complicated assemblage procedures, or share complex instructions in an easy to understand format, by using video animation. If you use just words to describe something, it may be difficult for your audience to visualize what it is you are talking about and products/services might seem more complicated than they are actual.
Things You Should Keep In Mind
Types of Animations for Businesses
There are a variety of animations you can go for, ranging from simple whiteboard animations to complex 2D or 3D shorts. Choosing the type of animation work you want to be done depends a lot on your needs, budgetary constraints, and the time you have at your disposal.
Each type of animation has its own benefits. White board animation, character animation, or moving typography can work very well when you are trying to explain a complicated process to your audience. It’s easy to follow, and it highlights the keywords or key steps that you want your audience to focus on.
Animated shorts work better for more complex information, which can be embedded in a story. It involves much more work, and takes longer to make, but is also more appealing, and can have a greater impact on your audience.
So when you decide on a specific kind of animation, make sure it fits the message you are trying to send. You can consult with the team in charge of your animation as well.
Don’t try to save money by hiring amateur animators, it’s always best if you go for a professional team. Animation involves a lot of work besides the actual animation, like sound editing, storyboarding, and post-production. Ideally, you’ll want to work with a company that offers all these animation services, so you’ll have all the professionals you need in one place. This can save you a lot of money in the long run.
How An Animation Is Developed
There a number of steps involved in developing an animation. Each step must be handled by the appropriate expert. Working with a professional team makes the process much smoother.
Animations typically start with the development of a script. Scripts are not just about stories and characters. Even if you choose to go with a whiteboard explainer animation, you still need a scriptwriter to craft the captions and, together with the director, decide how these captions are going to be presented to the viewers.
The script then moves to the storyboard phase. Animators make a few sketches representing the key scenes of the animation. These sketches are then brought together in a roughly animated storyboard, called an animatic, so the animators know how these scenes fit the timeline.
In the meantime, the team in charge of sound records the dialogue or the soundtrack of the final piece.
On the basis of the animatic, the animation team proceeds to draw and animate the different scenes of the short. Having at least a rough sketch of the sound in this phase is crucial, since it allows the animators to time each scene, and if it involves characters who speak, to animate the faces accordingly.
Not sure how you can increase your conversions with video animation? I recommend downloading the “How to Implement Explainer Videos” eBook guide from VideoCaddy.
Frames Per Second
Typically, the number of frames per second for an animation is either 12, or 24. Simply put, frames are the still pictures used to add motion to your video.
The more frames an animation has, the smoother the movement will be. However, adding more frames doesn’t necessarily make it better. The more frames there are in a second, the slower the movement is going to seem, so if you want your animation to appear more dynamic, it would be better to go for a smaller frame rate.
Also, take into consideration how much time you can afford to spend on the project. For a 3 minute short, there are over 4000 drawings, at a frame rate of 24 fps.
Things to Consider
Your Brand’s Visual Style
Before making an animation for your business, you should remember that these animations are likely going to be the image your clients are going to remember when they think your company. An animation is not just cartoons. You have a wide range of styles you can choose from.
A simple transition to your company’s name and logo can be enough to send the message, and help your clients remember who you are. But if you want to make sure your brand sticks with them, consider animating your logo as well. Think of Nike’s swoosh. The addition of actual movement to your company’s logo can help your clients understand what your company is all about.
Think Of Your Audience
When using an animation to promote your business, you need to think of your clients as a targeted audience. They are here, not just to find out about your business and buy your products, but also to be entertained. You have to think about who they are, what they want, and who they identify with. You have to make your services or products become part of the story, while your clients become the main characters.
Discuss your target audience with the scriptwriter and the director or lead animator, at the beginning of the project. This will help them structure the narrative, and decide on a visual style that is more likely to appeal to your viewers while staying true to your company’s vision.
Trust Your Animators
When in doubt, ask your animation team for advice. They know more about the technical aspects involved in the process and have more experience with this kind of work. They can point you towards the most suitable style of animation, and the most cost efficient ways of producing it. Remember that there are many aspects involved in developing a quality animation.
Make sure they understand what your vision is, and give clear feedback every step of the way. They want to offer you a quality product, just as much as you want to offer quality products to your clients. So when giving them indications about the script, or visual style, provide reference material, and be very precise about the details.
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