You probably think you know what an explainer video is. It's that short, snappy, often-animated video on your homepage, dutifully "explaining" your product, service, or company history to visitors.

Sounds dull? If you treat it like this, it is!

But an explainer video can be so much more—so long, of course, as it's produced strategically.

Explainer videos can do everything from inviting audiences to connect with your brand in a more personal way to boosting leads with captivating messages and sales pitches. They're great for use everywhere, from B2B email marketing campaigns to B2C-focused social media strategies.

Read on to learn why you're not making the most of the humble, underutilized, but surprisingly powerful explainer video.

1. Simplify Complex Concepts

Though many people think otherwise, simple is smart.

Often, people use jargon and complicated language in an attempt to hide their insecurities. And you can apply the same logic to your product or service. You know what it does, but you're unsure how to communicate that to a perhaps less knowledgeable audience.

Through savvy explainer video production, Toronto companies (or businesses anywhere) can simplify the technical or complicated aspects of your product or service. Then, your video will reach more people—who will come to understand what you're selling and readily engage with you.

Simply put, concise contents are more memorable, accessible, and shareable.

2. Widely Shareable

On that last note, let's dive into the idea of shareability and how explainer videos help expand your brand or company's online presence.

Explainer videos are typically made for the "About Us" or "Products" page of a company's website. They're also often used on landing pages as part of a sales marketing strategy. And there's nothing wrong with this; it's a great use of an explainer video.

However, when it comes to distribution, think more expansively. In one 2018 study, 78% and 87% of marketers found video content effective for Facebook and Instagram engagement.

If the video is short, it's also perfect for use—as is—on social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. Depending on your brand, longer videos can be chopped up and repurposed as shorter videos on Instagram and TikTok.

Don't be shy to use these videos as part of your paid advertising strategy, either on social media or Google ads.

3. Make Flat Content Fun

Did you know that most people prefer to watch a video to learn something versus reading or listening?

Because it's a multi-sensory medium, video can provoke emotion in the viewer—thus, engaging them more. Marketers and business owners can use this to their advantage to add more pep to a dry topic or inject some personality into industries often perceived as dull, like accounting or cleaning.

If using humor to make your explainer video more engaging, try to localize your content as much as possible. After all, what's funny varies wildly from country to country and culture to culture. For example, Canada-based companies would do well to work with a Toronto video production company.

4. Enhance Training and Recruitment

While some companies excel at creating exciting corporate training and recruitment experiences, most fall short.

However, conveying corporate culture to a potential employee or someone you just brought onto the team is essential to retention. And explainer videos can help.

Use them to explain the recruitment system, tell the story of your brand or company, simplify internal HR or other processes, highlight your accessibility and diversity policies—or a plethora of recruitment and onboarding needs.

Because people remember far more from videos than any other medium, important messages are more likely to hit home.

5. Enhance Your Email Marketing

Just as you can distribute explainer videos using social media, they're also helpful for use in your email campaigns.

Research implies that video can:

• Increase opens by almost 20%
• Boost clickthrough by well over 50%
• Drop unsubscribes by more than 25%

In fact, they can be used at any step in the funnel, from the welcome email after someone subscribes to a thank you for purchasing email.

Are you keen to see these kinds of results in your email campaigns? Reach out to video production companies in Toronto and get that explainer video started!

6. Sell More

According to HubSpot, nearly 90% of marketers surveyed agreed that video production is one of the most effective lead-generation tools.

Take advantage of this promising statistic and incorporate explainer videos into your off or online sales pitches. They offer an engaging way to start a presentation for the audience. They can also be great for helping new or inexperienced presenters overcome their nerves by simply taking the pressure off introducing the product or service.

If using explainer videos in online marketing (say, a landing page), don't forget to incorporate a CTA (call to action) in the video to take advantage of their power to convert.

7. Distill Your Brand Through Storytelling

Storytelling is one of humanity's most powerful tools.

It has been used for centuries to pass on knowledge and aid generational memory. Many cultures even today still pass on their tribal or personal histories using oral storytelling and story-based traditions like song and dance.

Explainer videos offer a way to bring this ancient technique into the 21st century. Use an explainer video to tell your brand story, explain your company's history, or showcase the development of your newest product.

Make a Start on Your First Explainer Video Today

An explainer video is more than just a cute, animated promotional tool.

By applying storytelling techniques to moving images and narration, they make complex topics more understandable and dry concepts exciting. You can use these videos in your content marketing strategy to communicate your brand essence, sell more products or services, help employees find you, onboard, and upskill, and so much more.

If you're keen to experiment with this savvy medium, reach out to the team at Viva Media. We're an award-winning video production and animation studio serving leading companies and brands across Toronto and worldwide.

We look forward to discussing your next video marketing project with you!