How to Explain Your Service to Customers with an Animated Explainer Video

In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses have mere seconds to grab a customer’s attention before they move on.

Explainer videos have become an invaluable marketing asset for brands of all sizes looking to quickly and clearly explain what their business does, the core problems they solve, and why customers should care.

With engagement times for online video content being significantly higher than text, and visual content being processed 60,000 times faster by the human brain, it’s no wonder that explainer videos have become a must-have asset for marketers.

But What Makes an Effective Explainer Video?

An impactful explainer video quickly educates potential customers on your key differentiators in an engaging, memorable way. The most effective videos follow a proven framework:

Identify the target audience
Explain the problem being solved
Communicate the key benefits
Use simple language
Tell a compelling story
Convey a clear call to action

Follow these steps carefully, while working with a top-notch animation studio, and your video can capture attention, spark interest, and motivate action better than any other medium.

Identify Your Target Audience

The first step is gaining crystal clarity on who you want to reach with your video. Explainer videos resonate best when tailored specifically to your ideal customer.

Take time upfront to identify details like:

Demographic factors – age, location, gender, income level
Pain points – problems and frustrations they face
Goals – outcomes they want to achieve

Understanding these psychographic details will allow you to craft messaging and visuals that truly speak to their needs and connect with them on an emotional level.

Avoid the temptation to create a generic video aimed at everyone. The most effective videos are highly targeted. Do your research through surveys, interviews, and customer analysis to identify your buyer personas.

Explain The Problem You Solve

Once you intimately understand your audience, the next step is focusing your video on the core problem you empower them to solve. Help the viewer recognize how your offering perfectly fills a critical gap.

Illustrate the “before and after”. Paint a picture of the frustration your customers face today. Then showcase how your solution makes their lives easier.

Compare the status quo to the better future you enable. Position your service as the missing puzzle piece to make everything finally click into place.

Communicate The Key Benefits

Now that viewers understand the problem, your video needs to transition to communicating the solution. Explain the most important features and functionalities of your offering.

But resist the temptation to cover every bell and whistle. Avoid overloading the viewer with too many details. Instead, focus on the 3-5 elements that truly differentiate you from alternatives. Drive home why you provide unmatched value.

Some tips for an effective approach:

Lead with the biggest benefit – hook attention right away with your #1 differentiator and competitive advantage.
Speak to emotions – connect your benefits to desires – convenience, confidence, savings, growth.
Quantify value – use stats and data to showcase tangible outcomes you deliver.
Use visuals – illustrations and graphics that symbolize benefits and make them memorable.
Tell stories – anecdotes of success drive benefits home better than stats alone.

Use Simple, Everyday Language

Marketing materials often rely on complex industry jargon under the faulty assumption that using insider terminology makes them sound more knowledgeable.

Explainer videos take the opposite approach – using everyday language that’s simple, intuitive, and accessible to all. Avoid overcomplicated words and focus on speaking plainly.

You want viewers to easily digest what you’re explaining, not feel confused. Use vocabulary a child could understand. Your message will land much more effectively.

Tell a Compelling Story

An explainer video is not a product catalog. Simply listing features and functions is a surefire way to lose viewer attention.

Instead, tell a compelling story that guides the customer through an emotional journey of discovering they have a problem, learning how you provide the perfect solution, and envisioning the success and satisfaction they’ll feel as a customer.

Set the scene by establishing the status quo. Introduce the challenger – the problem or pain point. Then bring your brand in as the hero to make everything right again. Build towards a resolution of success and positive outcome.

This archetypal story framework captures attention and helps the viewer place themselves in the shoes of your satisfied customer.

Convey a Clear Call-to-Action

Your video should wrap up by driving viewers to take action. Tell them exactly what you want them to do:

Request a demo
Start a free trial
Contact sales
Subscribe for updates

Graphics can highlight the desired action, like “Click here to get started”.

This clear call-to-action is key for converting viewers into leads and customers.

Work With A Professional Animation Studio

While the script and narrative structure are foundational, the visuals bring your explanation to life. That’s why working with seasoned animation experts is so valuable.

When it comes to video animation for SaaS products, the expertise of a professional studio is especially critical. SaaS tools can be complex and difficult to understand at a glance.

An animated video allows you to visually demonstrate how your software works through characters, motion, scenes, and narration. Viewers will grasp how they can navigate and use your application in real life.

Partnering with seasoned video animators who know how to bring SaaS products to life will ensure your video is effective at educating potential customers.

A studio like 10 Studio elevates your video with:

Captivating illustrations and motion design – Stylized graphics better hold the viewer’s attention and make concepts more memorable.
Smooth and intuitive scene flow – Sophisticated transitions guide the viewer smoothly through your story and message.
Polished visual identity – Cohesive design, logo animation, fonts, and color palette build your brand.
Custom, energetic background music – Original music composed specially for your video matches its look and feel.
Professional voiceover – Skilled narration makes your script more engaging.
High video production value – Top-notch art, animation, sound design, and editing equal a premium look.

The end result is an explainer video that checks all the boxes to educate customers on what you do and why it matters – in a fun, memorable, on-brand way.

So in summary, take the time to:

Research your audience
Identify the core problem you solve
Map out key benefits and differentiators
Craft messaging in simple language
Structure an emotional journey
Convey a clear CTA
Partner with pros to produce

Do this, and your explainer video will be an invaluable asset that drives results for your business for years to come. It’s an investment that can pay dividends through higher conversion rates, increased sales, stronger brand awareness, and lasting customer retention.