The trend for online animated video is growing exponentially, presenting web users with a stream of imaginative and innovative content to feast their eyes on.
The bottom line is that the creative medium has proved effective in leading to conversions, and companies who overlook this could be left behind.
Businesses of every kind are adopting the flexible tool. They may use it to liven up the marketing of otherwise boring products, or to explain a complex concept or service in an entertaining way.
Design studios and other innovative businesses should consider it to maintain their promotional efforts at the peak of innovation, so as to keep in line with competitors.
What better way to show off your creative potential?
Here are some of the main ways animated video can benefit your business.
Flaunt Your Assets
Your marketing should display what you do, how good you are at it and why consumers should choose you. This can be done quite simply with animated video on your landing page.
To start with, it provides a platform on which you can show your ability to formulate and deliver inspirational ideas.
The original concept and visuals in your animation can swiftly communicate your business’s greatest assets, potential and style.
Neatly Package Your Offering
An animated video on your landing page should be harmonised with other content on the website, as well as across other marketing channels and content.
A cluttered homepage is never appealing. A video can allow you to spring clean what is essentially your welcome to visitors.
Too much text on a page can be overbearing, and research has shown this often only gets scanned by visitors. Even a page of images can be overwhelming. If all key information is included in your animated video, your page can be kept fresh and clear.
For more information on the importance of elegance and simplicity on your landing page,click here.
Video is possibly the most engaging way to communicate with web users, so you are more likely to reach out to potential customers in this way.
Everything from core business values to brand personality can be showcased in a short animated video.
If your business is all about innovation and design, then of course it makes sense to express this in your web content and marketing.
If the video’s summary, title, preview image and other supporting material are appealing, viewers will be enticed to watch your video and hear your message.
Animated video is perfect for providing a visually minimalist page, yet providing all the necessary information.
Emotionally Appeal to Your Audience
Take a look at your favourite videos that went viral, and you’ll notice the one thing they have in common is they trigger a strong emotional reaction from the viewer.
Whether your video makes people laugh, shocked, awe-struck or sad – or a mixture of emotions – this can make an impact. It can retain viewers, lead to a conversion, and could also make your content memorable.
Animation is an ideal medium for reaching out emotionally. If you appeal to your target audience in the right way then comments and shares can bring even more benefits.
Through this engaging and creative approach, you can demonstrate your brand personality and strengths to potential clients.
The above promotional video from Pelephone instigates curiosity, anxiety, childlike excitement and a smile. It is highly creative and the viewer is compelled to see what happens next, making it memorable.
There may not be much narrative to the video, but the multi-sensory and emotional appeal of the advert makes an impact and communicates a lot about the brand. The viewer is then only a click away from learning more about the company and product.
Entertain and Inform
The mixture of information and entertainment in a promotional video will depend largely on the product or service being advertised.
For products and services that are not self-descriptive and differ from those of competitors – as with most creative companies – some level of explanation will be required. A fantastic way of doing this is by inventing an animated story that resonates with the audience.
Verto Group Developments from Qudos Animations on Vimeo.
Take a look at this engaging story from Verto Developments Group, which aims to raise interest in zero carbon properties. The story is informative, easy to relate to, emotionally appealing, and generally entertaining.
Animation provides the freedom and versatility to be highly imaginative. For a design company, conveying your unique style and offering in this way can be exceptionally valuable.
Express Original Style
The technique and type of animation you choose to market your business will depend on your offering, marketing strategy, target audience and the objective of your video.
3D animation is great for design businesses, as you can take viewers on a 360 degree journey of your product, highlighting areas that are most important by adding more detail. Split screens, on screen text and other techniques can also help to explain clearly.
You can even animate things that would otherwise be invisible, such as virtual concepts.
Whiteboard video has also become a very popular medium for imparting a complex message, while 2D motion graphics is an effective means for telling an engaging story.
The traditional method of stop motion is still popular for grabbing attention too. There are so many innovative ways to use this fun technique, from paper craft animation to clay modelling.
A top benefit of the production process involved in an animation is that really unique sequences can be made at a relatively low cost. Last minute changes can also be less costly than in a live action video.
Adaptations to an animated video can even be made years after it is made, presenting an advantage to businesses that are continually evolving.
Extend This Presence Across the Web
Having created a high quality promotional video that shares your message effectively, you have made the key steps towards dramatically improving your business’s web presence.
Now you can focus on how to extend the benefits.
Hosting video on your own site has many benefits, although some server are not powerful enough to allow this – in which case you may use a streaming platform such as YouTube.
Featuring the video across your company’s social networking pages is also a highly effective way to increase viewings, likes, comments and ultimately, conversions.
If the right mix of values, style and appeal are expressed throughout these channels, you can significantly enhance brand identity and brand recall.
Improve SEO
An animated video can significantly raise page quality, which is an important factor that search engines look at when ranking sites. Keyword matches and relevance are additional important things to consider when creating and marketing a video.
Links from other websites can also increase your ranking, which is not so hard to achieve if your have crafted a high impact video.
An engaging video can also increase the amount of time a visitor stays on your website, which is now becoming a more important metric in search engine ranking.
A creative company’s landing page may be the first point of contact for many potential customers, so it should exude style while informing. By including an appealing animated video, this charming method of informing can then be transferred across other channels, achieving widespread impact, increased conversions and enhanced brand image.
I wish you all the best in your journey to success via animation!
Marianna Keen writes content on digital marketing, animation and communications for Qudos Animations – a leading animation studio that specialises in crafting innovative videos for businesses. Follow Marianna on Google Plus.
