Everybody knows that the human attention span is becoming shorter, as we’re bombarded by more and more information each day. How can you hold someone’s attention and quickly make your point? A good animation explainer video is the best solution. In this post we’ll cover the top whiteboard animation video trends for 2020, and show you how to take advantage of them.
How to use the full power of whiteboard animation video
Maybe you’ve wondered about how animation videos increase conversions for your business, or perhaps someone has told you about the 5 reasons why promotional videos should be animated?
✔ Simplify any complex topic
✔ Explain a business model or use case
✔ Demonstrate how a product, process or service works
✔ Teach how to do something
Whiteboard explainer videos engage and inform viewers fast
Average attention span is short. So, if you’re still reading this article it probably means you’re seriously looking for an effective way to inform your audience.
Well-made explainer videos do the job perfectly, and quickly. The trick is to understand how whiteboard animation videos work, and how to leverage their power to achieve your own goals.
We’ll take a deep dive into whiteboard animation video trends for 2020, and you’ll quickly learn how to benefit from them.
Explainer videos deliver info
In the past, an “elevator pitch” might have taken at least 20 to 30 seconds to deliver, but now you only have about 10 seconds to connect with someone and deliver the message. Since communications are so condensed and focused, video is the most effective way to reach your audience.
To see where we’re going with whiteboard animation video trends for 2020, first let’s take a look back at the history of commercial video: Pro studios have been doing business animation and hand drawn videos for a long time, and we’ll trace their evolution.
The earliest users of whiteboard videos for education and marketing purposes were in the professional service niches such as medicine, law, and science. They were used to illustrate technical concepts.
Whiteboard tools and animated videos first became popular for small businesses in 2007 and 2008. Since then, whiteboard explainer videos have come a long way.
YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms have created enormous demand for video content. However, the rise of video content from all sources means more competition for eyeballs. That’s why each message must be carefully targeted.
Whiteboard animation videos are the competitive solution
Video marketing first became “hot” in 2013 with the release of better software for business animation and whiteboard videos. That year, a survey by Video Insider found 57% of consumers were relying on videos for their buying decisions.
Fast forward until today – A recent survey by Smart Insights indicates that 92% of organizational leaders now rely on video content for educational and marketing content
Even when people seem too busy to open an email or read a blog article, they still have plenty of time to watch animated explainer videos hand drawn videos. So, whether you want to teach a concept or launch your product, business animation is still the best way to do it.
Why explainer video production is popular in 2020
If you’re not already using animation videos or hand drawn videos in 2020, you’re behind the curve. Nearly all organizations are using video for marketing and education, and most are satisfied with their ROI.
That’s because video is the most engaging and memorable content. Whether the metric is sales, leads, impressions, engagement, or memorability, video content offers the best return on investment.
Business whiteboard animation video grips viewers
Video is especially important when you need to engage Gen Y or Z target audiences, and that’s one of the main reasons why promotional videos should be animated. Here are some tips to get the best results from your explainer videos.
Mobile explainer videos
Regardless of video technology development, most people are using cell phones and other mobile devices for browsing. This trend suggests that by 2021 about 85% of all internet usage will be on mobile devices.
Mobile optimization for whiteboard animation videos is critically important so that you’ll reach everyone.
Images, text and video need to show up on small screens
The most obvious trend in explainer videos in 2020 is their migration from larger computers onto mobile devices. In order to compete in the marketplace, all video content must be visible and useful on small screens, not to mention text and graphics.
It’s important to make sure that text, images, and video content will be displayed correctly across all mobile devices. Remember that a poor presentation is worse than no presentation at all.
What if you’re not already an expert video producer yourself?
Today, the best way to successfully target audiences on mobile devices – which is nearly everybody – is to have content created and optimized by professional designers, such as our team of animated explainer video experts.
Focus on simple concepts, and keep video scripts short
Another one of the major business animation video trends for 2020 is the evolution toward shorter videos based on clearer, simpler topics. The whole point is to make a complex idea simpler, which also means shorter.
Since attention spans are so short, here’s a reminder from the first paragraph of this article: We only have 8 to 10 seconds to grab the viewer’s attention and engage them enough to click onward.
The idea is to keep the concepts simple, and present them in ways that your viewers can’t forget.
Unlike written “one-pagers” or static graphic images, a well-made whiteboard animation video can convey an idea instantly. When the animation video is produced by animated explainer video experts like our team, viewers immediately grasp your ideas.
How to judge a business animation video
When you’re searching for the best video-production service, judge a candidate based on these characteristics:
Quality of video production and post-production, including script-writing
Expect top-quality animation and post-production results when you rely on the right animated video explainer experts. When you’re working with true digital artists, anything is possible.
What about about abstract ideas & difficult subjects?
No matter how complex a topic may be, animators and video-production experts can instantly illustrate the concept to viewers. When you work with a good white board animation team, ideas that take dozens of pages to explain in writing can be understood instantly in visual form.
Another obvious trend in whiteboard animation for 2020 is the move toward explainer content that doesn’t feature “live” presenters with over-the-shoulder camera techniques. Businesses are learning that they need expert animation videos in order to compete in any niche.
It’s important to have your videos produced by an animation expert who’s truly an artist instead of just a ho-hum web designer. You’ll want a video production team that can create clean, simple storylines and eye-catching animations. That way you’ll be sure to engage viewers and leave them with lasting memories.
✔ Marketing
✔ Product & service explainers
✔ Corporate training videos
✔ Social media animations
✔ Mobile app explainers
✔ Non-profit & public service campaigns
Whiteboard animation videos trends
We’re often contacted by business owners and managers who want to engage prospective customers and demonstrate products or services. Most videos are only a minute or two in length, and our clients rely on us to produce winning results.
Yet we also produce videos that serve far more people, such as our recent anti-Covid work to help the Irish people. Below are some tips to help you ride these whiteboard animation video trends.
https://www.facebook.com/DCU/videos/2920704954676091
A winning video needs a well-written script
Good script-writing is the foundation for an effective video explainer. Improvements in script-writing are a noticeable whiteboard animation video trend in 2020.
It’s best to use a script written by someone with plenty of experience. Our writers have a unique storytelling talent for making complex topics easier to understand. They always pack plenty of punch into a few well-chosen words.
Fresh perspective to explain products & services
What if the budget is tight? Even if you want to do everything “in-house” to save money, instead it’s always best to use an outside writer and production team.
People inside your organization already know the product well, sometimes too well to present it effectively. That’s why the best solutions always come with outside perspective from fresh eyes.
https://youtu.be/QEDJT8Fmtdc?list=PLXfQyMaEGuTyPdb4GcUQEYDb43OFgX_qa
Shorter is sweeter
Over the past few years, the consistent trend for animation videos is to become shorter in run-time. During 2020 we’re still seeing a slow-yet-steady reduction in run-time.
Video production pros have a saying – The less we say, the more likely people are to remember what we said.
Sixty to ninety seconds is now the average for each individual video. Of course, most are produced as a series of videos with similar run-times.
The biggest mistake that we see in “home-made” business videos is they try to list every possible detail. Business owners, marketing managers and other leaders always have too much to say about their products and services!
The challenge is to condense and refine your message so viewers receive it quickly and clearly. So, if your explainer video aims to educate people about a product or service, in most cases it should only give an overview.
The exception is when videos are produced as a series for instructional purposes, or for serialized entertainment. For those projects, each individual video may be highly technical, yet they’re almost always short.
Talk like your target audience
During 2020 there’s a clear trend toward creating scripts and voice-overs that “mirror” the demographic of a given target audience. Gone are the suit-clad video narrators of yesteryear. In animation videos today, narrators can have a wide range of voices and cultural personas, within certain limits.
The power and flexibility of animation videos give organizations the power to present any topic with customized audio effects and voice-over to complement visual content.
But how fast is too fast?
Tone and speed of the narrator’s voice should fit the video’s niche. Although many people can read at a faster rate, the standard reading speed for most narration is about 150 words per minute.
Simple becomes successful
As mentioned earlier, the trend in video production is clearly toward shorter run-times, and attention spans are also becoming shorter. That means the scope of information in each video must be very limited.
The key to video script-writing success is to start out by listing only the main highlights and benefits – more about that soon. The next step is to ruthlessly reduce a script until the description is crystallized, and your narration fits the run-time.
- Sharp focus on engagement and addressing these points:
- The problem – A pain point, customer need, worker training issue, etc.
- The solution – Introduce a product, service, or informational content to solve the problem
- How the product or service works – Give a brief overview of how it works, or how to begin the process
Talk about benefits, not features
As mentioned earlier, the marketing trend clearly favors discussing benefits instead of features. During a brief video, the only message that really matters is the benefits.
Whether your explainer video is to launch a new product or service, it’s best to focus on benefits instead of features. That’s because consumers today seem to care first about themselves, everything else is secondary.
Instead of spending your precious moments of video run-time to list a product’s technical specs or features, just tell viewers how you can make their lives better.
Some videos serve a valuable purpose simply by making people react and click their Like and Share buttons – such as our creative team’s social media animation videos that go viral.
Even when the topic is dry corporate policy blather or technical details, keep the tone casual and humorous.
One of the major whiteboard video animation trends for 2020 is the increasing use of entertainment to reach viewers, regardless of niche. We all watch videos for entertainment, even when the topic is “supposed” to be boring.
The competition for eyeballs means you’ll want to hook visitors by making them laugh. If you can make them laugh, they’ll bond with your brand and accept your proposal.
The best whiteboard animations videos use humor, a memorable surprise, or just something wacky to make sure that viewers pay attention, like the GIFs in this article
Most importantly, we always bring a winning perspective to make your video stand out from the crowd. That’s why we’re still the leader in whiteboard animation video trends for 2020.
Want to learn more about animated explainer videos?
