The Big Explanatory Video Guide: all Information at a Glance
- Von: Mag. Dominik Mikulaschek
What is an explainer video? What is the price of an explainer video and how do you find the right provider? Which explainer video styles and areas of application are particularly suitable? You can find all the information at a glance in our big explainer video guide.
What is an explainer video?
Short answer: Explanatory videos are informative, digital animated animations of 1 to 2 minutes, kept as short as possible.
In an explainer video, a simple to highly complex topic is explained using 1 to 2-minute scripts, illustrations, animations, typography and sounds. In this way, information is conveyed as densely as possible and certain actions of the recipient are encouraged.
Why you should have an explainer video produced for your company!
Explainer videos are informative, entertaining and are enjoyed by over 90% of users. Explainer videos have experienced a real breakthrough internationally and are enjoying great popularity worldwide.
Explainer videos are extremely worthwhile for companies:
- 8 out of 10 consumers buy an app or software after watching an explainer video
- The time spent on the website increases enormously through the use of explanatory videos
- An explainer video stays in the memory: over 80% of users remember an explainer video
Explanatory video styles
Depending on the content you want to convey in your explainer video, there are different explainer video styles that are suitable for this.
Whiteboard: Laying technique style and scribble video
2D color animation
2D color animations are very versatile and very popular thanks to their individual style. From simple drawings to detailed animations, everything is possible and there are no limits to your creativity.
Isometric style
The isometric explainer video style is characterized by its three-dimensional, spatial imagery created by the isometric perspective. Large image areas are created here, which above all make it possible to depict several topics in parallel and then link them logically.
3D animation
Explainer video prices
We get asked this question all the time, and rightly so: “How much does an explainer video cost?“ The answer is not easy to answer so quickly, as you have to calculate a lot of details when pricing an explainer video.
To begin with, however, I would like to give you an overview of the price range that you will find on the market if you do some intensive research:
- 0 Euro: Free tools for creating explainer videos yourself or students or founders of an explainer video agency who still need a portfolio.
- 0 to 2,500 euros: Low-cost providers who work with style templates that are perfectly adequate for many companies.
- From 3,000 to 7,000 euros: Professional explanatory video production by professional producers. Explanatory films of this type are often booked by medium-sized companies and corporations.
- 7,000 upwards: As we all know, there is no upper limit. In most cases, however, it is not necessary to spend more than 7,000 euros on a maximum 2-minute explanatory video.
The question you should always ask yourself is: “Would you like to create your explainer video yourself using a software tool? Or would you prefer to hire a professional explainer video agency?
To make this decision, you should consider whether you have the necessary time and creative resources to create your explainer video yourself. However, it is important that you are aware that explainer video software tools are cost-saving, but it is almost impossible to achieve the quality level of professional explainer video agencies. This starts with the creation of the concept, script and storyboard, right through to production. If your budget is limited, producing an explainer video yourself is certainly an option. If you are planning to do this, you would be well advised to educate and prepare yourself accordingly before you realize such a production yourself.
Basic structure of storytelling in explainer videos
There are certain basic structures that are used in most explanatory videos.
A large number of explanatory films typically go through the following phases:
1st problem: Think of a typical problem situation for your target group! Confront your characters with this problem and, above all, show the associated problems.
2. solution: Next, bring your solution into play. Explain the key points here that make your service or product the ideal solution for the problem presented.
3. functionality: Show your recipient in the explanatory video how your solution works exactly by having your characters use your service or product, you obviously show how it helps to solve the existing problem.
4. summary: Tie the thread back to your introduction, but this time with your offer as the solution to the problem. What have the recipients learned from your explanatory video, why is your offer the right solution?
5. call to action: At the end of the explainer video, give your audience a specific recommendation for action that they should take after watching the explainer video.
6 steps of an explainer video production
The production of an explainer video always follows the same sequence of steps.
Here you will find the 6 steps of an explainer video production:
1st briefing
The briefing lays the foundation for the explanatory video production.
The following components are important parts of a questionnaire:
- What goal do you want to achieve with your explainer video?
- What specifically characterizes your company?
- Who should be addressed with your explanatory video?
- Are there any explainer video styles that you like?
- Where should your explainer video be used?
- In which language should your explainer video be produced?
- Are there special CI specifications in your company?
- In what time frame should your explainer video be produced?
Based on the answers to these questions, we can start preparing and planning your explanatory film production.
2. concept
The concept is the first important step in the production of an explainer video. It is developed on the basis of your information from the briefing. The concept includes, among other things, the voiceover text, the written visual presentation and often also initial information on the sound design. This production phase is very important for the subsequent success of the project!
3. find an explainer video style
After the conception phase, the visual line of your explainer video is developed as part of the style development process. At the beginning, you will receive a mood board in which all visual ideas can be easily recorded. Once we have laid the visual foundation for your explanatory video with the mood board, an initial individual graphic is illustrated based on this. This graphic can, for example, be an essential scene from the concept or a character appearing in it. As soon as the first graphic meets your expectations, we will design further graphics. If these also meet your expectations, we will create all the graphics required for the explanatory video.
4. storyboard
The storyboard is the drawn version of your script. This is where we list all the graphics to match the timing of your script. You can see how your explanatory video is broken down per scene in standing pictures. It is important here that the storyboard is well worked out in detail and actually corresponds to your ideas so that you don’t have to make too many changes later during the animation.
5. animation
Now your illustrations are finally in motion. The previously created graphics are now moved by our animation program in such a way that a fluid image is created and your graphics are brought to life.
Different techniques and stylistic features lend your explanatory video its characteristic quality and should be chosen carefully:
- Movement of figures and objects
- Cut
- Zooms
- Use of filters
- Animated textures
- Sharpness / blur
- Etc.
6. sound design
Upload & embed your explanatory film
Your explainer video has been completed and is now ready for use. What are the next steps to achieve the best possible results with your explainer video?
To begin with, you are well advised to upload your video to YouTube and Vimeo.
It is important that you don’t forget to implement the SEO rules with both providers in the best possible way so that your explainer video can also be found in the organic results in the long term.
Place & market your explainer video correctly
One of the most important steps for the success of your project is based on the correct placement and marketing of your explainer video. Many people invest large sums in a professional explainer video production, but then often spend little or no budget on making their explainer video visible
Recommended locations for your explainer video:
- Website
- Social media: Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.
- Online marketing: Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.
- Offer submission
- Trade fair
- Chats
- Etc.
Evaluation & success measurement of your explainer video positioning
It is important that you do not position your explainer video blindly, but that you carry out all positioning with measurements if possible. Allchannels offer you theopportunity to analyse various statistics.The more measured values you evaluate here in the overall context, the better you can understand which positions are very suitable and deliver positive results .Especially if you recognize in online marketing based on the measurement data that you achieve very good results on different channels and not on others, you can then distribute the budget accordingly in the best possible way .After successfully integrating an explainer video on your website, it is advisable to observethe changes in the key figures, analyse them and draw the right conclusions from them.
Wie findest Du die richtige Erklärvideo-Agentur für Dein Projekt?
If you are actually aiming for a professional production, it is important that you exclude low-cost providers and work with one of the leading explainer video agencies. It is important that you make the necessary comparison and check the essential facts during the selection process.
Pay particular attention to the following details when looking for the right explainer video provider:
- References and customer feedback
- Competence & advice
- Offer submission
- Website presence, social media, online marketing
Conclusion
After reading this comprehensive explainer video guide, you are already a big step closer to the successful production of your explainer video! It is important that you, as the managing director or responsible employee, internalize the essential criteria that are decisive when choosing the right explainer video provider. The more precisely you plan here, the smoother the production of your explainer video will run.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at any time by e-mail: office@explain-it-simple.com or by phone.
In any case, we would be very pleased if our explainer video agency “explain it simple” would be shortlisted among the available providers and if we could send you an offer for future planned explainer video projects.
