Businesses all have a story and it should be told.
When you tell your story people will relate to your product or service.
We are breaking it down on what types of stories you should be sharing with your customers in this weeks episode of Moron Monday.
If you missed last weeks episode, you can find it here.
Hey guys. What’s up? Jace over here at Ydraw.
Today we’re going to be talking about one of my favorite subjects. We’ve been trying to push this down companies throats for years now, and I just thought I’d sit down and break it down for you guys so you know why stories matter.
Here are six stories you should be telling your customers. We have another blog that has seven, but I put two together.
I’m going to go over these and then, at the end of this video, I’m going to show you guys what we did for Ydraw. We just created a simple video to show you step number one, a history of our business case.
So let’s run through these real quick.
HISTORY
Very first thing, every company should be talking about their history. They should be telling the stories of how their company got started. And that does matter.
Think about the story of Apple, we all know it.
Think about the story of Tesla, about SpaceX, about Facebook. Zuckerberg…young… didn’t know what he was doing, built a billion dollar company. We all get pulled into the stories, and majority of companies don’t tell their stories.
So it’s important that you go out there and tell them how you got started.
HOW YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE WAS DISCOVERED
Next is how your product or service was discovered. What did you do to figure out your product or service?
Now, you can combine these a little bit, but people want to know….how did you discover your product or service?
And by doing that, what happens is, they’re like, hey, I was in that same guy’s shoes.
I was looking for the same solution to a problem. And if you tell people how your company came about or how the problem was discovered, then they’re more likely to buy into your business.
And remember, what all of this does is it gets multiple touches so people want to do business with you.
People do business with those who they like and trust. And all these stories get people to like and trust you so that they’ll give you money.
Back in 2011 explainer videos where the hot thing, everyone went out and got explainer videos because they were told that’s what they need, but they didn’t realize there was a bunch of other stuff that needs to go with it.
So they would have a great explainer video, stick it out on YouTube and hope they get business but it didn’t happen that way.
But a good explainer video is simple. You need to do a strong opening, a headline, problem, solution, and call to action.
That should be your formula because it just shows, here’s the problem, here’s how our product solves that problem, and then it gives them a call to action.
You need people who will talk about your business, it’s like a case study, or if somebody gets on a camera, that’s good social proof, so you need those.
WHY YOU OVER THE COMPETITORS
You need, “why you over your competitors?” I get asked this all the time on sales calls, businesses will say, “hey, Jace, why should I choose you over your competitors?”.
And I just tell them, we have videos that discuss that.
When somebody buys your product or service, it’s best if you can give them tutorial videos so they know how to use it.
And then within those you can always ask for referrals. Got it.
HISTORY
So let’s talk about history.
Last month I went and spoke at PPAI conference, and it was on video marketing. I always start off with my story, my struggle, my triumph, and then why it matters to them.
Now why do I do this? It’s so that people can look at me and be like, “hey, he’s relatable, he’s been in the dumps, he’s had to overcome some trial stuff like that”.
If you ever go listen to really good speakers, they always start with their story.
Jimmy Fallon, in one of our articles, which I’ll link to this, we talked about the first night when Jimmy Fallon came on the tonight show (I think it’s the tonight show).
All he did was tell the story, he explained where he came from and people loved it.
So when you’re telling the history, tell them where you came from, the struggles, and then how you overcame those struggles, and then why it matters to them.
A video that we just created for Ydraw, I’m going to show you how we did it. Well, I’m just going to show it to you and you’ll get how we did it.
We basically talk about where we started, why it mattered, and then there were stakes at hand.
You have to have some type of stakes in your story. And when I say stakes, that means you have to overcome something.
There has to be an obstacle. If you just go out and say, “oh yeah, I started a company made millions of dollars”, no one really cares.
What they care about is the struggle that it took to start that company.
What were you going to lose? Did you put up all your money? Did you put up everything? And every business out there has stakes.
So, if you’d take a look at Apple, if you take a look at Facebook, the history of all these great companies, they had stakes.
They had something that they were about to lose. They were about to go under. They put all their life on line, stuff like that.
If you go into the movie theaters, every good movie is structured like this.
You have a Star Wars, it starts off with Luke, whose parents die, finds a guide Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he trains him. He overcomes great odds and happily ever after.
And you’ll notice Pixar does the same thing. They have a certain formula that every single one of their movies follow.
YDRAW HISTORY
So, I’m going to show you the video that we have, but make sure your company is doing these stories.
Go out there and start off with a history. Tell people (and it doesn’t need to be some big production) how you got started, why it matters, and why it should matter to them.
Tell them what you overcame, and just from doing that, you’re going to get more business. And then also it gives you content to put in front of people.
So, if you have questions on this, we would love to help. We do create scripts for this, we do create videos for this, we’d be happy to help you go to ydraw.com and that is it. Peace.
What Is Tone and Mood and Why Do They Matter to Your Video?
By Erica Schmidt Jabali
According to a Harvard professor, at least 95% of purchasing decisions are made subconsciously – or based on how we feel. We could be influenced by a brand’s commercial, their marketing, brand packaging, and more.
This means simply giving the facts and figures in your video isn’t enough – you have to strike an emotional chord with your target consumer in order to motivate them to act. (read more here)
This is one reason why we ask in our questionnaire and on our kick-off calls what tone and mood you want in your video.
And, we are usually met with crickets on the other end of the line.
Turns out, for those of us who haven’t been in high school English classes for a long time (okay, a really long time), we might need a little brushing up on our tone and mood skills.
Don’t worry – we got you.
So, sharpen your pencils and sit up straight – because your speed-round refresher course on Tone vs. Mood starts now:
TONE:
Tone is the author’s attitude towards the subject. Remember when your mom used to say, “Don’t you take that tone with me!” Well, she wasn’t wrong – the tone we use in our speech is similar to the tone a piece of writing or voiceover in a video takes.
Here are some examples of videos that use a different tone:
In this video, the client wanted a confident, inspirational, educational tone:
Whereas in this video, the client asked for a relaxed, fun, beachy vibe, so our fan-favorite, chameleon of a voiceover talent, Dawson, actually used a surfer accent to achieve this goal
In this video, we wanted to replicate that infamous movie trailer voice to give it that movie trailer tone:
So, in short, tone is the inflections used by the voiceover in order to communicate how they feel about the subject.
Our VO talents are pros at taking a script and inferring the tone that it is trying to convey.
WHY THIS MATTERS:
You know your target customer better than anyone. You know what they like and don’t like. You know what their interests are, maybe their demographics, and even their buying patterns.
So, how do you think this person wants to be talked to?
Do they want that warm, motherly tone that says, “I’m here for you…”? It might end up sounding a little bit like this:
Do you want a fast-talking, witty, lightning speed commentary like this one?
The tone you choose for your video should be directly related to how your target consumer wants to be talked to.
So, when deciding the tone for your video, consider the following questions:
What prior marketing campaigns have been the most successful and what tone did they take?
What type of tone will your target consumer be most responsive to?
What tone will best represent your vision for your business and how you want to be perceived?
Try to think of three key words to describe this tone.
Excellent. Now that you have your tone figured out, let’s move on to mood:
MOOD:
This is how the viewer will feel after watching your video.
For example, this client focuses on food kits for emergencies:
How did this video make you feel? That’s the mood of the video.
Our goal was to create a feeling of urgency, to make you feel that you need this product in order to be prepared and protect your family.
You need to think about the mood because you want to have that target in mind when writing your video.
For example, if you want your viewer to feel emotionally moved and compelled to act, then you’ll want to write the video with that goal in mind – and anything that does not compliment this mission has to be cut.
Sometimes, it can be painful to make cuts or reduce a video script to get it to a certain time – but if you think about all of your choices through the lens of – what will make my target consumer feel [x, y, z] – then it becomes much easier.
Since we know that people make most of their purchasing decisions based on how the branding or marketing makes them feel- then selecting the most appropriate tone and mood for your video becomes imperative.
WRAP IT UP:
The tone is the author’s attitude in the video and the tone of the VO and the script writing will communicate this
The tone creates the mood that your viewer will feel
With most purchasing decision made based on emotions – how you make your viewer feel is very important
Consider your target tone and mood carefully when preparing for your kick-off call!
There you have it. Everything you needed to know about tone and mood.
We hope this helps as you prepare for the scripting process. We’re here to help and hope to make the process as easy on you as possible.
Please reach out with any questions. We can’t wait to work with you!
So what are Motion Graphics and why should you use them? “Motion Graphics” is just a fancy term used to describe a mix between graphic design and animation. Most motion graphic videos you will see these days are purpose driven with the goal of presenting information to the viewer.
There are many reasons why you should choose to advertise or explain with Motion Graphics, the biggest reason being emotional response. Video creates an emotional connection with the person watching far quicker than any other content platform. Did you know that using video on your landing page could increase conversion rates by as much as 80%? Animated marketing videos in particular are a very useful tool to deliver your business idea in just a couple of seconds.
Another reason why Motion Graphics are the way to go is because it is perfect to explain a complex or abstract idea in a very simple, fast and compelling way. With an Internet attention span continuously decreasing this is a very valuable point to mention.
There are literally no limits when it comes to the creative aspect of Motion Graphics. You want a flying monkey in your video? Here’s a flying monkey. You want a man scuba diving off the coast of Bermuda with Great White Sharks? No problem the video can be created quickly and on a budget without the hassle of creating expensive sets and hiring film crews/actors.
Motion Graphics are extremely effective because we are all visual learners. People learn and understand much more efficiently when they are taught with the help of drawings, diagrams, charts and different designs.
If you are trying to determine how to create your next marketing video just remember, Motion Graphics is the way to go. There are literally no limits to what you can show with Motion Graphics. But more importantly, your audience will connect with the information or product you are presenting quickly and effectively.
Check out one our latest and greatest Motion Graphic videos below:
Explainer videos are an indispensable ingredient in presenting your brand or organization. Whether you’re a start-up company, a big name corporation, or a non-profit organization, explainer videos are extremely useful in getting your point across.
The intention of an explainer video is to inform viewers of an idea or to explain what your product or service does.
We all know it can be hard to capture attention with dense writing, so these videos are usually fun, simplistic, upbeat and are about 2-3 minutes long.
Explainer videos are simple, easy, affordable and effective.
The entertaining nature of an explainer video makes it easier for viewers to retain the information.
According to the Global Video Index of 2015, research shows that people are likely to only remember 10% of any information they hear. Yet if paired with a relevant image, they retain 65% of that same information 3 days later.
Also, a recent survey by Video Rascal shows that 85% of people are more likely the purchase a product once they view a correlating explainer video.
These are just two statistics of mounting research supporting their relevance.
Explainer videos are eye-catching, especially when found on the landing page of a website. They grab the attention of site visitors as well as Google.
Adding a video to your website increases your ranking with Google, which in turn can bring more traffic to your site. Oftentimes when a consumer seeks out to understand something new, they’ve already made the decision to purchase it.
Don’t end up scaring away potential new customers with too much text!
Reading a few paragraphs can be boring and is often skipped over for the more comfortable choice of watching a video.
More and more companies are choosing explainer videos as their elevator pitch. Some of these videos are even going viral.
While there is no proven formula to get a video to go viral, you definitely can’t achieve viral status without a video.
You’ve probably seen the Dollar Shave Club’s controversial explainer video about how – ahem – great their blades are. Currently, their video has almost 22 million views.
That is a great example of an entertaining and very memorable (to say the least) video that has been shared over all platforms of social media.
These videos are a great way to help your fans and future fans to evangelize you. Help them share your glory! Give them the content worthy of being spread to the masses and to the furthest corners of the earth.
Word of mouth advertising spreads much easier these days, so what better way to inspire your faithful followers than by giving them the exact content you want them to share?
Creating the actual content for your explainer video is up to you. Take time to really think about what you want to say, and put yourself on the other side of the screen as you write your script.
There are unlimited ways to portray your message, but remember–the simpler the better. The goal of an explainer video is to get your point across and have the viewer remember your message.
So use your imagination, have fun, and boost your online presence!
Unlock success with explainer videos today.
Thank you for reading Explainer Videos Your Key to Unlocking Success
Sometimes it doesn’t work to just tell your audience how your company can be essential to their business plan and how they need you so they can live a long and fruitful life. There are a lot of ads that are patronizing to the audience with incredibly dull narratives and poor acting. Perhaps by explaining what you do will persuade consumers better than any actor pretending to care about your company ever could. But here’s the problem, sitting and explaining your company is boring. It’s not engaging, it’s uninspired and it’s so very boring. Like, Jane Austen narrated by Ben Stein boring. So how do you balance out an entertaining video and explaining your company’s concepts and ideas?
Whiteboard explainer videos, of course! Let’s go through why.
ILLUSTRATIONS CAN HELP CONVEY COMPLEX CONCEPTS EASIER. Visual concepts are a driving force that allows your audience to grasp your ideas easier. The perfect example are the before and after pictures of meth addicts, though grisly they may be. The before pictures shows a healthy person who doesn’t seem to have any effects of drug abuse. The after pictures show the devastating and shocking effect that meth has on the human body. It appears as though the life had been sucked out of them. Without having to go into detail on how the drug has this effect, or why the person started to take the drug, the story of how it destroys you is clearly presented instantly.
WATCHING THE CREATION OF THE VISUALS IS CAPTIVATING. As the artist creates characters, environment and situations, the viewer is watching the story unfold in front of them. The simplicity of being able to watch that process pulls in the viewer and in turn they are keen on watching to see what comes next. Being able to see the illustration come to life adds a human touch to the video. Rather than having a polished animation from start to finish, the viewer gets to connect with the person behind the drawing. Knowing there is somebody behind that pen lets the viewer know there are people behind the drawing, just like there are people behind your company.
SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE. Without having to use a crowded infographic that can come across more complex than it intends to be, a whiteboard animation is simple and tells your story without having to assault your viewer with statistics and mission statements. Perhaps the thing that stops most people from using video for their company is the cost. Luckily whiteboard explainer videos are incredibly cost effective and can reach a large number of people quickly.
USING NARRATIVE CAN PERSUADE AND MOTIVATE VIEWERS. Any parent knows the influence any kids TV show has on their children. Why when I was a lad, I too became a victim of Saturday morning television shows and for about 2 years straight dressed up like Pee Wee Herman…. EVERYDAY. It happened, deal with it. Just because the audience you have are now older and wiser doesn’t mean they can’t be persuaded by an engaging video. A study by LaMarre and Landreville in 2009 found that the difference of watching a film that reenacted a historical event and a documentary on the same subject had similar levels of issue interest and engagement with the narrative presented. Fictional stories are as effective as factual stories in persuading and shifting ideas related to the narrative. Both can be engaging and compelling experience for the viewer.
EASY TO DISTRIBUTE. Distribution of digital video is incredibly simple. A video can be uploaded to a many platforms an infinite amount of times. It can be sent in an email to consumers or link to your YouTube account. The entire world can take part of your company and the video can work its magic every hour of every day. Reaching your audience has been easier than ever.
A promotional video using whiteboard animation can present a complex subject matter into something that can be easily understood while being entertaining. That entertaining video can retain a high engagement rate and rack up views to direct consumers to your company. It’s simple, affordable, it’s easy to distribute to your clients and perhaps you’ll be able to have some free time to catch some Pee Wee Herman yourself. If that’s your thing, it’s certainly mine.
We are always producing new explainer videos and I at times I forget to check out our latest merchandise. Well here are some fun new and exciting explainer videos.
