The marketing industry has changed tremendously. A message reaches millions of internet users instantly, regardless of time and space. The covid-19 pandemic shook the world and gave rise to virtual engagement. People are exposed to content marketing more than ever before. Digital marketers are exerting themselves to develop something that informs and entices the target audience.
The internet is filled with surveys and numerical data on how the audio/visual format has altered how products or services are advertised online. Google, too, values visual content more when it appears on the search engine results page.
Explainer videos, in this respect, are undoubtedly a very effective tool to concisely educate about a product or service. You will find them everywhere; on websites, social media pages, Youtube, seminars, and meetings. Instead of merely promoting the brand name, the explainer videos focus more on the problem-solving capabilities of a product or service. Descriptive language and simple visuals make explainer videos very easy to assimilate.
Consider an explainer video as a salesperson available 24/7 on the company’s homepage or social media pages. This salesman is always ready to deliver the perfect pitch whenever someone lands on the website. And the best part is, it neither demands any service charges or pay nor takes any leave.
Now the question is; is every online video that gives information about a product or service an explainer video? The straightforward answer – the only answer – is no. Other popular video formats look pretty similar to the explainer videos but are entirely different in functionality and intent. It’s because every viewer is unique – standing at a certain level of understanding about the brand. For instance, the explainer video provides first-hand information about a business, a testimonial video shares customers’ experiences with a product or service, and tutorial videos are ideal for learning the best use of the product or application.
Let’s see how the explainer videos are unique from other types of online videos.
Explainer Video Vs. Branded Videos
Branded videos – also referred to as sponsored videos – indirectly promote businesses without giving the impression of coercive marketing. In advertisements, viewers consciously know that companies push them to think about the product or service. But in branded videos, the audience focuses more on the topic when the host or a credible personality endorses the brand. Take the examples of Nike and Redbull, who create content that emotionally appeals to an incredible spectrum of audiences.
Branded videos are most likely used to increase brand familiarity. You might not need the product immediately, but when you need that, you will remember the name, and it would probably be your first choice. On the contrary, the explainer video ideally stimulates the call to action (CTA), prompting viewers to perform a specific action. It doesn’t leave the audience clueless – so, what’s next? – however, it creates a sense of urgency by offering a free trial, consultation, or subscription.
As mentioned in the name, explainer videos explain every bit of information one should know about the brand or product. Creators of explainer videos adopt the “show and tell” strategy. They use creative metaphors best describe the product or service. Conversely, the branded video’s creator believed in the “show, don’t tell” doctrine. A brief introduction to the product refreshes the brand’s name in the viewer’s mind. Whatever the video is about, people guess the proper usage of the product or service.
The explainer videos illustrate the possible circumstances in which a brand could be used and solve myriad problems. In comparison, branded videos show a specific use of the brand or sometimes introduce the product, no matter the video’s main subject.
Explainer Video vs. Tutorial Videos
There is no second opinion that tutorial videos are the handiest source of active learning. You will find tutorial videos for everything, from developing a game to opening a door. According to Google’s study, users are three times more likely to watch a YouTube tutorial video than read a product’s instructions.
Though explainer and tutorial videos explain product use, both achieve unlike goals and use distinct production styles.
An explainer video’s script goes through numerous rounds of reviews and rewrites. A team of marketers meticulously studies the demographic and psychographics of the target audience, while professional copywriters tailor the script. In contrast, tutorial video creators don’t follow well-versed copywriting and rely primarily on improvisation. However, they devise a rough script but use more personal language that adds value, invokes human emotions, and increases audience engagement.
Most explainer videos produce in the narrative style. A series of events create a story; A protagonist dealing with a challenge is exposed to the solution (product) that solves the problem. Tutorial videos, on the other hand, are more objective in style describing step-by-step instructions.
In the explainer video, every frame and detail matters. The creative producer and art director put great effort into rendering quality work. Every production process in an explainer video – illustration, storyboard, style board, animation, voice-over, and editing – goes through a quality control check. But tutorial videos don’t have such a kind of planned production. The creator only needs a camera, a tripod, lights, and a confident smiling face. In some cases – tutorial video about a computer application – the only thing you need is screencasting software.
Explainer videos are used to promote a new/unpopular brand. Businesses invest a lot in explainer videos to spread the word and boost leads. Contrarily, YouTubers make tutorial videos of already popular products. They create content voluntarily to get more views on their channel.
Explainer Video vs. Procedural Videos
Procedural videos – most of them – don’t play a significant role in our daily life or buying habits. But they are so mesmerizing nobody dares to skip them. Such videos give us a close look at something intriguing, whether it’s a simple drawing of a flower or making a Harley Davidson’s engine.
We all are fans of primitive-technology videos – every video has millions of views. Despite knowing that we will never make or use those things in our life, we watch them building stuff with great interest. It’s because our brain floods dopamine whenever we satisfy our curiosity.
Some procedural videos have commercial purposes – fall into branded video domain – but most are for entertainment and viewership. People fervently watch every detail but don’t care about the product and its usage. Conversely, the explainer videos manifest every single feature of the product. Any left-out information would mislead the audience and hurt the company’s reputation.
Explainer videos are about the products or services we could use in our daily routine. On the other hand, most procedural videos are about commodities that are very rare or uncommon in use. For instance, how many of us have found an abandoned World War 2 motorbike and restored it, or how many times have you we captured an extremely slow-moving bullet penetrating a watermelon?
As mentioned earlier, every explainer video has commercial objectives. The whole marketing department burns night candles and drafts a compelling script to boost the conversion rate. Procedural videos, on the other hand, come from personal interests or hobbies. The creators are passionate about the procedure, doing it for years, and want to publicize their talent, just like Vietnamese boys making $3.3 million worth of Bugatti Veyrons in their garage.
Explainer Video vs. Testimonial Video
In marketing, showcasing customers’ degree of satisfaction is always worth it. Testimonial videos are by far the most practical techniques to channel customers’ experiences. People trust word of mouth more than advertising because our brain is hardwired to navigate what is natural and what is made up.
In testimonial content, contented customers share their experiences of how a business, product, or service has solved their constant problems. Such interviews are conducted in different styles; before/after videos, customer’s journey, success stories, or different perspectives.
Although both – explainer videos and testimonial videos – talk about the end results, the claims are very different. Explainer videos state anticipated results, while in testimonials, the results are based on solid facts and figures.
In testimonial videos, an actual human appears on the screen. The explainer videos could be live-action or animation, depending on the content requirement.
Explainer videos show only the common use of a product or service. However, in testimonial videos, businesses or individuals tell more about their unique needs and product usage accordingly.
Testimonial videos use social proof as a driving force. Such content hits people emotionally and invokes the feeling, “if others can, why not me?” On the contrary, explainer videos adopt a more cognitive approach. Copywriters use logical prepositions to strengthen their claims.
Because of the involvement of actual human beings, testimonial videos express a bit of exaggeration. Explainer videos, on the other hand, very concisely convey the pertinent message.
In a Nutshell,
Content marketing is changing rapidly with every passing day. As Jonathan Franchell, CEO and Founder of Ironpaper, points out: “Effective content in the awareness phase educates the buyer on their pain points.” And people like to watch more visual content rather than skim the text. Once known as joke posts, memes are now being used to promote business pages. Interestingly, many memes are traded for millions of dollars as non-fungible tokens. Sounds strange, right?
In visual marketing, videos are still the most efficient medium to convey a decent amount of information in the shortest possible time. Each format has significant value and importance, whether it’s tutorial, testimonial, procedural, branded, or explainer video. All video formats are reshaping the method of marketing and serving businesses in a unique way.
New products and applications are entering the mainstream daily, increasing the demand for explainer videos. If you have a unique product or service and need an explainer video, contact us at info@doodlereel.com. We are experts in producing explainer videos and are committed to creating state-of-the-art content.