Businesses are using more video in their marketing, 85% of businesses say video is an important part of their marketing strategy (source), many of these brands are using animation to put together more captivating video for their customers. There is a vast amount of animation styles that any businesses can use, some animation styles can suit certain businesses better than others as they will be easier to use and easier to understand for their audiences.
Different styles of animation can engage different audiences, it can help them make a purchase as you are offering a different way of showing off your product or service. By including video on your landing page can boost conversion rates by 80% (source), video helps grab the attention of your audience as it's entertaining in an informative way.
2D animation is commonly used as it's the most understood and traditional form of animation. At the beginning of animation the majority of cartoons were 2D which means many people are still familiar with this style. Animators rely on two dimensions, the width and height to tell the story of the product or service they are animating about. This helps effectively communicate to the customer what the video is on and gives the right information in the best possible way.
2D animated videos are more cost effective than 3D or other types of video as they are easier to produce as they have shorter production times. 3D animation requires more time as it is a lengthier creation process, this means many businesses will decide to use 2D as they know they won't be waiting as long for it to be finished and it will be cheaper for them to use 3D or live action video.
Creating 2d animation helps enhance the message in more ways than live action can as you are able to utilize vibrant colours and choose the type of movements the character do to help give off a more memorable message. Viewers retail 95% of a message when they watch it in video, compared to 10% when reading it in a text. By making the animation memorable you will keep the engagement of customers allowing your company to get the message you want to get across to them.
Animation is such a powerful tool on social media to draw in viewers, as the bright colours and creative imagery can make people stop scrolling and pay attention to your message. To find out a bit more about how video works on social media, check out this piece by breadnbeyond.
3D animation adds a third dimension, it adds depth to the animation as well as using height and width like 2D. This is another well known type of animation style due to many movies using 3D animated characters like Toy Story. 3D animation is more commonly known now as many children's films use it and it is a more fun style of animation to use.
3D creates a more dynamic environment, it helps build more realistic settings, characters, objects and textures within the video. This can help set the scene for customers as they are able to see more life-like settings and characters which can help them build more of an understanding of the product or service. It will be creating a more personal relationship with the characters due to them being more life-like which can benefit companies as you are creating a deeper relationship with your customers.
Similar to 2D, 3D animation still helps tell a story. Customers are able to enjoy what they are watching through the fun entertaining colours and visuals without realising they are watching an informative video. 3D animation is eye-catching. It will draw more attention to the brand as it will be able to hold customers' attention for longer, and by offering a more unique animation will make them more inclined to watch it. People are 4 times more likely to watch a video about a product than they are to read an article about it (source). This style of animation can be seen as more flexible as you're able to play around more with the lighting and textures. This means you are able to make the video more pleasing to the audiences as well as making the animation more on brand.
3D is a great way to show off products that are still in production or that need help selling. You are able to make animations of the products themselves and show off what they look like. You can build excitement around the product or even just show new customers the type of products you sell in product videos. 3D animated videos help customers see a more realistic version of the products you are selling, this can help them when making the decision if they buy it or not due to them being able to see the product. 52% of shoppers are more confident in their purchases when shopping with video content (source), therefore animated product videos can help you build confidence in your customers.
Whiteboard animation features an illustrator physically drawing the artwork on a whiteboard or other surfaces using pens and markers. This style of animation can be captivating to the audiences as they are able to see and feel the animation coming to life as it is being created in front of them. Audiences are seeing the step by step process.
When creating whiteboard animation you need to remember to make sure it's clear and understandable, you want customers to know what is being drawn so they watch the entire video. If they don't understand the animation they will get bored and will miss out on the point of the video. However, when this style of animation is done it captures audiences imaginations. People want to see the end results of others' drawings as it is pleasing to watch. This is why whiteboard animation has always been popular because audiences enjoy it.
When businesses have more complex boring concepts whiteboard can help make it seem more interesting as you are physically able to take them through the step by step process of the product or service with them. Each step can be done as a new drawing to keep engagement of customers, and audiences tend to learn better and retain information better when they are physically seeing something explained. Humans process visual information 60,000 times faster than other mediums (source).
Explainer videos allow you to tell your customer new information, this can be who you are, what you do, how a product or service works or how your business can help them. You are able to explain in a more interesting way than just a body of text. Video allows you to make it more enjoyable for the customers watching as it is put together a lot better than a lengthy piece of text. Video is the perfect tool that will attract customers to your site and keep them on the website for longer, the average user spends around 10-20 seconds on a website if there is no reason to stay longer (source). Therefore adding an animated video to your landing page will give audiences a reason to stay longer.
Animated explainer video is perfect for business where it is difficult to sell a product or service through other types of video or marketing methods, if you have a complex concept that needs explaining it will be made easier to understand through animation. Seeing the concept played out in a more story-like format will help audiences understand better and will help them acknowledge what the message is. It lets audiences see the concept in action which can help get the point of the video across better.
Animation is able to trigger emotion, you can take the fun animated characters and eye-catching cartoons to create a better atmosphere around what you are selling to customers. This helps engage audiences better as it keeps their attention for longer as the audiences can relate back to childhood memories from watching animations and feel more of connection with the characters which can help them understand the message you are giving across.
Combining animation with live action can make your video very powerful. You are able to show real life situations with animated characters or use recognisable people from your brand or business and put them into animated environments. Having the two styles together can help give a deeper insight on the product or services you are selling. You are using both styles which will help meet everyone's interests as you are offering not just an animated video and not just a live action. This can create a more human connection with your audiences as it shows you are still putting what they prefer first and this will keep audiences involved as there's new visuals and it is something different to what other brands or businesses are doing.
Mixing the two together can make your video look visually more realistic and add a more personal element as it is giving the business the creative freedom to mix different styles together and have fun with it. Making it personal to the brand will help it become more memorable to your customer which will have a positive impact on the business as they will continue coming back when they need your services. This is the type of impact you want your video to have as even if they don't buy from you straight away you want them to come back in the future for future purchases.
Mixing animation and live video can help add curiosity and humour, this will entice customers more as it gives them a better understanding of your product or service without them having to put too much effort into understanding. If audiences enjoy what they are watching from the start they will continue watching, this will help you get your message to them which will help sales grow. 65% of people that watch the first 3 seconds of your video will go on to watch it for at least 10 more seconds (source).
Animation has the power to tell stories of all sizes, it can help your business stand out from its competitors as you can make your video your own and have your own creative touches on it. Animation allows you to be unique and show your business personality through the characters, settings and colours to make it more memorable to your customers. This will help you bring your business to life, give it more of a personality and help your customer see another side to the business that they don't normally get to see.
Animation allows you to visually show how you think your business products or services should be represented and explain how they can help the customer but in an exciting way. This helps keep the audience's attention as you are offering them a different way of learning without them feeling as if they are learning. Animation has no limitation, you have as much creative freedom as you like, it can help your business seem more enjoyable and help explain your product and services in a more impactful way.
If you want to know more about animation or how your business can use animation get in touch with one of your team.
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