Animated Explainer Videos: Using Animation To Communicate ‘How’

Animated explainer videos are an excellent way of getting your point across. Especially complex topics that are not easy to explain in writing. Communication is key.

We’ve already looked at how to communicate the why using animation in a previous article. This time round we’re going to look at how to use animation to communicate how you can convey your message to consumers, employees, professionals and students.

Communicating your “how” helps people to understand what you can do for them. For example, consumers want to know how you can help them to overcome their problems, needs and desires.

Employees, professionals and students want to know how they can utilise your products and services to help consumers.

Using animation to communicate how is the bridge between your business profits and customer satisfaction. Animated explainer videos are an effective solution for connecting the two sides.

Yet a high number of businesses struggle to communicate ‘how’ their services and products can help customers. Okay, we don’t have statistics to back that up, but you must admit, you see it all the time right?

And how else can you explain why 30% of businesses fail within the first two years of opening?

The fact of the matter is that consumers often don’t understand what companies do or how they can resolve their particular “pain point”. It’s difficult to convey this message on a website.

Explaining with animation, on the other hand, gives you an advantage over other mediums.

Why are animated explainer videos so important?

Animated explainer videos can be highly effective in helping consumers understand how a company can resolve their pain points. Using animation, narration, and storytelling enables you to simplify complex communications in a visually engaging and easily digestible format.

Communicating your how requires clarity and simplicity. This can be achieved by taking viewers through a step-by-step journey using everyday language. Visual demonstrations are often more effective than written instructions.

Explainer videos can be produced to emphasize the benefits and value proposition of your products and services. Choose your best features and make videos centered around the pain point that particular feature resolves. The latest Airbnb ads are a great example of this.

When you explain what your company does and how you can resolve pain points, you create an emotional connection with your audience that can then be leveraged to build trust. Using animation to communicate “how” demonstrates your expertise and commitment to addressing customer needs.

What are the benefits of explainer videos?

By explaining the ‘how’ to your customers, new employees, and even the general public, explainer videos can provide clear and concise information that helps to understand what your company does and how you can help them.

In a nutshell, explainer videos educate viewers about your products, services, or industry-specific topics. They can answer common questions and provide valuable insights in simple terms.

What’s more, studies have shown that people tend to retain and recall information better when it’s presented in a visual and auditory format. Because explainer videos enhance information recall, consumers are most likely to think of your brand when they are ready to buy.

So why pick animation over live action videos?

Although live action videos are a familiar method of filmmaking, when it comes to explainer videos, animation becomes the superior medium for a number of reasons.

First, live action videos take more time, resources and effort, and often cost more. Consider the price of renting a site, setting up equipment, the paying for the crew and all the actors involved. Then on top of that would be the cost of any graphics to illustrate what’s being explained in the video.

Specifically when explaining the ‘how’, many of the industries that would benefit the most from communicating the ‘how’ wouldn’t be able to do so in live action.

A great example of this is the medical industry, think about trying to show how a drug works within the body, how an illness affects internal processes, or even the steps of a medical procedure. It would be extremely difficult or impossible to get a live video of any of these scenarios. And if it were possible, it’d be hard to stomach – making it unappealing and potentially frightening to patients.

Similarly the construction industry – projects can take months or years, with heavy machinery being operated on site, all things which would affect the production time and cost on a live action video. And even if those aspects we’re manageable, it could still be difficult for most people to understand.

Animation mitigates all of these issues as it really can explain anything. Medical procedures can be shown in an educational way with lots of visual and audio prompts, without there being any shocking visuals.

And similarly continuing with using construction as an example, using animation you can show any part of the process with ease, while still replicating real life situations. Animated explainer video production is also far shorter with fewer resources than live action videos. The assets used in animated videos can also be kept for future projects, meaning animated videos have greater longevity and versatility than live action videos, which means a more cost-effective solution.

To summarize, the practicality of using animation over live action to communicate ‘how’ is why it is such a popular medium

How to use animation to communicate how

There is a wide variety of ways you can use animated explainer videos to communicate how. Examples include:

• Demonstrate how your product and services work (i.e how medication, or medical procedures work or how a disease affects the body)
• Describe your products, services and job roles to employees or customers (how to use a piece of machinery in the construction industry)
• For educational purposes in a training or classroom setting
• Increase customer relations by explaining your customer service policy
• Raise consumer awareness and create a buzz about a new product
• Establish credibility as experts
• Welcome new employees into the business
• And many other ways

Thinking of an explainer animation?

Could you benefit by using animation to explain ‘how’ your company can resolve a consumer pain point, train your employees or teach your students?

Whether it’s for your employees or your consumers, we can help create your vision, and clearly explain what your business is all about.

Contact us today and speak to our professional team of animators to find out how we can help your business benefit by using animation to communicate how.