When our clients need an explainer video, they’re excited about their product. They want to flaunt all the great benefits, and they want nothing left out.
While understandable from a product owner’s perspective, this can be marketing suicide.
Shrinking audience attention span is the bane of modern marketers’ existence. You can’t cram a bulk of information in a 30-second explainer video and expect your audience to digest it all at once.
Modern audiences have the luxury of choice. If your 30-second explainer video doesn’t grab and hold their attention instantly, they’ll move on to another service.
On the other hand, having too many choices can hold off audiences from committing to a service. This is where you need killer content to stand out from your competitors.
So, how do you manage client expectations, keep the audience engaged, and spike conversions with an explainer?
Reduce content
Rule number 1: edit.
If it can be said with visuals, do not use words to describe it. Hefty and jargon-loaded scripts overwhelm the audience. Not to mention they can come off as condescending.
When that happens, audiences flee. Mostly towards a business that talks to them in a conversational tone.
You need experienced and highly skilled scriptwriters to pull off content that simplifies complex concepts in a minimal amount of words.
For instance, Mailchimp needed to explain that its services had upgraded beyond email marketing.
So, it relied on the power of storytelling to creatively depict its extended pool of services and how it could help the users. Notice how it uses extremely simple language to convey the message.
Related: Why Explainer Videos Need a Killer Script
Give an overarching view
Convince your clients that specificity is futile in the early marketing stages.
Audiences who are in the awareness stage are just looking for a solution to their problem. The product’s detailed features might not be of interest to them yet.
At the attraction stage, you just need to convey to your audience that you understand their grievances. And that you’re going to cater to them in the best way.
Design the script and storyboard to give a bird’s eye view of the product or service. Touch on your unique selling proposition and how it relates to the audience’s needs or plight.
Axon Terminal is a SaaS company that offers cheaper logistics and freight management. Right off the bat, they focus on the problem (high logistics costs), why it’s a problem, and end up with how they can help (offering market, not markup rates).
The video offers enough credibility that viewers don’t need a rundown of the features to hit the sign-up button.
Create a 30-second explainer video series
For the audience in the consideration stage, you’ll have to provide detailed information about your product features.
Instead of a single 2-3 minute video, consider creating a series of 30-second explainer videos.
This will not only make your information easily digestible but also give you ample time to explain individual features.
Moreover, it will also make information about each feature easily accessible.
Flo is a women’s health app that helps them keep track of their reproductive and sexual health. This explainer describes a specific feature i.e. a personalized health report and its benefits.
Extend the length
Adding more time to your explainer video should be your last resort. Especially since attention spans dramatically decrease later in the video.
However, only do so if you have a consistently captivating script and equally impactful visuals to go with it.
If you’re going for a 60-second video, keep your word count from 150-160 max.
A 90-second video works best with 230-250 words. Both of these video types can be used to give a high-level overview of your business or explain an individual feature in detail.
It’s worth noting that video length will also impact video cost. Be sure to talk to your video production agency about the pricing and figure out what would work best for your needs, goals, and budget.
Check out this explainer we did for Yahoo Business:
View our comprehensive portfolio of explainer videos here.
For videos over 1.5 minutes, a how-to or tutorial format works best. Viewers stick to an explainer that long only when they’ve committed to the product and need to know how to make full use of it.
Here’s a detailed explainer video we did for Comet:
Related: Explainer Video Dos and Don’ts to Always Keep in Mind
Examples of 30-second explainer videos
Now let’s look at some of the best 30-second explainer videos that do a great job of making an impact.
Call Me Out – Chevrolet
Call Me Out is a driving app launched by Chevrolet to remind people to put their phones down when they’re driving.
Why we love this video
- Beautiful visuals
- Use of a celebrity that the audience can relate with
- Clear and crisp messaging
Homepage Got a Makeover – Asana
Asana is a work management software that people can use via the web or a phone app. This video gives the audience a quick run through of their new look.
Why we love this video
- Simple backgrounds
- Catchy and upbeat music
- Smooth transitions
Order Your Food & Drinks Ahead Of Time – Hey You
Hey You is an Australian food delivery app that lets users place their orders well in time. This 30-second video does a great job of explaining that.
Why we love this video
- Stunning color pallete
- Sick animation
- Upbeat voice-over
Amex Gold – American Express
American Express is a renowned multinational corporation that offers card payment financial services. And this video shows off their Amex Gold card.
Why we love this video
- Aesthetic branding
- Frequently changing scenes are engaging and refreshing
Datesmarter – Zoosk
Zoosk is an online dating app currently active in over 80 countries. This video is more art than marketing! Just goes to show you can have both.
Why we love this video
- Exceptional scriptwriting
- Smooth and flowy animation
- Cozy visuals
Wrapping up
For explainer videos, short and sweet is the way to go. Unless you absolutely have to, keep them under 30 seconds, minimize the content, and use compelling visuals to keep the audience engaged.
At MotionCue, we specialize in saying less with more. If you want a 30-second explainer video for your business, get in touch with us now!