7 Mistakes to Avoid When Creating Your Animated Explainer Video

In today’s fast-paced world, in its hurly-burly existence, businesses are always looking for innovative ways to get their message across to potential customers — to seize them by the throat and really make an impact. One of their favorite tools, their one-two punch that has become essential in their arsenal, is the animated explainer video. Through a clever combination of eye-catching visuals and compelling storytelling, big and small businesses can now effortlessly – and at a fraction of previous production costs – communicate complex ideas and services to their audience while simultaneously and with some ease boosting their brand awareness. These types of videos are here to stay — But let’s be honest, creating a truly effective animated explainer video is no walk in the park. Sadly, many businesses fall prey to common mistakes that can completely derail the success of their video. In this article, we’ll hatch and dissect those mistakes and give you a crash course on the type of videos.

The Importance of Animated Explainer Videos for Businesses

Making animated explainer videos has become popular for businesses to zoom their message straight into their audience’s mind. With the rise of digital marketing, videos have become one of the most effective ways to engage with customers — and one of the easiest. According to a recent survey, 80% of consumers prefer watching a video to reading a blog post. Also, animated explainer videos can improve a business’s SEO ranking, increase brand awareness, and drive conversions. That last point is mainly since the Google algorithm gives a better rating to blogs or websites with videos.

For example, in 2017, Dropbox, a popular cloud storage service – one the firsts – released a new product called Dropbox Paper. It was a workspace for teams to create, share, and collaborate on documents — a precursor to Google Docs. Right off the bat, they faced a rather startling challenge: how to explain this new product’s avant-garde features and benefits in a simple and engaging way?

To address this hiccup, Dropbox commissioned an animated explainer video, which easily explained the concept and advantages of Dropbox Paper in a visually engaging way. The video, which lasted just over two minutes, highlighted how the product could help teams collaborate more efficiently and effectively. How it could streamline their customers’ processes.

The piece was released on Dropbox’s official website, its social media channels, and other key marketing channels. In a matter of days, it received thousands of views – some even repeated – and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The video helped to improve their target demographic’s understanding of this revolutionary new product and increase user adoption.

The explainer video’s success also translated into business success — Let’s break it down. Dropbox Paper was able to attract and retain more users, resulting in an increase in revenue and market share. The video also helped to increase brand awareness, improve customer engagement, and position Dropbox as an innovative leader in the cloud storage industry.

Not only that, but due to the way the video was trending on Google, Dropbox managed to create a side hustle — since Google, due to their partnership agreement with all YouTube accounts, started funneling some of the proceeds the video was made to advertisers.

Dropbox’s explainer video for Dropbox Paper is just one of the prime examples of how an explainer video can help a business.

Mistakes in Animated Explainer Video Production

Animated explainer videos have been around for several decades, with their origins dating back to the early 20th century — when advertising and technology, not to mention cinematography, started to mix. In the 1920s, companies began using animated films to promote their products and services. One of the earliest examples of an animated explainer video took place in 1924, through a film called “The Acme Window Cleaning Co.” This company, which later inspired the Road Runner’s Acme, used the medium to demonstrate the benefits of their window cleaning services.

The popularity of animated explainer videos continued to grow throughout the 20th century, with other titans and conglomerates using them to educate their loyal customers about their products and services. Still, it wasn’t until the rise of the internet in the 1990s that animated explainer videos became more widely used — that’s when they started to surge in popularity.

In the early 2000s, companies started using Flash animation to create short explainer videos for their websites — they no longer needed convoluted production studios. The art form could not be accomplished in a home PC. These videos were often simple, with basic graphics and limited animation. They, nevertheless, were incredibly effective in explaining difficult-to-grasp ideas or products in an easy-to-understand way.

The popularity of animated explainer videos exploded in the 2010s, with the rise of video-sharing platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. That’s when companies started employing these platforms to share their videos with a wider audience, and the format quickly became a popular tool for digital marketing.

And that’s also when we started to create a guideline on properly doing animated videos—- and what mistakes to avoid. Let’s look at some of the faux-pass most companies seem to encounter.

Overloading the Video with Information

A common mistake businesses make is trying to cram too much information into their videos — to make those videos too convoluted and detail-oriented. This can oftentimes lead to confusion and disengagement from the audience. The key is to focus on the main message and keep the video concise and to the point.

Neglecting the Target Audience

Not understanding your target audience is a huge mistake in animated explainer video production — most companies don’t take the time to define this crucial aspect. The end product should be tailored to your audience’s needs, desires, and pain points. You should research your demographic and target audience to understand their interests and wants.

Compromising on Animation Quality

Quality is essential to any product’s success — an explainer video fits into the paradigm. Low-quality animations will inevitably lead to a negative brand image, not to mention a lack of engagement from the audience. Investing in professional animation services, like the ones we offer, can ensure high-quality cinematic visuals that capture the attention of your audience.

Ignoring the Power of Storytelling

All great companies understand that the real power of a message is how you deliver it — how you spin the words, and how you weave them together to create a compelling story. Storytelling is an effective way to create an emotional connection with the audience — to take them on a trip. Focusing on the story and adding the right narrative swagger can improve the audience’s engagement and retention of information.

Ineffective or Missing Call-to-Action

The call-to-action – CTA-  is a crucial part of an explainer video —  it directs the audience on what you want them to do, and what they should take away from experience after watching the video. Missing or ineffective CTA can lead to a lack of conversions.

Poor Audio Quality and Voiceover

Audio quality and voiceovers play a vital role in an explainer video’s success. Poor audio quality can sink your investment, and a low-quality voiceover can lead to a lack of credibility.

Inconsistent Branding and Visuals

Branding and visuals are crucial in creating a solid impression — a holistic, all-encompassing, integrated on all channels brand image is a key prerogative for all your endeavors. Inconsistent branding, odd visuals, and off-the-cuff ideas, can lead to confusion and can short-circuit communication.

Tips for Avoiding Mistakes

Collaborating with experienced professionals like animated explainer video companies such as Kasra Design Studio is a decisive factor for getting your videos off the ground. Production companies can help you avoid these mistakes and streamline your whole operation.

When creating animated explainer videos, always consider the following:

• Build relationships with experienced professionals: working with a reputable animated explainer video company is integral in your endeavors and ensures the quality of your video.
• Conduct thorough research and planning: before creating your video, research all you can in order to truly understand your target audience and their needs. Plan out the content and message you want to convey to ensure that it is clear and effective — this well saves on production costs and time.
• Seek feedback from your target audience: getting feedback from your target audience can help you identify any potential issues or areas of confusion in your video — take the time to do focus group research once the video is finished.
• Create a script and storyboard: having a clear and concise script and storyboard will help you stay on track and ensure that the video meets your objectives.

By avoiding common mistakes and investing in high-quality animation services, businesses can create successful explainer videos that drive conversions and improve their brand awareness.