Animation is generally known for its creative prowess, but what about advertising? It’s widely known that video is considered one of the most valuable marketing tools in the technological era. This is a very adaptable technique because it is a conversion coefficient, has high engagement rates, and can express effectively in various situations.
Animated videos are widely used in marketing campaigns these days. Not only does it provide a compelling substitute for live-action, but it also lets you visualize concepts you couldn’t create. For instance, you can’t shoot the inside workings of a mainframe, but you can animate it. It also helps marketing experts express multifaceted concepts in a pure, summarizing, and straightforward manner for all-out understanding in the shortest possible time. This is the key to making your audience aware of your product or service without getting bored or lost.
Let’s start with the question that definitely comes to your mind, “What Is Animation?”
What is Animation?
Animation is a motion simulation created from a series of images displayed in succession. A technique in which a series of photographs, models, or marionettes create the illusion of movement when viewed in sequence. There is a limit to how long our eyes can remember images. So, when we see many images in a short period of time, our brains mix them together so perfectly that we believe they are moving. Usually, animations are made with hand-drawn or painted designs on transparency.
Tips for Animation in Marketing Video Production
Understand Your Target Audience
This is an aspect that cannot be ignored. No matter how much struggle you invest in other elements, if you don’t wholly know your target audience, how do you create content that pleas your target audience? Find out what makes your ideal client special. Understand their way of living, age, interests, and all other important aspects of their life and include them in your content. It’s also important to differentiate where they are in the customer’s journey. This becomes important when choosing a video genre and its script. People who are about to buy need different information than those who are in the cognitive phase.
Script and Storyboard
Armed with the introduction and knowing your target audience, it’s time to write the script. After creating the script, you can start creating the video. Even animated videos with little or no sound or narration require scripting. Scripts bring together all the elements of a video so you can keep working on it while it’s being made. Start by creating a script plan with hooks, a middle, and a call-to-action. Once the script is ready, create a storyboard as well.
Storyboards are like diagrams for a video, showing what happens in each act. This will make you better understand of what each scene seems like and help you find potential problems before you animate them.
Scripts and storyboards change eventually, so don’t rely too heavily on their content. So before you start creating a video, you’ll notice that some lines don’t work, and scenes need to be edited or deleted. The script is almost a living document until the video is finished and released.
Choose The Animated Video Style For Your Marketing Video Production
Now that you’ve storyboarded your video, you can decide how to deliver it. The thing is, there are many styles of animated marketing videos, each with its own purpose. So, let’s take a look at how to make an animated video and see what works best for you.
Typographic animation:
Typographic animation films are just that, moving letters and text to create a video. The style is simple and balancing but more engaging than simple static text narration or “talking mind” videos, in which real people speak to the audience in the frame.
2D and 3D Animation:
2D animations and 3D animated marketing videos can be fun when done right. Most people grew up watching cartoons, and cartoons are universal. You can connect with popular anime characters and see yourself in them. 2D and 3D animation can provide a great sense of place, development, time, and motion by animating the individual frames in sequence.
Infographic animation:
Infographic videos include bar charts and other types of information. Animated infographic is a great way to bring boring data to life. As with many video styles, data animation is a fine form to grab your audience’s attention and keep them involved. This is a best way to show your audience how your sales are growing.
Use Eye-Catchy and Dynamic Graphics
People are drawn to attractive things, and it’s no wonder that video aesthetics play an important role in engaging the targeted audience with your video. However, you may not even know your story will be more accessible and dynamic.
When visuals are tightly integrated with video storytelling, they are enhanced, and the storytelling becomes more precise and more expressive. This way, good visuals can help convey your message, so you don’t have to write overly detailed scripts!
Stories are easier to understand when animations (graphics) are dynamic and eye-catchy. This is worth mentioning because many companies focus only on making videos with perfect artwork, ignoring the quality of the flow and transitions. For example, when you create an animated video or hire a video animation service for your video, you’re more likely to convey your message flawlessly than to tear your audience’s heart apart.
Use Striking Sound Effects.
Once the sound reaches the scene, the audio enhances the video almost imperceptibly to the audience. However, something can distract you from the song’s information if something goes wrong. For example, suppose the narrator’s voice is evocative, like watching the grass grow, or the music contradicts the remaining video. In that case, the viewer’s mind will be disturbed even if the visual part is entertaining. So the sound design should match the tone and visual aesthetic of the video.
The issue is that many brands think the sound effect is extra. Essentially, it’s an add-on to other parts, not the central part of the video. At best, you end up with a video that looks generic and simple. Worse yet, it can damage the entire video.
Conclusion
When appropriately implemented, animated videos can be an advantage for marketing efforts. Making a video is only half a win. Once you have created a video yourself or with the help of video animation services, take the time to promote it appropriately. If your first video marketing campaign isn’t successful, don’t despair. Understanding which animated video is best for your audience may take several repetitions.