by Jace Vernon | Jul 9, 2013 | animated doodle videos, animated doodle videos, animated explainer video, Animated Whiteboard Videos, Animation Video, dry erase board animation, Explainer Video, scribed video, video, Video Scribing, Whiteboard animation, Whiteboard Video
5 Government scandals you didn’t realize involved whiteboard animation
Because whiteboard animation is a relatively new internet sensation, it would make sense to blame video scribing for the trouble our country keeps getting into. You thought it was the Obama administration, didn’t you?
Here are 5 surprising ways in which whiteboard animation has played a hefty part in the latest US scandals:
1. NSA
Americans everywhere were outraged when news of the National Security Administration’s sifting through private emails and phone calls reached their ears. There are many rumors circulating about why the NSA felt the need to invade civilian privacy – but only one is true. And that is that James Clapper’s nephew’s girlfriend had told everyone at a family Christmas party how much more business her mother was able to generate by purchasing a whiteboard advertising video and hosting it online. Unfortunately for Clapper, and ultimately America, he had never heard of whiteboard video before and was simply trying to find a way to learn more. He figured the best way to do that was to listen up on millions of internet-surfing Americans to see if he could piece together bits of information and finally figure out what whiteboard explainer videos are all about.
2. IRS Scandal
Let’s not be hasty in blaming poor old Lois Lerner for the recent IRS party-targeting debacle. No, let’s do – because she can’t possibly blame her viewing of a whiteboard video wherein a little girl and her mother were having a tea party for a scandal like that. Mommy issues can be resolved with the help of a good therapist, and she definitely could have afforded one.
3. GSA Conference Fiasco
The lavish GSA conference held in Las Vegas is said to have excessively spent on ultra-fancy suits, gourmet dining and no doubt all the call girls $800,000+ will buy. But what the GSA is unwilling to admit is the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent actually went toward producing and viewing some of the most hilarious whiteboard animation videos known to man. Including the infamous Star Trek parody, which was so funny they laughed themselves sick – or maybe it was just the memory of the $50,187 that was spent on producing the video that upset their fragile stomachs. Either way, Martha Johnson had apparently developed an unhealthy obsession with explainer videos, and used the conference as a way to get her fellow employees hooked – thereby putting an end to any and all teasing and “whiteboard fetish” remarks around the office. I mean, what would you do in a situation like that?
Sadly, those hilarious whiteboard videos will never be seen by anyone else, because they were soon after destroyed by sheer embarrassment and shame. After all, that money could have paid the welfare of almost 900 Californians for a month!
4. Rising National Debt
Because Martha and President Obama have gotten together to play crazy eights every Tuesday night since his inauguration, it was only a matter of time before Barack developed a fascination with whiteboard animation, too. After billions of dollars were spent without reason Americans became suspicious. Some would have started questioning their own political moral codes if it hadn’t been for all the focus they put towards lobbying for Green Energy and Obamacare – which as it turns out are just excuses for him to develop more explainer videos – because producing whiteboard marketing videos is what he wants to do when he grows up.
5. Politicians Exempt from Personal Responsibility
Politicians across the nation say whiteboard videos are so engrossing that they can’t help but do whatever they are told while watching. A whiteboard video’s call to action is simply non-ignorable. Any self-exemption from responsibility by a politician can almost always be traced back to viewing a whiteboard marketing video, and statistics have shown this to likely be 100% true.
Well, now you know. America is on the path that it is because of whiteboard animation videos. Now, you can either be offended and turn to the streets to protest, or you can recognize the kind of great things whiteboard video can do for your business and jump on board the gravy train.
by Jace Vernon | Jul 1, 2013 | animated explainer video, Animated Whiteboard Videos, Animation Video, Video Scribing, Whiteboard animation, Whiteboard Video
9 ways whiteboard animation can help a total sissy survive in prison
Listen, no one wants to end up with a prison sentence. But if you’re one of America’s stupidest unluckiest, you could face doing time, and you’ll need all the surviving-prison-tips you can stand to hear. Ydraw is here to help with a list of 9 ways whiteboard animation can help you, a total sissy, survive the big house:
1. Whiteboard videos are popping up throughout the nation’s prison yards as the preferred form of prison currency. By now everyone is aware that smoking kills, and inmates are becoming increasingly health conscious – making whiteboard videos the obvious choice over a pack of Newports.
2. When you’re a youngblood, you automatically become a prime target. Old boys are always looking to take their troubles out on some greenie’s face, and others are just bad tempered and missing their girlfriends pretty badly lately. Playing a whiteboard video can be a great distraction from any promised poundings while you hurry and pump up in the weight room.
3. Eventually, you’ll have to join one of those infamous prison gangs. If you’re having a hard time trying to decide which gang to affiliate yourself with, why not ask each gang to come up with a whiteboard video representing all the benefits of joining them? I promise, this will make your next ten to twenty years go by like a breeze.
4. At some point during your stay, you might find yourself in The Hole. The Hole, while very safe, can get pretty boring. Watching whiteboard videos is a great way to pass the time and help get your mind off the walls of the ten-foot-square cell you now call home.
5. Prison rules are very different from life on the outside. You stare one second too long at someone and they’ll come after you. Either because they think you’re hostile toward them, or want to be more than just friends. Keep your eyes occupied with a whiteboard video so you don’t accidentally stare at someone for longer than is acceptable.
6. Every prison inmate and/or guard loves a talker. If you’re having trouble explaining just what it was you were booked for, use a whiteboard animation video to explain in-depth the crime you committed – no wait, absolutely do not do this.
7. Did you realize you can use whiteboard videos to impress your gang leader into promoting you as his right-hand man?
8. Once promoted, use your video to explain in easy to understand, eye-catching animation what kind of prison shank you will fashion to stab your enemies with if they mess with your new incarcerated family.
9. And last but certainly not least, once released from prison, a whiteboard video is useful for proving to others just how tough you are by depicting your most terrifying prison moments.
Good luck in there!
+Jessica Anderson
by Jace Vernon | Jun 26, 2013 | video
Google has never been a fan of black hat SEO and that was made clear with the new Penguin 2.0 update. Their focus has changed to content and determining experts in each field. When the update rolled out we stayed strong in some areas of our SEO but were hurt in others. This caused us to rethink our marketing strategy as a whole. It’s no secret that Google loves great content and real backlinks so we decided to find a way to get both. Infographics have been a huge boost to SEO; they carry much more weight than a simple text blog but still not as much weight as video. We’ve landed backlinks by adding a source link to infographics and providing the option to embed them on your site. We decided to see if it was possible to land similar backlinks with video. Essentially, we are giving people the option to embed our video, with a source link attached to it. Okay, so now you understand the concept, but how are you going to convince someone to embed your video?
via Whiteboard Animation Video
Embed this on your site
Add your information below to get your embed code.
If you run into any problems adding the code to your site, comment below.
Leverage Video for Backlinks
If you’ve had some success with a video being shared on social platforms you know that sharable content can be a huge boost for your company; but there is no science to viral content. You might as well be rolling a 20 sided die, trying to hit your lucky number. If there was step by step process everyone would have discovered it by now. In the Ted Talk, Human Behavior – Measuring Emotions to Improve Effectiveness of Online Video Ads, we are taught that people will share videos that make them look good. That can mean a number of things – some may want to look like experts, entertain their friends, or appear to be up-to-date on cutting edge technology. Keep this in mind when you are creating your content. However, the target changes slightly when you are looking to get your video embedded. People will share content on social platforms that make them look good, but they’ll only embed a video that is directly applicable to your audience. Your video needs to have the elements of a viral video and be beneficial enough for a blogger to pick it up and write about it, knowing it’s going to benefit their audience. You need to make your video blog worthy. The video needs to instruct, educate, and entertain a specific audience. Think to yourself, why would someone do a write up on this video? What can I offer that is beneficial to large audience in my industry? Would I blog about this?
Here are some other tools that will help you along the way:
How to Write the Perfect Script
Avoid Video Abandonment – Improve Viewer Engagement
+Wesley Bledsoe
by Jace Vernon | Jun 24, 2013 | video
“The most basic way to get someone’s attention is this: Break a pattern.”
-Chip Health, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
We have been in search for the perfect scripting process since we started at Ydraw. We’re not there yet, but here are some tips to keep in mind when you start on your next script. These tips have helped Ydraw create whiteboard animation videos that are three times more engaging than the average internet video.
Begin with Your Core Message
What is the most simple, concise way you can paint the picture of your service? Let’s begin there, because the competition for an audience has become stiff. The average YouTube video loses half its audience (we call this video abandonment) within 15 seconds. That number is shocking, but it’s the climate that sites like YouTube and Vimeo have created with suggested videos. Something more enticing is always a click away. Your focus should be on creating a script that will engage an audience from the beginning and keep them on your video—so stop wasting their precious time and get to the point.
Be Unexpected
One of the most effective ways to break away from the norm is to use the “blindside effect.” Who was prepared for Mark to pop up in Don’s introduction? No one really expected it to happen, until he did it two or three times and established a pattern. Using something that catches the viewer off guard piques their interest once again. This causes the viewer to stick around longer than they intended. We incorporate this into all of our scripts in order to keep your viewers watching your full video.
As always, if you have any questions or comments for us here at Ydraw, let us know!
by Jace Vernon | Jun 18, 2013 | Creative Marketing, Customer Service, Marketing, Video Marketing, video online marketing, website design
Understanding Your Audience | 3 things to remember when getting to know your consumers.
Getting the most out of your video marketing campaign can be as simple as understanding your audience. Maybe it doesn’t actually sound so simple – and here’s the thing – it’s not. If you want to broaden your marketing horizons you must use social media. Social media has become so much more than just glorified chat rooms and photo boards. Sites like Facebook have become a community in and of itself where people interact, make new friends, create their own awareness campaigns, and much more. And even if you’re on board with social media for your business, creating a website, Facebook, and Twitter pages will not ensure that people will come to you. You need to act and interact, post often and respond to your follower’s questions and comments. Get your business out there! Developing a solid marketing strategy to use with social media will allow you to reap the maximum benefits from your efforts.
But to do that you have to know a few things: Who exactly are you trying to reach? Who is your target audience? What appeals to them? Trying to understand who your audience is can be daunting, but here are a few key ways to get to know the people who will be buying your product:
1. Research
This is perhaps the most important and direct way to get to know your audience. Input gathered from real live people can help to design your marketing campaigns to be the most effective. A few ways to gather information from your audience includes:
– Conduct surveys and/or take polls throughout your current following to find out what they like, don’t like, how they watch online video, what they feel they would add, and what is important to them. Asking questions is the easiest and sometimes most efficient way to interact with your visitors.
– Using web analytics is another popular way for businesses to see what kinds of people are visiting their site. Google Analytics is the preferred analytical tool – easy set up and completely free!
– There are sites such as Rapleaf that makes sure everyone using the internet has a great experience. To use these sites, a business sends a list of all user emails. The site then searches its database for those specific email addresses and provides you with information about the person using that email address, such as age, gender and location.
2. Know the Social Media Types
There are three distinct categories of consumers who spend their time online. First, there is the silent majority. These are the observers, they don’t usually post often, share often, or respond often. It may seem fruitless to chase after this group, but they are the largest group and are always watching. Second is the vocal minority. These are the people who share posts, videos, links, etc… They are always commenting on things others have shared and are anxiously interacting with others. These are the consumers who will spread the word about your business to their silent majority friends. Cater to them. The third and smallest group is the social authorities. These are the trailblazers – the ones with great online influence who have successful blogs or sites of their own. If you can get in good with these guys, you’re about set.
3. Ask Questions
Conducting surveys is an excellent way to gather information, but if you really want to go deep, you need to do a little digging yourself. There are three specific questions you should always ask when trying to get to know your audience:
– What are the customer’s preferences for content?
– How do they discover, consume and share content?
– What do they talk about on social media sites?
Once you have in mind who your target audience is, there are a few things you should do to keep them coming back. These include tailoring your future marketing campaigns to appeal to them. Make sure the aesthetics of your site, images and videos appeal to them. For example, if your business is trying to appeal to an older generation, use mostly muted colors, a clean design, conservative graphics and a classic font. If you’re marketing toward teens or young adults, use eye-catching graphics, creative design features and bold, popping colors.
Remember, social media and your audience’s behavior is always changing. Stay on top of any changes by pursuing an active role across all the social media platforms. Be a part of the action; listen to what your audience wants. Do what you can to make sure your business will never be left behind.
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See a related post HERE.
+Jessica Anderson
