Why Explainer Videos Work

Perhaps you’ve seen the popular TED Talk “Changing Education Paradigms” delivered by Sir Ken Robinson. Despite being longer than 11 minutes—which makes it an exceptionally long explainer video—it has been seen more than 18 million times between its postings on YouTube and the TedTalks website. 

The whiteboard drawing animation that accompanies the audio helps viewers follow along with Robinson’s ideas and keeps them engaged throughout the entire video. It also reaches a larger audience because people finding it entertaining while being educational. 

This talk is a good example of a well-done explainer video. But why do explainer videos work in the first place?

The Science Behind Why Explainer Videos Work

According to Thermopylae Sciences + Technology, the human brain processes images 60,000 times 

faster than text, and 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. This means images are an effective way to attract people’s attention. 

In fact, if you hear a piece of information, you will only remember 10% three days later. However, if you add a picture to that audio, your recall increases up to 65%.

And video beats out text significantly. People remember 80% of what they see and do but only 20% of what they read. According to a 2009 study by Forrester Research, a single minute of video is worth approximately 1.8 million words.

The brain craves stimulation, and explainer videos are the perfect way to promote a product, service or idea while keeping your audience engaged. They combine audio and visual stimuli, which is proven to increase message retention. They are also usually short and concise, which is necessary when a human’s attention span is only eight seconds.

The Demand

Not only are explainer videos useful for companies, but consumers prefer them. People like that videos are entertaining, engaging and easy to digest. According to a Medium article, users spend 88% more time on a website that has video. 

They also engage the most with videos that are up to two minutes long. People are twice as likely to share video content than any other type of content.

According to Marketing Charts, consumers turn to videos for their decision making and look for videos that reflect the specific products or services that they are interested in. They also like when the video itself is interactive in some way, letting them decide what information to view and when. Additionally, they find it helpful when a video includes recommendations for what they could or should do next. 

Consumers want these videos, and tapping into this demand by providing targeted explainer videos can help boost your company’s brand.

The Results

Most importantly, this love for videos produces results. Some key statistics from Wyzowl may pique your interest:

• Ninety-seven percent of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.
• Eighty-four percent of people say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.
• Seventy-four percent of people say they’ve been convinced to buy or download software or an app by watching a video.

Not only do people turn to videos to help make decisions, but they are also more likely to access other content if it includes video. SocialMediaToday claims mentioning the word “video” in an email subject line increases open rates by 19%. Including a video on landing pages can increase conversions by up to 80%.

It is clear that video will continue to be an important tool for promoting products, services and ideas. To stay competitive and reach consumers where they are, be sure to include video in your marketing strategy.

If you’re not sure where to start or want to ensure the highest quality explainer video, contact StoryBox Studios to discuss your needs and how we can help. Our team specializes in 2D animation, motion graphics and live-action productions, and we’ve created everything from corporate content to family entertainment.