Explainers make for excellent inbound marketing pieces.
Regardless of the niche, industry, and target audience, they make it easy for people to connect with your message. It’s the main reason behind their swift rise in popularity, and why so many skillful digital marketing agencies are in love with the format.
A trend that’s made even more evident when it comes to the tech sector.
In tech, conveying complex ideas clearly and efficiently has always been a challenge. Especially when you need to appeal to geek and normie audiences alike. Something that an animated explainer video is geared to achieve like no other piece of content.
That said, tech-related videos tend to behave as a particular breed in their own right, with unique requirements and characteristics that can end up making or breaking the final product.
Let’s go over some of these elements, and the ways the industry addresses them. Making sure you’ll have all the ingredients you’ll need to make that killer video your tech company has been looking for!
The Secret Behind Compelling Tech-Oriented Scripts:
Every marketing video needs a quick, clear, and engaging script to work. And nowhere is this truer than when you have to describe a new app, web service, or tech, in layman’s terms.
Get too technical, and you’ll bore your audience and lose them quickly.
Don’t get technical enough, and you’ll fail to convey the advantages of your product.
Therefore, the secret to an engaging script in tech lies in balance. A balance you can achieve by following a simple yet effective structure: Begin with the What, move on to the How, and finish with the Why of your product.
It’s a simple three-act structure that most people respond to.
You begin your script by focusing on the “What”, that is, the problem or pressure point your new tech is poised to help people with. Starting this way immediately engages people far more than listing your product’s benefits ever could. You are telling them what the stakes are, why they should care.
Then you move on to the “How”, and here’s where your sparkly new app or tech solution gets to shine. You get to explain precisely how your tech will help them solve that problem you posed at the beginning of the video. However, simplicity is the name of the game here.
Focusing on one or two of the major benefits tends to be much more effective than gushing over the entire list.
Lastly, you close the whole thing by addressing the “Why”, and that’s why they should choose your solution above those of the competition’s.
Keep your scripts focused around these three acts, and you’ll make even the most complex tech startup sound exciting and understandable.
Yes! You DO Need a Storyboard!
Think of storyboards as a simple comic strip that describes in broad strokes the action and visual cues of your video.
Polished storyboards are an important piece in every animated video, but become essential when it comes to tech.
Most people out there won’t be nearly as familiar with your product as you are. The storyboard, then, gives you the perfect canvas to carefully choose meaningful visuals to help illustrate your message.
Humans process visual information way more efficiently than other forms of input, giving you a fantastic avenue for communication.
Each frame should form a continuity between the one before it, and the one to follow. Weave a tale that holds the audience’s attention, lets them envision your product, and the impact it will have on their lives.
Working diligently on a meaningful storyboard ensures you are getting the most bang for your buck, using visual representations that drive your product’s benefits home.
It’s the same strategy that the best explainer video production companies use to create compelling pieces.
Make Sure to (Subtly) Promote Your Brand
Can a marketing video work without worrying about brand awareness? Sure. However, that’s a fantastic way to waste a perfect opportunity.
One of the most powerful benefits these videos give companies is precisely their ability to promote your brand’s visibility. Subtly but effectively.
Part of this we already covered in the script section, as proposing your tech solution as the solution goes a long way toward that goal. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg if you know what you are doing.
Remember that these are audiovisual pieces of content. Having the right sound pop-up at crucial moments can subtly reinforce the prominence of your service. Smart use of your company’s color pallet or logo at critical points is also an excellent way to make sure your company remains front and center. Even if not directly alluded to.
Pay attention and seize these opportunities as you work on your video, and you’ll find many instances to engage in discreet, yet effective branding.
Speak Directly to YOUR Audience
As you sit down to work on your video, you should fight the instinct to make a broad and generic message.
Don’t get me wrong; there is merit to the idea of trying to appeal to everybody. Pulling in as wide and varied a community for your latest web service or new app as possible.
The thing is, though, that trying to cater to everyone might hinder your efforts more than it helps them, especially in an industry as crowded as the tech one is.
When you have a clear audience in mind for your product, you can (and should) tailor your video to speak to them directly. To appeal to their preferences, and connect with their interests.
You can achieve this by crafting a story they can respond to. By selecting a voice over talent that reflects who your audience is. And by making stylistic choices you know will resonate with said audience.
A video crafted with a specific demographic in mind can still appeal to broader groups, while still ensuring your core audience will feel represented.
Length, it is THAT important
A video’s length is such a vital – and often underrated – topic that I had to include it as the last item on this list. And It’s a common issue I see more often reflected in tech-related pieces.
In an effort to include as many benefits or qualities for a piece of software as possible, tech explainers tend to run long and overstay their welcome.
You need to keep in mind that at any given moment, your audience’s attention is being vied for by a number of notifications, content alerts, and ads. At the same time, having people stay until the end of your video goes a long way toward getting the full effect of your message.
To keep your videos from running into this problem, the best thing to do is to focus them around your product’s main draw. That unique characteristic or feature that sets you apart from the rest.
Then add other relevant information as your runtime permits.
The average ideal length for a digital marketing video is under two minutes. Try and keep yours under this mark and you’ll be golden.
If you put together a solid script, craft a detailed storyboard, pepper in brand visibility, and wrap it all in a quick and tailored voice, you’ll have a powerful marketing video in your hands.
One capable of taking your complex new tech service and making it sound exciting and straightforward for all types of audiences.
But you don’t have to take my word for it!
Want to see how all these elements play out in action? Here’s a neat example to give you an idea:
