It’s no longer a secret – using video to market your business, whether a large corporation or a startup LLC, is by far the best way to put your company on the map. There are many ways to market your brand, but video has proven to be the most effective in today’s social media and tech-driven world. Now, there are many different types of videos you can use to promote your brand. One of those types of videos that is one of the most common and most effective is the “explainer video”.
These are the types of videos your business needs explained.
WHAT IS AN EXPLAINER VIDEO?
Chances are you’ve seen an explainer video before, whether it be on television, streaming, Amazon, Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok or any other social media platform. Traditionally, explainer videos are short online marketing videos used to explain your company’s product or service and are commonly placed on a landing page, your website’s home page, or a prominent product page. According to wordstream.com, some sites boast of conversion rates increasing by as much as 144% after including an explainer video on their website. However, due to the popularity of social media and how much businesses use social media to promote their brand, products and services, explainer videos are pretty much found EVERYWHERE.
Explainer videos accomplish a number of tasks. The most basic, obviously, is that they explain how a product works, how it’s used and, in some cases, how it’s made. Let’s say you’re a start-up company with a new app that helps you find the nearest bathroom or whatever – I’m sure there’s one out there already. If you are the developer of a new, fancy, innovative app for smart phones, it would probably be smart to come out with an explainer video that demonstrates how to use said fancy, innovative app. This goes for any new product that uses any kind of new technology or innovation that people have never seen or used before. Showing how your product works could be a nice part of your marketing strategy, highlighting how your product improves upon other brands that are similar to it. Explainer videos also allow you to give your customers a behind-the-scenes look at your employees, facilities or factories, showing them the precision and care that goes into the creation of your product. Explainer videos are simply one of the most versatile and effective videos you can have. They ultimately teach your prospective customers what you do, who your product or service helps, and what value your business brings to the table. These types of videos are best used on your website’s homepage and in email and ad campaigns but they can be used anywhere while proving beneficial to your business – made evident by how commonly you see them on social media, television and a litany of other platforms.
Explainer videos aren’t exactly a new type of video – as I mentioned, you’ve probably TECHNICALLY seen an explainer video many times before on television – if we’re staying true to the definition of what an explainer video actually is. Even before the days of Youtube, there were always television commercials for board games and, in these commercials, they would EXPLAIN to you the basic rules of the game while showing actors playing the game and having the time of their lives. That’s an explainer video. Have you suffered an injury in a car accident and want to seek compensation for your injuries? I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of commercials for lawyers explaining to you how you could receive that compensation and how to contact them and set up a free consultation. Technically, that also is an explainer video. Ever see a television commercial for Dominoes Pizza or Pizza Hut whenever they have a new specialty pie? Almost always, they explain to you what the toppings are and, often times, they show you how they prepare and what special ingredients they use that make this new specialty pizza so special. Yup, you guessed it – that is also, technically, an explainer video.
We at Top Notch Cinema ESPECIALLY understand how common and effective explainer videos are because we’ve produced many of them for businesses large and small. In fact, we’ve also created explainer videos for startup companies trying to get a new product off the ground. One prime example is a Kickstarter video we produced for Lexip Gaming Mouse.
Lexip Gaming Mouse
Lexip is a revolutionary mouse that is taking the gaming world by storm. We wrote, cast, shot, created the 3D VFX and edited this project. Lexip set a goal on Kickstarter of $30,000 and blew past this benchmark, raising $75,000 on its first day and an amazing $1,022,086 to date. Technically, this is also an explainer video. Even though this video was used to raise money so that this product could be made available to sell on a larger scale rather than a traditional ad to get prospective customers to purchase the product itself, it was important to explain how this gaming mouse is more effective than other gaming mouses, which meant explaining the innovative technology used in creating this gaming product and how exactly it makes gaming easier for users.
Another crowdfunding video we did that uses elements of the traditional explainer video is for a product called Handle Plus.
Handle Plus
Handle Plus a great, innovative new way to secure your tablet when you’re on the go. Not only that, but it doubles as a sturdy, easy-to-use stand to keep your tablet in a fixed position. Hassle-free and easy to carry, Handle Plus makes working and watching your favorite movies and TV shows easy, no matter where you are. This video displays just how convenient, innovative and easy-to-use this product is. Once again, we explain what makes this product unique, what innovative technology is used to make it unique and more convenient to use over similar products and, just as importantly, how to use the product.
Explainer videos don’t always have to be on-the-nose in terms of showing you how to use a company’s product or service. Sometimes, to promote a service or product, the best way to reach an audience or make a connection with prospective customers is to make them laugh. A perfect example of that is in this ad for Lodel that we produced.
Lodel
Lodel, a unique online food delivery service, connects foodies with their favorite restaurants located in their area. This video in particular was a 30-second TV spot, but we’ve also created a one-minute video as well as two 15-second spots for social media, one of which was a recruitment video for prospective employees. These videos were just as fun to make as they are to watch. Now, as fun as this video is, it still gets the point across and explains to you how to use their app and what advantages using their app offers over other food delivery services.
Other ways we’ve been able to “grip” the attention of prospective customers for our clients is by making their explainer video cinematic with striking visuals, excellent use of sound editing and music. One example (see how I used “grip” in quotations above) is for this video we made for “Ready Grip Technology”.
Ready Grip Technology
Ready Grip Technology is a revolutionary golf product that was picked up by 350 media outlets after the launch of the video we created for them. Our video was a focal point of their media kit and helped the various media outlets understand the unique product and it’s capabilities. The edgy tone was something that the founder knew he wanted from the beginning, and he is ecstatic that we were able to make his vision come to life.
You can definitely see just how flexible explainer videos can be – we’ve made many of them for a wide variety of different products and services that couldn’t be any more different than the other. Another example of humor being used to promote a product is in this video we did for “Wowables”.
Wowables
Here, this company really wanted to drive home just how much healthier for the environment their reusable, biodegradable “paper towel” really was in comparison to traditional, disposable paper towels. This meant explaining how destructive disposable paper towels can be to the environment while also explaining what exactly makes their reusable paper towels so beneficial to the environment – oh, and their product also saves you money, which is another reason purchase their product.
One company we’ve worked with many times and created explainer videos for is “Whimsical Sweets”. In this video, we promote a specific product of theirs called the “Whimsical Sweets Cookiegrams”. This video is pretty much what a standard explainer video really is.
Whimsical Sweets Cookiegram
These Cookiegrams make a great gift and can be customized for any occasion. Each one contains hand- iced cookies with a fun, festive message. Choose between our Classic and Custom jars. Classic jars come with a cute little ditty handwritten on each piece. Custom jars can be personalized with your very own words. Either way, you’re bound to please with this thoughtful and unique present.
Another one we did for “Whimsical Sweets” is another great example of what a standard explainer video is supposed to accomplish.
Whimsical Sweets Subscription
This one is for their Cookie Kit Subscription. Ideal for children who like to cook (with adult supervision) and a creative family activity, this subscription gives you monthly themes in a variety of package sizes while including easy-to-follow instruction cards.
But, as you may have noticed, not all explainer videos need to be quite as “standard” as the ones we created for “Whimsical Sweets”. Sometimes, an explainer video can take you a little more behind the scenes to show how exactly their product is produced, such as in this video we did for “Pintail Coffee”. Videos like these gain trust from your prospective clients, creating a more personal connection to your product.
Pintail Coffee
Here, “Pintail Coffee” showcases their whole process behind creating the perfect cup of coffee, capturing the essence of their brand and exemplifying their mastery of the art of coffee-making.
Creating the perfect cup of coffee for decades, it all starts with the quality of the beans, which they source, purchase and ship to their impressive Long Island manufacturing facility where this video was shot. We give you a very in depth behind the scenes look into their process, actually taking you to their factory to show you every step of the process.
We’ve also created many special FX-driven explainer videos. As I mentioned, we’ve created videos for both large and small businesses – this is an example of an explainer video we created for a larger business in Bloomberg TV.
Unicorn TV
This 30-second TV spot for UnicornTV.net, a new show on Bloomberg TV, featured actor Asia Kate Dillon (lead actor on the Showtime hit Billions and Netflix’s Orange is the New Black) as their spokesperson. Asia’s magnetic screen presence and delivery really captured the overall essence of this dynamic new show. UnicornTV.net, similar to Shark Tank, is the only equity crowd-funding platform of its kind, giving up-and-coming business owners the opportunity to pitch their brand to investors from all over the world.
Explainer videos continue to be one of the most effective (if not THEE most effective) types of videos you can create for your business. If you’re interested in helping YOUR business grow with explainer videos, look no further than Top Notch Cinema. It doesn’t matter where you are located or whether your business is large or small – here at Top Notch Cinema, we will create an explainer video that will take your business to the next level.
