Explainer videos are a killer way to get information out there. Getting all that awesome information out in an effective, colorful way is a wonderful method of increasing brand authority and gathering online traffic. However, a video that’s too long, fuzzy, or boring are pretty common mistakes. Here’s our least favorite errors and some of the simple fixes that will give your video a boost.
Not Clear
There is a ton of information to throw at your audience, but if the design is fuzzy, or there’s a terrible voice over, or if it just doesn’t flow, users leave.
A clear, direct lay-out of your video will help you move your video along, entice users to come on site, and will show off the amazing problem solving capabilities of your wonderful product and services. A clear, direct design presented with a clear, direct voice-over will give your brand authority and voice that gets listened to. A great example is this video, which hits all the main points of a super complicated law, brings people onsite, and offers valuable information to users (which is some of the most interacted with content)..
Too Serious
Don’t forget to keep it light. Your video is solving problems for users, dispatching valuable information that they need, that’s an awesome thing. Keeping it light helps people trust the information that they are receiving and keep people watching.
Doesn’t Solve a Specific Problem
Explainer videos are a great way to brag about your brand or get ahead of a new/exciting product. However, if your video doesn’t offer an explanation or benefit your users, it’s just a commercial. One really easy way to get off the main solution is to use too many synonyms for the problem. It’s really easy to try and stuff in every keyword you can, but that can be confusing for a user.
It can also be tempting to stay away from an issue and keep your video entirely positive. But if you’re not a problem solver or here to explain something for someone, your back to being just a commercial (which isn’t very sharable content).
Too Long
Image Source:www.knowyourmeme.com
TL;DR is one of the internet’s favorite phrase. Don’t let your video be that beautiful thing that’s just too long to pay attention to. Getting right to the point and hitting the major drawing points of your product/ website will get you ahead much faster and reduce the bounce rate. Since this video should be sending people back to your site, breaking into each of the minor points isn’t really necessary. Explainer videos should function as an elevator pitch to the web. Sixty seconds is what is recommended and anything longer can become very boring.
If your explainer video has to be long, you can give a time estimate at the beginning of the video to avoid a heavy bounce rate, give your video the best title in the world, or promise an offer at the end. Time estimates are great because 3 minutes in an explainer video can seem like forever, but XYZ Explained in Under 3 Minutes is a very consumable video. It’s also easier to go through 2 minutes of video to get a twenty percent coupon and another minutes of extra explanations.
Not Talking the Talk
Remember who you are talking to, staying on brand and addressing the audience with the language they understand will help your video have more of an impact with those who watch it.
Staying on-brand is so important when addressing your audience. It brings them into the spirit of your brand, keeps the message visually concise and helps people remember what your brand is about. This can be especially important if your explainer video is not explaining a product, but developments in the field.
Your audience is special. They have their own vernacular, they have their own likes, and interests and talking to them on their level has big results. As with all marketing, you should talk to your audience in a way that makes sense to them. Like in the video below, which paints the user into the video.
Image Source:www.mediawhale.com
BONUS TIP: Don’t forget to add a link back to your site for more information. A viral video without directions back to the source is far less valuable.
