7 Reliable Sources to Learn About Educational Animation

Walt Disney once said, "Animation offers a medium of storytelling which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages." This says a lot about the value of the medium in education. Below are some of the most reliable resources you can use to learn about educational animation online and explore tools and mediums that can best be used for and shared with students:

•    Animation for Education – an incredible support system for educators that helps teachers and schools (primary to higher education) become more skilled and willing learners by making animation accessible.

•    Voki – Voki adds an interesting twist to lecture and communication by allowing educators to create and use avatars that speak on their behalf. Voki can be used to record or type messages and then send or embed then on a particular site.

•    Animwork – a guide to help educators learn more about how to use animation to teach. It includes basic animation principles and how to create good stories and which tools to use.

•    Devolver – this quick animation tool features sleek backgrounds and bizarre characters that guide students through lessons and help educators make a point. Devolver also offers a unique interactive element that allows students to email educators about their interpretation of lessons and theories.

•    GoAnimate for Schools – a quick and easy one-stop-shop for creating custom animations.

•    Make It Share It – educators with a knack for drawing figures and cartoons will enjoy this online tool, which also allows quick and easy animation.

•    Mixeek – Mixeek is a free software that enables users to design and create web animations based on programming languages like CSS3, JavaScript, and HTML5.

10 Quick Tips about Video Presentation Companies

Video presentations can help make a meeting more successful and encourage participants to retain more information compared to when they sit and listen to someone talking endlessly for hours. Video production companies can help make any type of video presentation for your business or non-profit organization. Here are 10 quick tips that can help you find and hire the right video presentation company:

1.    Look for an experienced company that specializes in video production – View their portfolio, watch their samples, and pick a professional company that has years of experience in producing videos for a wide range of businesses and industries.

2.    See the industries that the company has worked for – Experienced and reputable companies are flexible and can make videos for education, government, healthcare, human resources, charities and non-profit organizations, public relations, manufacturing and logistics, and finance sectors.

3.    Try animation – Look for a company that can do animated presentation videos. Animation can be a fun, entertaining, or enthralling way to share information and learn something new.

4.    Explore the video services – Skilled video presentation companies can produce anything from marketing videos to training videos. Look for a company that can create videos for sales, websites, social media, product or service overview, and corporate presentations, and consider a company with experience in making successful viral videos.

5.    Check out the motion graphic styles – Reputable video presentation companies can do both 2D and 3D animated videos, as well as whiteboard animation, infographics, custom videos, and live action.

6.    Review their video production process – A good company should involve you in every aspect of the production.

7.    Choose a company that values your opinion and approval – Professional companies do not work on the project all by themselves. They check with you before proceeding to gain your approval, in case some revisions must be made on the script, storyboard, and other aspects of the video.

8.    Determine how long it would take for the video to be delivered – Some of the best video presentation companies can deliver your video within four to six weeks.

9.    Choose a video presentation company that has a talented pool of voice talents – Make sure that they can cover a wide range of languages and accents, and that they are flexible to suit your needs.

10.     Look for a company that provides free consultation – This can help you get started on a video presentation project and help the company understand your business and your goals.

10 Facts about YouTube Video Creation Service That Will Blow Your Mind

The value of video marketing is undeniable and studies have time and again proven just how it positively impacts brand awareness, improves website optimization, and influences and facilitates buying decisions. Here are some fascinating facts about YouTube and video marketing that you can use to enhance your strategies:

•    A survey by eMarketer cites that 32% of mothers regard watching videos as a daily smart phone activity, along with social media engagement and texting. This only means that targeting this demographic is becoming increasingly easier through video.

•    According to Marketing Land, 42% of videos are shared within the first 3 days of being seen. Video creators take advantage of this window as they space out content publication.

•    Another survey from Marketing Land states that 8.6% of people who share videos do so on a daily basis, which can only mean great things for video marketers who rely on their content, going viral.

•    People discuss current events on channels and platforms that support video. According to e-Marketer, 71% of surveyed people discuss news events on Face book and 21% discuss current events on Twitter. This opens up doors for video content that touch upon these significant topics.

•    Top social networks (Facebook, Twitter, and Google+) have their own or are soon to have video upload capabilities. In fact, Facebook is gearing up to rival YouTube as the social network develops video capabilities similar to the video giant.

•    US Teens' top social networks support video. MarketingCharts states that 76% of US teens are on Instagram, 45% are on Facebook, and 59% are on Twitter by the fall of 2014. This makes these video-supporting platforms great avenues to push viral video content targeted at this particular demographic.

•    Video interactions are growing on social media sites, particularly on Facebook, which is starting to make a run for YouTube's share according to Social Bakers.

•    YouTube's viewers are approximately 44% female and 56% male, the majority of which are between 12 and 17 years—something to remember when creating video content for general public consumption.

10 Creative Ways to Improve Your Animated Viral Videos

Maximizing marketing results through animated videos has a lot to do with going viral. Here are ways to increase your chances of making your animation the next viral hit:

•    Make it compelling. You don't need a cat playing the piano to catch people's attention. A compelling video is one with content that addresses your target audiences' needs. (how-to videos, FAQs, and animated demos, come to mind)

•    Conduct video SEO. This will make your video searchable not only in but also outside of YouTube.

•    Brand your channel. Branding your channel means creating a branded experience for your viewers on YouTube. This also makes your video channel a destination in and of itself, where you can extend marketing efforts.

•    Use annotations. Adding annotations and hidden nuggets, along with clickable calls to action helps build your subscribers and direct them to other things you have to offer.

•    Leverage bulletin alerts. Creating a bulletin helps notify your subscribers and peers about what's new about your business or channel.

•    Adopt YouTube ads. People now treat YouTube as a classic search engine and bidding on keywords like you would on Google's pay-per-click scheme is now possible. Another type of YouTube advertising comes in the form of promoted video or CTA ads (call-to-action ads), which are clickable and enable users to click over to the advertisers’ website.

•    Turn to social media. Leveraging other platforms is the beauty of connectivity. Videos are now more shareable through blogs and social sites, which allow you to share links or embed videos and usher in a viral boom.

•    Review analytics. YouTube Insights and Google Analytics are only some of the best tools you can use to gain insight into people who are consuming your content.

•    Create a strong message. To maximize the power of your animated video, you need to center them on a message that appeals not only to your target people but also to a wider variety of audiences. Weaving others in allows you to expand the audience base that will be willing to share your viral content.

•    Shock and awe. Push the envelope when conceptualizing your video and always look for a WOW factor, which is exactly what compels people to push and share content.

6 Useful Tips to Improve Animated Business Videos

Creating a killer animated video for your business is all in your production approach. Here are some useful tips you can follow to enhance your video animations:

•    A well-written script forms the foundation of a successful explainer animation. Many times, it helps to have an outside voice who understands exactly what you are trying to convey when conceptualizing your video's script. This outsider will not only cast a new look into your concept but bring fresh ideas into the table to make your video even more effective. Professional production firms are filled with experienced people like these who can add real value to your business video.

•    The shorter your video is, the better. Remember that the less you say, the better people will be able to recall what your video is all about. Most of the time, all you need is a hook to get people interested enough to take the next step.

•    A well animated business explainer keeps it simple and focuses on basic things like the problem, the proposed solution, how this solution works/its value, and a call to action.

•    Explain product benefits and not its features, value rather than specs. When launching a product, it is tempting to show off as many features and specifications as you can in your video. While this is also important, be sure that you tag these features with the benefits or value they offer to customers, which is quite honestly, all that really matters to them. Leave the tech-specs on your written copy, unless they are major features that absolutely need a mention.

•    Don't ruin a perfectly good animation with poor audio. Use a professional voice that can deliver your message well.

•    Finally, don't forget to have fun creating your animation. This will resonate with your target audience because it will show in the quality of the end product and the voice and tone of the entire video.