An explainer video is one of the most effective tools you can use in your sales funnel, particularly during the consideration phase. It helps potential customers understand your product or service, addresses their concerns, and provides consistent, scalable messaging for both marketing and sales. By answering objections and delivering a clear and engaging message, explainer videos can accelerate decision-making and boost conversions. In fact, 72% of consumers say they prefer to learn about a product or service through video rather than text, making it a critical asset for businesses aiming to simplify their message and increase engagement.
Understanding the options available can help you choose the one that best fits your business goals, audience, and budget.
Types of Explainer Videos and When to Use Them
When considering an explainer video, it’s important to choose the right type for your message, audience, and goals. Below are the main types of explainer videos, along with their strengths and best use cases.
1. Live-Action Explainer Videos
Live-action videos are a great way to humanise your brand and create a connection with your audience. Featuring real people, real products, and real locations, these videos can showcase your brand’s personality and authenticity.
Best for: Telling personal stories, customer testimonials, product demos, and showcasing real-world environments.
Pros:
- Builds trust and emotional connections with viewers.
- Perfect for demonstrating physical products or services.
- Gives your business a human face, making it more relatable.
Cons:
- Typically more expensive to produce due to crew, location, and talent costs.
- Less flexibility if changes need to be made after production.
Live-action explainer videos work particularly well for businesses that want to feature customer testimonials, product demonstrations, or company overviews with a personal touch.
2. 2D Animation Explainer Videos
2D animation is one of the most versatile and popular styles for explainer videos. It allows for unlimited creativity and is ideal for simplifying complex ideas in an engaging and visually appealing way.
Best for: Tech, SaaS, finance, or any industry that deals with abstract or complex concepts.
Pros:
- Adaptable to any brand’s style or tone.
- Simplifies complicated ideas in an engaging way.
- Easy to update and adjust as your product or service evolves.
Cons:
- Requires skilled animators, making production more time-consuming.
- May lack the personal connection of live-action videos.
2D animation is perfect for companies that need to explain a complex product or service and want to maintain flexibility in design and messaging.
3. 3D Animation Explainer Videos
3D animation takes your video to another level, offering dynamic and realistic visuals that can be especially useful for product demonstrations. It provides depth and lifelike detail that’s often required in industries like architecture, engineering, or healthcare.
Best for: Detailed product demonstrations, high-tech industries, or any scenario where visualizing depth and space is important.
Pros:
- High level of realism and detail, making it ideal for showing intricate products.
- Adds sophistication and professionalism to your message.
Cons:
- More expensive and time-intensive to produce than 2D animation or live-action.
- Requires highly skilled animators and specialised software.
3D animation is often used when high-quality visual representation is crucial, such as in medical or tech industries that need to show detailed product functions or intricate designs.
4. Motion Graphics Explainer Videos
Motion graphics are perfect for presenting data, statistics, or abstract processes. They combine animation with text and visuals to create a dynamic and engaging video that is often used in corporate and educational settings.
Best for: Corporate communications, data-driven industries, or businesses looking to simplify processes or present data.
Pros:
- Great for simplifying and visualizing data or processes.
- More cost-effective than 3D animation but still offers a polished, professional look.
- Engages viewers with dynamic transitions and clear messaging.
- Cost effect for most budgets.
Cons:
- Less personal than live-action or character-driven animations.
- May not be ideal for storytelling-focused content.
Motion graphics are excellent for companies looking to present complex information in an engaging way, without the need for a more personalised approach.
Why Explainer Videos Work So Well
Explainer videos are a fantastic way to communicate complex ideas or products in a simple and digestible format. They break down key information, allowing viewers to quickly understand how your product works and why they need it. A well-crafted explainer video can reduce friction during the decision-making process by addressing customer pain points and explaining your value proposition in a clear and engaging way.
Here are some of the reasons why explainer videos are so effective:
- Engaging Visuals: The combination of visuals, voiceover, and music makes explainer videos much more engaging than static content, holding the viewer’s attention and keeping them interested.
- Retention: Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to only 10% when reading text.
- Consistency: Explainer videos provide a consistent message every time, ensuring that all potential customers get the same clear explanation, whether used for marketing or sales.
How to Choose the Right Explainer Video for Your Business
When choosing the right type of explainer video for your business, consider the following:
- Audience: Are you targeting consumers or businesses? Do they prefer more creative or practical content?
- Message: Are you explaining a product, service, or process? Does your message require a human element or high technical detail?
- Budget: Live-action and 3D animation can be more expensive to produce, so it’s important to balance cost with your desired outcome.
- Tone: Does your brand have a fun and creative tone or a more serious, professional one? The style of video should reflect your brand’s voice.
Conclusion
Explainer videos are a powerful tool that can help your business communicate more effectively with your audience. Whether you’re simplifying a complex product, engaging potential customers, or streamlining your marketing and sales messaging, an explainer video can provide clarity, consistency, and engagement. By choosing the right type of video for your goals and audience, you can create a compelling narrative that drives results.
If you’re considering creating an explainer video and want to discuss the best approach for your business, our team of producers is available to guide you through the process and help you create an impactful explainer video tailored to your needs. Simply go to our contact page by clicking here.
