Let’s make this quick. I want to show you the power behind animation videos. Especially when you use them to tell stories or teach lessons.
Here is an example of one with Jerry Seinfeld and Louis CK.
People love these styles and I just found a new one today by Gary Vaynerchuk. You can go check it out on YouTube, but be careful because Gary likes to drop the F bomb.
Here are some of the comments.
I hope the wheels are spinning on the different ways you can use animation. If you need an Animation video or would like one, get in contact with us.
Now for my FREE gift.
Spring is here and I want to give you a gift for FREE. (free for you not me)
Video Views!
Since I am always running YouTube promotions, I have a way to get YouTube views for less than 1 cent.
Would you like 1000 of them?
Just send an email to jace@ydraw.com with the subject line “Because We Like You” and give me the YouTube video (the url) you would like me to push.
jace@ydraw.com
Because We Like You
YOUTUBE URL
I will create a simple promotion to your YouTube video for FREE.
The number of Views may vary a bit, but it will be close to 1000.
Don’t pass this up. I only have a limited number of Videos that I can promote.
“There are times when referrals don’t come easy to me…but in this case, Ydraw proved to be an excellent partner in the development of Parentlink’s video. They were responsive and flexible, they came in on budget and on time, and were very professional throughout the entire process. I did speak to three other firms before landing on Ydraw and none were as agile and customer-focused. Many had drawn out timelines that could not be adjusted to fit our schedule. Others were just way to expensive. Curtis and his team wrote the script with very little input from us and we were pleasantly surprised at how spot they were and willing to adjust as we worked our way through message development. We absolutely loved their work! I highly recommend them.”
Pubcon: A Forbes list must attend conference. Thousands of professionals. Las Vegas, NV. The perfect setup for one of the best online marketing conferences I look forward to attending every year.
But, this year was a little different.
I was invited to speak on Video Marketing, which all of you know is my favorite topic.
Since I am not famous, I have to rely on a simple story formula to establish my persona. Without the formula I wouldn’t get the attention my message deserves.
Here it is:
My Story
My Struggle
My Triumph
Why it matters.
I open with this formula whenever I speak in front of audience, because it works. I get to introduce myself to the audience by sharing what makes me real.
People listen to and do business with those they trust. The quickest way to build that trust is by telling a story that they can relate to.
Do you want to know who else does this?
Jimmy Fallon, Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, and all other speakers. Check out this 6-minute video when Jimmy Fallon took over The Tonight Show.
It’s a great example. He simply walked out and told his story.
I must confess.
This conference, I did something a little bit different. Instead of telling my story, I started off by telling the story of a client. I used the same formula, but instead of showing my struggle I showed his.
Which leads me to the reason for writing this blog.
All businesses need to be telling more stories. So I have created a simple checklist that we all can use.
These are 7 Stories you should be telling your prospects and customers.
How was your business started? (The founder’s story)
How was your product or service discovered? (The discovery story)
The problem you solve and how you solve it.
Who have you helped and how have you helped them? (Case study)
A Testimonial Video that shows proof.
How are you different from your competitors?
How can customers get the most out of your product or service? (Tutorials)
Click below to download a simple story telling checklist.
Let us know if you like these articles. We want to make sure we are giving you important content that you can use right away. If you need a video, reach out to us. We can help!
Things are changing in the video industry and Ydraw is changing with it. We have a couple of new styles of explainer videos that are going to blow your mind. lol
Curtis and I (Jace) spend a lot of time thinking about and discussing new ways to tell our customer’s stories. All we care about are your results. We want your videos to be successful. Just the other day, we were sitting in Chipotle going over the traditional story telling script style. Is it still effective?
For those who don’t know, a traditional style script starts off with a powerful headline, identifies the problem, gives the solution, and ends with a strong call to action. This has been used for years and it does work, but we think there needs to be more.
Explainer Videos and Stories.
Whenever I speak at conferences I like to open up with a story. There is something about a good story that gets my presentation started off on the right foot. We are not using them enough. So let me show you ways you can incorporate a better story into your new explainer video.
Video 1: Upgrade to a Testimonial Video
When a future customer is listening to your message, they want to know what you can do for them. They are hoping that you can solve a problem they’re experiencing in their life. Whether that problem is a simple want or an immediate need.
To often clients go way overboard on the features of their product or service. Features tell, benefits sell. A video that focuses on features does not perform at the top of the funnel. Feature based videos should be used at the bottom when a future customer has already looked into you business.
Make sure you write that down some place. It will change your business… 🙂
We decided to ask the question…If we were going to make a purchase, what kind of video would we want to see?
It would need three things:
1. Prove the product or service can solve my problem
2. Be very convincing (social proof)
3. Have a story behind it
Obviously we have all seen video testimonials before. They work! But a lot of them are lacking creativity and forget to focus on the actual story.
So here is what we came up with.
Have an actual customer tell their story (video testimonial), create graphics and images that show the story, and wrap it all up with emotional music.
We all get tired of boring educational videos. Unless they are creative, fun, and engaging.
Effective storytelling can be a great way to education an audience and persuade others to your point of view. A long lecture isn’t too convincing because they feel opinion-based. Which can be polarizing.
But a careful blending of rhetoric and facts woven into the right story can change minds.
We have done a couple of these styles of videos in the past, but we kind of took this educational explainer video to a whole new level.
If you’re in the market for a new explainer video that will persuade your audience the right way, then give us a call.
Video Marketing is seen as one of the most effective ways for brands to reach new prospects and engage clients without having to break the bank. While there are plenty of different formats to choose from, one of the quickest ways to implement this marketing strategy is through “Whiteboard Animation”.
The reason whiteboard animation is so praised by the marketing community comes down to two factors: 1-ease of production and 2-higher conversation rates. We’ll dive into the details below as to why whiteboard animation has been so successful over the years, and how to effectively incorporate it into your marketing strategies.
What is Whiteboard Animation?
I’m sure by now you’ve already seen these videos whether you have been surfing YouTube or scrolling down your Facebook Newsfeed. Essentially, whiteboard animation are the videos that “draw out” an image while a voice over explains what is going on.
Whiteboard animation focuses on ‘one thought per frame’ and advances the storyline with a heavier emphasis on the voice over than on the graphics. This doesn’t mean that the graphics are less important, it simply means that the voice over is responsible for a lot of the storytelling.
For the most part, brands like to utilize a ‘hand graphic’ that is drawing out the picture while the voice over occurs. This is implemented to give it a ‘motion graphics feel’ while not requiring the same effort to produce.
Cost Efficient Means of Marketing
Due to the fact that it requires less effort to produce these types of videos, the associated price tag is significantly lower. While you can get whiteboard explainer videos for as little as $50 USD per 30 seconds, or in some cases even cheaper, it is important to look for the best deal that provides both cost efficiency and quality.
Nonetheless, compared to other video formats, whiteboard explainer videos are definitely the most cost efficient means of marketing. For brands that have a limited budget and would still like to utilize video within their marketing campaigns, whiteboard animation is definitely the most cost effective manner to achieve this.
In addition, the timeframe required to create these videos is significantly shorter, meaning that you can have your message polished and ready to be presented to the masses much more quickly.
High Engagement with Simple Imagery
Another fantastic benefit of whiteboard explainer videos comes down to engagement. As opposed to Motion Graphic-oriented explainer videos, whiteboard animation guides the eyes of the viewer to specific points.
When the image is being revealed within the video, only portions of it appear at a time in the attempt to convince the viewer that the image is being ‘drawn’ out. This achieves two things:
1. It triggers the curiosity factor in your prospects who will continue to look at the video while the image is being revealed.
2. It keeps them engaged and more susceptible to your marketing message. Since the V.O. is pretty much giving meaning to the imagery, people are more inclined to sit through the entire presentation and the images tend to have a greater impact as a result.
Visual imagery is one of the best ways to captivate your audience, allowing them to be receptive to your message and helping drive up both engagement and conversions.
Ease of Production
As mentioned, the production of whiteboard explainer videos is much simpler than other mediums such as Motion Graphics or Real Footage. This is due to the fact that you are essentially working with ‘still images’ and applying minor motion to the frame to give it that dynamic feel.
In most cases, production companies will create a visual storyline with a set of images based on the V.O. script. Each frame will have one major idea attached to it represented in the form of a picture. While the voice over in the frame explains the point, the ‘animation’ will be drawn onto the frame to reinforce the message.
Each new frame will reveal another image and the voice over will guide the viewer through the storyline. Once the visual story has been established, it comes down to synchronizing it with the voice over.
This is the main reason whiteboard animation is so cost efficient, where a savvy video producer would be able to create a compelling video in a much shorter timeframe. It also requires a lot less processing power to create these videos meaning less expensive equipment is needed.
Where to Utilize Whiteboard Explainer Videos
Whiteboard animation serves multiple purposes, from selling, adding depth and value to your brand and of course, ‘explaining things’.
For the most part, brands utilize whiteboard animation as an introduction to their product or brand. These videos are mostly implemented on landing pages, home pages and of course for mass marketing on platforms such as YouTube and Facebook to name a few.
When utilizing it on your homepage, you can exceed the industry standard of 90 seconds. For the most part, the 90-second rule applies to videos when its purpose is to reach new prospects, however when prospects lands on your homepage, they have already developped an interest in your brand or company website, so exceeding this ‘rule of thumb’ is permitted.
You would rather provide them with a 2-3-minute video that gives them a deeper understanding of what you do than 90 seconds where they could still be kept wondering exactly what it is you do.
When we talk about Whiteboard Explainer Videos for marketing or selling, you’ll want to keep it below 90 seconds. This is due to the fact that your video needs to compete with other videos, and keeping it short has shown to increase engagement and conversions.
Depending on your need, you will adapt your whiteboard animation purposes accordingly.
Key Take Aways
Whiteboard animation has become a staple in the video marketing world due to the fact that it is cost efficient, easy to produce and still maintains stellar engagement and click through rates. If you find yourself on a tight budget and still want to get into the world of video marketing, then Whiteboard Explainer Videos are definitely a great starting point.
