Animated Web Video Production: The Power of Animation to Promote Your Brand

The video is such a ubiquitous presence across the World Wide Web because audiences demand content that is rich, dynamic, and engaging. It is a warm, visually rich, and compelling medium that caters to all the senses, thus helping marketers transfer messages with much less friction than typical text copies. Consumers of content love to be pampered with compelling images and to receive messages while avoiding unnecessary exertion on their part. This is why many businesses are now seeing the benefit of capitalizing on the natural advantages of video promotion.

Animations are only one form of video promotion that can help you reap great ROI and strengthen promotion for your business. It is also an increasingly popular subset that more and more marketers are using not only because of its clear audience draw, but because it is something that is dynamic, enjoyable, and cost-effective to produce. With animation, you cut costs of having to pay and work with a large pool of creative teams, equipment managers, actors, and the like, while also avoiding the worries and hassles of different factors that are outside of your control, such as the weather for filming. Almost all elements of animated videos can easily be controlled within the confines of a production room.

Perhaps more importantly, the nature of animated content makes animated ads inherently more appealing than their live action counterparts. Some audiences may struggle to connect with actors on a screen, especially when the talent you got isn't as compelling or believable whereas broad-themed drawings are a lot easier to identify with. Animated ads help create a deeper connection with audiences and give viewers the opportunity to fill narrative gaps (if any) with their personal experiences, which deepens their connection and investment on the video even more. Animated web videos are such popular content online for good reason—because they work.

Advantages of Social Media Marketing Videos

The best thing about videos is that they have the power potential to transmit complicated information in a short and easy to understand manner. A simple 30-second video can communicate tons of data—historical, academic, or even emotional—better than a large block of text or a static image can. It’s no wonder why social media marketers now use a lot of animated videos to stand out from the crowd.

Videos Go Viral
In the noisy world of Facebook posts, videos still get the most attention and are likelier to be shared. Facebook videos tend to receive better engagement rates—about 40 percent higher, in fact. An animated video, in particular, can be a powerful marketing tool in social media. They are cute and interesting—and people love to share them with friends and family.

YouTube is another social media platform that proves just how powerful videos can be in getting the word out about a product or service. Even if your animated video does not go viral, it will still gain thousands (and even millions) of views over its lifetime if it is useful and instructive. Social media marketers also use YouTube videos to get better rankings on Google. Never has video content been so powerful.

Videos Can Transcend Social Media
Animation and video assets can be posted not just on social media, but also used for television, direct mail campaigns, DVDs, and even trade shows and client presentations. Your marketing dollar will go a long way.

Choosing an Animation / Video Production Company
The key to succeeding in video marketing for social media is to work with an animation production company that truly listens to your needs and takes time to understand your goals. They should also be able to work with your budget and time constraints. 

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.

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.