Why Your Small Business Needs an Explainer Video?
As a small business owner, you continually ask yourself what you can do to attract more customers. Customer acquisition still remains the central pain point for the majority of small businesses.
The fierce competition in today’s market makes it that much harder to fight for your customers’ attention. So, how can you break this cycle and effectively promote your company?
Well, there is more than one answer to this question. But one of the most useful ones among them is having an explainer video for your business. What exactly is an explainer video? It’s a short marketing video that explains your business and the products or services it offers.
The next question that arises is “Why? ” Why should you invest time and resources into creating an explainer video? To answer your question, let’s have a glance at a few video marketing statistics:
82% of B2B businesses use explainer videos;
96% of people learned about a product or service after watching an explainer video;
73% of people say they bought a product after watching a video;
64% of businesses say that videos directly result in increased sales.
Pretty impressive, don’t you think? Now that you have a basic understanding of explainer videos and their significance, let’s break down six big reasons why any small business needs an explainer video for their marketing campaign.
1. Make a Good First Impression on Your Audience
First impressions last. We all tend to put in a great deal of effort into making a positive first impression when we meet new people. The same principle applies to businesses. When a web surfer stumbles upon your company online, your homepage is where they usually land. This is why most homepages display an explainer video to provide visitors with all the necessary information about the business.
As your explainer video is often the first piece of content users come into contact with, you have to ensure it leaves the right impression on your guests. The golden rule is that you only have a few seconds to get your visitor’s attention and another 1-2 minutes to introduce yourself as a company.
A 90-second explainer video can be of great help. It’s a good idea to start with an engaging animation of your logo to grab the viewer’s attention. Afterward, you can proceed with a brief introduction to your company and a list of your products or services.
Cute animated characters, appealing icons, and smooth transitions will give your video explainer a fun and dynamic feel. If your visitors enjoy their first interaction with your business, there’s a good chance they’ll keep coming back.
2. Convey Your Message More Effectively
In today’s fast-paced environment, all of us are exposed to vast amounts of information. We’re constantly bombarded with news, articles, advertisements, and companies trying to push their products or services.
Naturally, we strive to escape this complexity by choosing to consume content that’s simple, easy to understand, and straight to the point.
A short and concise explainer video is exactly that kind of content.
Take a look at PayPal’s explainer video. It’s short, clear, and uses very simple language to get the main point across.
You might have a product or service that’s rather nuanced and difficult to define. A video explainer with your product footage, a good script, and amusing animated characters solves this problem effortlessly. Videos are known to increase product understanding and bring clarity to even the most complex subjects.
For example, explaining what a black hole is to a child could be quite a challenge. But if you show them an animated video with charming characters explaining the same thing, they will be happy to watch it. The animation will make it easier for them to catch the main idea as well as help to remember it better.
Animated explainer videos will get your point across faster, thus conveying your message more efficiently. Remember to keep your script short and straight to the point. A useful rule of thumb is to make sure that even after an exhausting workday, your video is still fun and easy for a person to watch.
We are Mikanika Digital Solutions! We love creating Engaging Video Content and Creative Animations to our clients that delivers the right message to your audience. Learn more about us here.
3. Stimulate Visual and Auditory Senses
Some of us are auditory learners; some are more inclined to learn through images and visual graphics. The level of understanding increases dramatically when other senses like smell or touch are also activated. Unfortunately, when addressing an online audience, the only two senses you can stimulate are visual and auditory.
If you want to maximize your influence on an online audience, you should take advantage of both senses. The power of explainer videos lies in being able to do so. Studies show that when watching a video, people tend to retain 95% of the information they're presented with; while reading a text leaves them with only 10% of the information.
The fact that videos deliver your message to the audience much faster is hardly surprising. After all, videos are lively, active, and they stimulate both visual and auditory senses. Most brands know this, which is why they choose video content as their primary source of media marketing.
Source: HubSpot Research, Nov - Dec 2019
4. Increase Social Engagement
Not only does a video capture an audience’s attention much quicker than any other type of content, but it also keeps the viewer engaged over a longer period of time. Holding a viewer’s attention is no easy task, considering all the distractions freely available on the web. However, an explainer video is quite efficient in pulling your audience in and keeping them engaged for longer.
Another significant advantage of a video explainer is that it’s super easy to share on social media platforms. Doing so increases your chances of getting noticed and generating brand awareness. Moreover, if people find value in what you offer, they’re more likely to share the video with their friends and connections. Social shares are your best friend when it comes to spreading the word about your business.
An average user spends more than an hour per day watching videos online, and most of it is done on mobile. It’s certainly worth your time to make your video mobile-optimized, as 70% B2B inquiries are made on smartphones.
Source:Think with Google
5. Improve Google Rankings
Google ranking is critical to promoting your business and driving organic traffic to your website. There are a number of ways to optimize your site for search engines, one of which is the use of video content. The impact of videos on your Google ranking is indirect but definitely noticeable. Let’s discover how it works.
Google relies on the amount of time users spend on your website to determine how satisfied they are with your content. The more time an average visitor spends on your website, the higher your chances of ranking on Google. As videos are engaging and easy to watch, they encourage your guests to stay on your site longer. Not only does this increase the average on-site time, but it also reduces bounce rates.
Once your website’s on-site time and bounce rates are in check, you’ll start to notice a gradual improvement in search rankings.
6. Build Rapport With Your Audience
An explainer has a notable impact on the relationship with your viewers. Since it’s most likely the first contact with your audience, your explainer video can easily make or break the relationship with them. For this very reason, your explainer isn’t just a regular video you make. Think of it as your golden ticket to the hearts of your prospective customers.
People turn to your business because they have a specific need or problem that can be solved with your product/service. Your video should address the issue, making your viewer feel understood and cared for. This seemingly small move can work wonders in gaining the trust of your audience.
In the example below, Mint does a great job of pointing out all the complicated ways of tracking finances and proceeds to offer an easy solution.
Imagine someone offering you help to get rid of your problems. That would be great, wouldn’t it? Businesses do the same thing for their customers. They identify a problem their customers face and find a reasonable solution for it.
Instead of using your explainer video to praise your company and show how good of a problem solver you are, place the focus on your customers. An empathetic approach to their needs and the proven advantages of your product/service are all it takes to create an impactful explainer video.
Lastly, having a brief video instead of a long text shows that you respect your customers’ time. Small acts of care toward your audience will eventually add up, establishing trust and rapport between your business and its clients.
In our company, Mikanika Digital Solutions, we have found the sweet spot is around 90 seconds.
In Conclusion:
Explainer videos are a powerful tool for every small business. They present your company in a smart and professional manner, spreading your message much faster than any other form of content. Increasing social engagement, improving Google ranking, and building rapport are among the main reasons why a video explainer should be part of your marketing strategy.
Creating high-quality explainer videos is simpler than ever. Renderforest has numerous ready-made templates to assist you in this process.
We are Mikanika Digital Solutions! We love creating Engaging Video Content and Creative Animations to our clients that delivers the right message to your audience. Learn more about us here.