If you were asked to describe your company you could probably go on for hours about the details and benefits of your product or service.
But if you had to do this in less than two minutes and hold the attention of a very distracted Internet user, you may find yourself hard pressed to squeeze in all the information. For many entrepreneurs, the solution comes in the form of an explainer video. These short animated videos present viewers with a snapshot of your offering to help ease the decision making process.
The concept is easy enough. If you’ve ever given an elevator pitch or quickly shown a friend what you do, the same ideas can be applied to a video. It’s in the production stage, however, that a glitch can occur. Most full-time businesspeople don’t have the opportunity to take up video production as a hobby.
Hubspot recently reported that over 70% of Internet users will watch a video online in 2012. So whether you’re a multimedia maven or not, it’s critical to find a way to get your message out in video form.
While it may seem that this demand is working against those with a less technical or artistic background, there are groundbreaking opportunities for even the most inexperienced video maker.
The explainer video software on today’s market can turn busy professionals into video production superstars. Turning the question “How am I ever going to make video?” into “Which software is best for my business?”
Adobe After Effects
Animation is one of the two most popular ways businesses are spreading the word about their products and services. When it comes to creating high-quality animated videos, Adobe After Effects doesn’t disappoint.
Feature films like Sin City and Avengers have utilized the software. And for the average Joe, it can quickly bring text to life or create an animated stage for presenting information.
The Upside: Business owners’ abilities to create animated videos are virtually boundless with After Effects. From the “puppet tool” that gets still images moving to its flexible layer system, you can start small and go big.
The Downside: It isn’t the simplest explainer video software on the market and takes quite a bit of time and experience to get used to. After Effects’ extensive “bells and whistles” can be great for the avid editor, but for newbies, it can complicate an already nerve-racking production process.
If time is on your side, you can create a stunning animated video the likes of which many rushed business owners won’t be able to compete with. For those looking for an animated explainer video, After Effects provides amazing diversity. You just have to be prepared to spend a lot of time getting to know the software.
Camtasia
Another popular way to develop an explainer video is with screenshot recording software. As the name would suggest, a creator shows their audience a product or service by capturing a computer screen view of it in action.
If you are trying to produce a straight forward tutorial, a screenshot video can show the exact process of using a product. Often companies with complex processes will use this technique to make it easy on their customers to get started or troubleshoot.
The Upside: Clients get to see the exact way to use your product or service without the distraction of comic characters and cutesy effects. Camtasia provides a number of features that help make onscreen actions easy to view and follow.
The Downside: Screenshot videos tend to lack pizzazz. If you’re interested in creating something that viewers will remain captivated by from beginning to end, it can be a struggle to spice up screen recordings.
Screenshots can undeniably serve the “explainer” function for your video if you want cut-and-dry facts delivered to your viewers, but if you’re looking to have some fun, you may struggle to find it here.
GoAnimate
Let’s face it, big screen quality animation sounds great and screen recording videos seem practical. However, maybe you just need something that allows you to show some sass without requiring years of video production experience.
What you need is a blend of screenshot simplicity and advanced editing appeal; something that can add life to your explainer video while making it the process painless. GoAnimate makes it easier on users to create videos that deliver information clearly in a visually captivating way.
The Upside: Companies that want to start their explainer videos quickly, won’t have to battle a huge learning curve or settle for a slightly boring recording.
The Downside: Businesspeople can struggle to focus their message properly with thousands of character and prop possibilities at their disposal.
An explainer video should represent your brand, deliver a clear and effective description of your product or service, and be interesting enough to captivate viewers from start to finish.
Make sure the software you’re using to create your company’s presence in the online video world fits your needs and abilities across the board.
