Blog | April 9th, 2024 | by Trey Gray | Online Video

How to Make a Custom Explainer Video: The Basics

Curious how you can create your own Explainer Video masterpiece all by yourself? In this article we are going to guide you, step-by-step, on just how to do that!

The Might of Custom Explainer Videos

Why Custom Explainer Videos Are a Game-Changer

Embarking on your custom explainer video journey starts with recognizing their power. These are not just videos; they’re strategic narratives designed to distill your business’s essence into a format that’s not just easy to grasp but impossible to ignore. By marrying compelling storytelling with striking visuals and a dash of humor, these videos carve messages into viewers’ minds.

The Magic Behind Custom Explainer Videos:

• Simplicity Over Complexity: With clear visuals and narratives, they demystify complex concepts.
• Engagement at Lightning Speed: The human brain processes visuals at incredible speeds, tipping the scales in favor of video content.
• Retention Like No Other: Viewers retain a whopping 95% of a message when it’s watched versus 10% when read.
• SEO’s Best Friend: Videos are search engines’ favorites, boosting your chances of ranking high.

Step 1: Defining Your Goal for You Explainer Video

Identifying the Core Message of Your Explainer Video

• What’s the endgame here? Brand awareness, product launch, or driving action?
• Who am I speaking to? Understanding your audience shapes a message that resonates.
• How does this piece fit into the larger puzzle of my marketing strategy
• Embrace SMART Goals: Make your aim not just a star to reach for but a milestone you plan to achieve with a timeframe in mind, like aiming for a “20% surge in website traffic from the video within its first month.”

Aligning with Brand Values

Your explainer video is an extension of your brand. As such, the objective you set should reflect and reinforce your brand values and identity. This alignment ensures that the video not only achieves its immediate goals but also strengthens your brand’s overall message and appeal to your audience.

Step 2: Writing a Compelling Script for Your Explainer Video

Highlighting the Problem: Relating to Your Audience

The script is the soul of your video. This is where you don’t just write; you weave a narrative that touches your audience personally. Start with a familiar struggle, introduce your solution as the knight in shining armor, and spotlight the benefits, making them tangible. Culminate with a call to action that feels like the natural next chapter of the story you’ve just told.

Remember to always:

• Highlight a Problem: Begin by painting a picture of a common problem or challenge your target audience faces. This approach not only grabs attention but also builds empathy, as viewers recognize their own experiences in your narrative.
• Offer a Solution: Introduce your product or service as the hero that comes to the rescue. However, it’s crucial to present this solution in a way that feels organic and story-driven, rather than a hard sell. Show how your solution fits naturally into the viewer’s world, solving their problem and enhancing their life or business.
• Emphasize Benefits: Shift the focus from what your product is to what it does for the viewer. Highlighting benefits over features allows the audience to envision the positive impact your solution can have on their daily lives or operations. Use vivid, relatable examples to illustrate these benefits, making them feel tangible and attainable.
• Call to Action: Every great story has a conclusion, and in the case of your explainer video, this is your call to action (CTA). The CTA should be clear, compelling, and easy for the viewer to follow. Whether it’s visiting a website, signing up for a free trial, or making a purchase, ensure your CTA is the natural next step in the story you’ve told.

Step 3: Storyboarding Your Explainer Video Concept

Storyboarding: The Blueprint of Visuals

Transitioning from script to storyboard is where your vision starts taking shape visually. Consider this the draft of your video’s visual narrative, a tool for collaboration and creativity. It’s your script in visual frames, each depicting a key scene, fleshing out the journey from concept to visual marvel. Here are some key elements to incorporate:

• Visual Planning: Think of the storyboard as the comic book version of your script. Each frame represents a key scene or transition, providing a visual reference for how the story unfolds. This is where you decide on the composition of each shot, the characters’ actions, and how visual elements like text and icons will be integrated.
• Collaboration Tool: The storyboard is not just a planning tool but also a communication aid. It allows you to share your vision with your team, including animators, voiceover artists, and any stakeholders. This collaborative review process can spark creative ideas, highlight potential issues, and ensure that everyone understands the direction and flow of the video.
• Flexibility and Creativity: While your storyboard should follow the script closely, it also offers the opportunity to be creative with visual storytelling. Experiment with different angles, perspectives, and pacing to find the most engaging way to present your message. Remember, the goal is to make complex information easily digestible and visually appealing.
• Feedback and Revision: Use your storyboard as a dynamic document, open to revisions based on feedback from your team or test audience. This iterative process can significantly enhance the clarity and impact of your explainer video, ensuring that the final product effectively communicates your message.
• Tools and Techniques: You don’t need advanced drawing skills or expensive software to create a storyboard. Simple sketches on paper are a great starting point. For those who prefer digital tools, there are many storyboard software options available that offer templates, drag-and-drop elements, and easy editing features. The key is to choose a method that allows you to quickly iterate and visualize your ideas.

Step 4: Design & Animate Your Custom Explainer Video

Bringing Your Story to Life: Design and Animation

Now, breathe life into your storyboard. This stage is about translating static images into dynamic, engaging animations that capture your essence. Maintain visual consistency, let animation enhance your storytelling, and prioritize quality to reflect your brand’s credibility. Important factors include:

• Consistency in Visuals: Ensure that the visual elements remain consistent throughout the video. This consistency extends to character designs, color schemes, and animation styles, reinforcing your brand identity and making your message more coherent and impactful.
• Animation as Storytelling: Animation isn’t just about movement; it’s a form of storytelling. Use animation to emphasize key points, demonstrate processes, or convey emotions. Effective animation can turn a good explainer video into an unforgettable one by adding depth to your story and enhancing viewer engagement.
• Technical Quality: High-quality animation reflects on your brand’s professionalism and attention to detail. Invest in skilled animators or reputable animation studios to ensure your video meets industry standards. This investment pays off by elevating your video’s perceived value and effectiveness.

Step 5: Adding Audio to Enhance Your Explainer Video

The Symphony of Sound: Music and Effects

Audio is the unseen force that amplifies your video’s emotional resonance. Select music that aligns with your video’s tone, utilize sound effects to punctuate important moments, and ensure the audio quality matches your visual standards. Some key factors when choosing your music and effects:

• Emotional Alignment: Choose music that emotionally aligns with your video’s message. The right soundtrack can elevate the narrative, evoke specific feelings, and make your video more memorable.
• Sound Effects for Emphasis: Use sound effects not just for realism, but also to emphasize critical moments or actions within your video. When aligned with visual cues, sound effects can significantly enhance the viewer’s understanding and engagement.
• Professional Audio Quality: Just as with animation, the quality of your audio can greatly influence the overall impact of your video. Consider working with professional audio engineers or using high-quality royalty-free music and sound effects to ensure your audio complements your visuals perfectly.

Step 6: Refining Your Custom Explainer Video

Incorporating Feedback for Refinement

Editing is where all elements converge to polish and perfect. Focus on a smooth narrative flow, adjust pacing for maximum impact, and incorporate feedback for continuous refinement. Consider the following:

• Narrative Flow: Pay close attention to the narrative flow during editing. Ensure that the transition between scenes is smooth, maintaining the viewer’s interest and ensuring the story progresses logically.
• Pacing for Impact: The pacing of your video can greatly affect its impact. Too fast, and you risk overwhelming your audience; too slow, and you may lose their attention. Find the right pace to keep viewers engaged and ensure they absorb your message.
• Feedback Loop: Incorporate feedback from various stakeholders during the editing process. This can include your team, test audiences, or even clients. Constructive feedback is invaluable for refining your video and enhancing its appeal.
• Final Polish: Use this stage to add the final polish to your video. This includes color correction, audio leveling, and ensuring that all visual and audio elements are perfectly synchronized. A well-polished video enhances your brand’s professionalism and can significantly impact the viewer’s experience.

By dedicating attention and resources to the design and animation, integrating music and sound effects thoughtfully, and focusing on editing and refinement, you elevate your custom explainer video from a simple communication tool to a compelling piece of visual storytelling. Each of these steps contributes to creating an explainer video that not only informs but also engages and inspires your audience to take action.

Step 7: Promoting Your Custom Explainer Video

Unleashing Your Video: Strategies for Impact

With your video ready, it’s time for a grand debut. Embed it on your website, share across social media, and consider paid advertising to extend its reach. Monitor engagement and conversion metrics to gauge its impact and refine future projects.

Here are some strategies for distribution and promotion:

• Website: Embed the video on your homepage or relevant product pages.
• Social Media: Share your video across your social media channels.
• Email Marketing: Include the video in newsletters or promotional emails.
• Paid Advertising: Consider using paid ads on social media or search engines to reach a wider audience.
  

Measuring the Impact of Your Custom Explainer Video

Evaluating the success of your custom explainer video involves tracking key metrics such as views, engagement, conversion rates, and viewer feedback. These insights are invaluable for refining future video projects and better targeting your audience.

Concluding Thoughts: Creating Effective Explainer Videos

The Art of Storytelling in Explainer Videos

Creating a custom explainer video is an art that marries storytelling with technical prowess. Remember, at the heart of your video is a story — your brand’s narrative. Let this guide empower you to craft videos that not only inform but inspire, building lasting connections with your audience.

Steve Jobs famously said, “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.” Let your explainer video be a testament to the power of your brand’s story, captivating, educating, and inspiring action.

By embracing the art of explainer video creation, you’re not just promoting a product or service; you’re sharing a piece of your brand’s story, inviting viewers into your world, and offering them a solution that could enrich their lives. Let this guide be your roadmap to creating a custom explainer video that not only meets your marketing objectives but also elevates your brand to new heights.

FAQs on Creating Custom Explainer Videos

What is an explainer video?

An explainer video is a short, engaging video that explains a product, service, or concept in a simple and effective way, usually within 2 to 3 minutes. It combines compelling narratives with visual graphics to convey messages in an easily digestible format.

Why should I use custom explainer videos for my brand?

Custom explainer videos can significantly enhance your brand’s online presence by making complex information about your products or services easily understandable. They engage viewers, increase retention rates, and can effectively boost conversion rates by clearly outlining the benefits of what you offer.

How long should an explainer video be?

The ideal length of an explainer video is usually between 60 to 90 seconds. This timeframe is sufficient to convey key messages without losing the viewer’s attention. However, the length can vary depending on the complexity of the topic and the specific goals of the video.

Can explainer videos improve SEO?

Yes, explainer videos can contribute to your SEO efforts. Websites with video content are more likely to rank on the first page of Google search results. Videos increase the amount of time visitors spend on your site, which is a positive signal to search engines.

What is the best way to distribute my explainer video?

The most effective distribution strategy for your explainer video includes embedding it on your website (e.g., on the homepage or relevant product pages), sharing it across social media platforms, including it in email marketing campaigns, and potentially using it in paid advertising for wider reach.

Do I need professional equipment to make an explainer video?

While professional equipment can enhance the quality of your video, it’s not strictly necessary. Many successful explainer videos have been created using simple tools and software. The key elements are a clear script, engaging visuals, and a well-structured narrative.

How much does it cost to create a custom explainer video?

The cost of creating a custom explainer video can vary widely, from a few hundred dollars for a DIY option using online tools to several thousand dollars for a professionally produced video. The cost depends on factors such as the video’s length, complexity, and the quality of animation and production.

Can I make an explainer video myself?

Yes, it’s possible to create an explainer video yourself using various online platforms and software designed for video production. However, for a more polished and professional result, you might consider hiring professionals (like Demoflick!), especially for tasks like animation, voiceover, and scriptwriting.


About Demoflick

Demoflick is an award-winning, multi-national company with over 13 years in the explainer video and animation industry, renowned for creating custom-built animated explainer videos that captivate and engage. Our expertise covers a broad spectrum of video campaigns, earning us a reputable client base that includes LegalZoom, NVIDIA, USDA, and McDonald’s among over 1,500 others. We’ve achieved a client return rate of over 75%, and a reported 200% increase in conversions for companies that implement our video solutions. Demoflick stands ready to compellingly tell your story, demonstrating why we’re the preferred partner for companies worldwide.


Click here to schedule an appointment with our team, and find out how Demoflick can help tell your story!