When you create an explainer video, it can be easy to get carried away with the production value. But do your videos make sense without visuals? Find out why these types of videos might not have as much impact on viewers and how you could use them more effectively in 2019. Have you ever wanted to produce a film that explains something? You know, one of those animated films that describes what your product or service does and why it should be purchased? They’re everywhere. Companies use them to explain their product or service, intending to increase conversion rates. For example, we utilize the video above on the Crazy Egg homepage, and it’s so effective that it generates an additional $21,000 in new revenue per month.
So, why not make your explanatory video for your website? It must work for you if it works for Crazy Egg, Dropbox, and even hosting firms, right? Unfortunately, the truth is that most explanation films will not increase your conversion rate or increase your revenue. It’s not because the concept is terrible; it’s because you’re probably going to make the video the incorrect way.
Steps to make a conversion-friendly explanation video:
Step 1: The writing comes first, not the video.
The narrative, not the video quality, is the most crucial aspect. If the script isn’t excellent, it won’t convert well, whether you have a high-quality video or a terrible one. Necessary: You do not want the video production business to compose the screenplay. The video firm does not have as much knowledge of your industry as you have. They have no idea what problems your clients are having. They don’t know how to write in a way that will increase conversions. The video’s purpose is to address all of your prospective consumers’ issues and inquiries. You’ll notice an increase in conversions if you execute it in a short video. You won’t see a rise in sales if you can’t.
Step 2: Before developing a script, you’ll need the following items.
You should do a reader poll before beginning to write your script. You may use services like Qualaroo to pose questions like these to your prospective customers:
- Is there anything else you’d want to see on this page?
- What is the most critical factor preventing you from making a purchase?
- What is your most serious reservation about this product or service?
- Is there anything on this page that you don’t understand?
- What problems can we assist you with?
You’ll have a better grasp of what’s preventing consumers from buying if you obtain the answers to the above questions, as well as any additional inquiries you may have. For example, they may have no idea what you do or how simple your product is to use. Knowing all of their worries can aid you in writing a stronger screenplay.
Step 3: Learn how to compose a screenplay.
You may begin composing your screenplay now that you have all your target consumers’ complaints. It would be best to address all of those objections, or at least the most critical ones, while composing it. You don’t want your script to be more than 2-3 minutes lengthy. You’ll start losing folks if it gets too long.
To demonstrate how to construct a script, I’ll walk you through the steps we used to create the Crazy Egg script.
- The first slide should describe what your firm does; the description of what your company does should be succinct and to the point. “The heatmap tool reveals you why your visitors aren’t converting,” Crazy Egg said.
- Describe the issue — You must thoroughly explain the issue that your prospective clients issue. For example, we told Crazy Egg that it’s challenging to determine why people abandon your website. We then demonstrated that Google Analytics does not accomplish this since many prospective clients in our study believed that Google Analytics did the same thing as Crazy Egg.
- Create a transition by using common terminology from your prospective clients’ responses to speak about particular issues they’re having. Then explain why you created your product or service in the first place.
- Show off your skills — videos are meant to be seen. Demonstrate the value of your product or service. Please make sure you explain how certain features answer specific difficulties your prospective consumers have when you show them off. For example, we demonstrated how tools like the heatmap visually depict where people are clicking using Crazy Egg. We did it since one of our prospective clients requested a solution like that.
- After you’ve explained what your product or service provides, persuade folks to join up or purchase it. You must address any consumer objections or worries about signing up or purchasing throughout this process. People, for example, felt Crazy Egg was a little pricey. They also had no idea how simple it was to utilize. We said in the video that we provide a free trial and that anyone may sign up in less than 30 seconds.
- Answer any remaining objections – this is the time to address any remaining issues a prospective client may have. For example, people were curious whether Crazy Egg would slow down its site to monitor secure websites and work with flash sites. All of the questions have been answered here. Ask your support staff for a list of commonly asked questions if you’re unsure what to ask.
- Use proof elements to close the transaction – once you’ve addressed any remaining objections, persuade consumers to join up or purchase from you while graphically demonstrating evidence components. To develop trust, we reminded visitors about Crazy Egg and encouraged them to join up for a free trial. We also displayed logos of businesses who utilize us.
Your script will not be flawless at first, and it will need many tweaks until it is perfect. Remember that 120-150 words typically translates to a minute of video while you’re writing it. Therefore, you should try to keep your video under two minutes long.
Step 4: Locate someone to record your voiceover.
For a 2-minute screenplay, a voiceover (audio narration of your video) shouldn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars. I use voiceover pros like Mike O’Brian when I require voiceovers. His hourly wage is simply a few hundred dollars. You are free to use him or anybody else. If you genuinely want to save money, you may locate someone to do it for free or around $50 on Craig’s List.
Step 5: Hire a professional to make your video.
Again, you have the option of hiring a professional video business or hiring freelancers to make your explainer film. A video may cost anything from $5,000 to $25,000, and it can take up to a few months to finish. A freelancer can usually do it in a few weeks for a fee ranging from $500 to $2,000. Sean Duran is a reasonably priced freelancer who can generally complete a video in a few weeks. I engage organizations specializing in explainer films, such as Animation Explainer Videos, for my explainer videos.
Step 6: Conduct an A/B test on your video.
Because you’ll need to A/B test your video to increase conversions, I demonstrated how you could make it inexpensively and fast. This means you’ll have to spend money on your video (both the audio and video files) regularly, and the last thing you want to do is go via a large firm, which may quickly charge you a few thousand dollars to $20,000 to keep changing it. Make sure you’re monitoring your video plays as well as your A/B testing. You can check video engagement numbers using tools like Wistia, which can help you figure out how to improve your video to increase conversions. Furthermore, when your product evolves, you’ll need to have your video updated, and you’ll need to A/B test it again.
Conclusion
If you want to make an explainer video, you’ll need to put in the effort and follow all of the stages listed above. Don’t spend your money making films if you don’t have the time. Instead, hire someone like Conversion Rate Experts, which we did with Crazy Egg if you’re prepared to pay a little extra to get things done. They didn’t make the video, but they did learn about our product, do visitor surveys, and write our screenplay. When I initially began doing explainer videos, I took the easy way out and hired a huge business to make the film and script for us. As a result, I squandered tens of thousands of dollars on ineffective videos. Remember that the writing is more essential than the footage in an explainer video.