When to Wake Your Audience Up with Explainer Videos

Mirror, mirror on the wall, why is no one buying at all?

Disney’s Snow White live-action remake didn’t exactly win the internet’s heart since day one. Fans expected one thing and got another. But I’m not here to pile on. 

There’s at least a lesson learned: if what you’re offering doesn’t match what your audience expects, they’ll walk away disappointed.

It’s not always about WHAT you’re offering, though. 

Sometimes, it’s HOW you’re presenting it. 

Just ask Disney. The Snow White live-action remake might have had good intentions. It could have been a faithful, nostalgic reimagining. But between the story changes, questionable CGI, and PR missteps, the way they presented it completely overshadowed the movie itself.

But here’s the good news: your business can avoid this fate with the right presentation.

And speaking of presentation… This brings me to explainer videos.

A well-crafted explainer video acts like your “brand’s trailer.” It gives your audience a sneak peek at exactly what they can expect from you.

That said, when to use an explainer video?

I often get asked this one question in client consultations: “Is it too early for an explainer video? Am I jumping the gun? Or, wait, have I already missed my chance?”

Spoiler alert! If you start asking those questions to yourself, the time is probably now. And if any of these signs sound familiar, you might need one ASAP.

Once Upon a Brand: Why Explainer Video is the Fairest of Them All

As someone who works in the explainer video industry myself, it would be too obvious and totally biased to say that every brand needs an explainer video. 

So don’t worry, I won’t give you a full song and dance about the perks of having an explainer video (mostly because I’ve already created a whole e-book about it, which you can download for free: Tactical Advantages of Having an Explainer Video).

But, much like the Evil Queen’s mirror, the numbers don’t lie.

In essence, instead of making people slog through walls of text, a great explainer video shows, tells, and entertains. Yes. All at once.

Don’t just take my word for it. I gathered insights from experts in the field on how explainer videos help businesses close more deals: 30+ Experts Reveal How Explainer Videos Help Closing More Deals. They confirmed that explainer videos help close more deals.

While I won’t say every brand must have an explainer video, I will say this: If you want to stand out, connect with your audience, and make your message crystal clear, it’s one of the smartest tools you can use.

Common Business Scenarios Where Explainer Videos Work Best

After working with so many clients for more than a decade, I’ve noticed the same struggles pop up again and again.

I’d share some top moments where an explainer video can be just what you’ve been looking for.

Product or Feature Launches

Many clients come to me when they’re launching a new product, service, or platform, and they need people to understand it fast.

Whether it’s a startup introducing a game-changing app or an established brand rolling out a new service, the challenge is the same: How do you get people to understand (and care) before they get bored?

A well-crafted explainer video makes it click instantly. They’re short, start forward, therefore– cutting through confusion and helping potential customers see exactly why they need what you’re offering.

Complex Offers

If your pitch takes more than a few sentences to explain, you’re probably losing customers before they even get to the good part.

I’ve seen this a lot with SaaS companies, cybersecurity services, fintech platforms, and B2B solutions. Basically, businesses with incredible products that people struggle to wrap their heads around.

Instead of expecting people to read through paragraphs of text, a short explainer video breaks it down in seconds to keep viewers engaged and make them way more likely to take action.

Issue Awareness

Meanwhile, clients in the non-profit industry often struggle to get traction with traditional outreach methods, only to see their message makes more sense through an explainer video.

Lengthy reports or static presentations can feel more like a chore to read for potential donors. But, when you incorporate animation and brand storytelling, you create an emotional connection with viewers. 

A short, compelling video can make statistics feel personal, showcase real-world impact, and ultimately drive donations, advocacy, or policy changes.

Unique Selling Points (USP)

I’ve seen too many great businesses get ignored just because people don’t get what makes them special. If you have to explain your USP with a five-paragraph essay, you’ve already lost them. 

No need to waste your time hoping people eventually figure out or even make assumptions about why you’re awesome because you can just show them in seconds with an explainer video.

Investors Pitches

With hundreds (or maybe thousands) of startups that I’ve worked with, many of them were trying to win the hearts of investors. 

And a lesson learned the hard way from many of them: no one wants to sit through another dry PowerPoint. Investors are way too familiar with fluff, so they want to get it fast. 

A good explainer video shows your story– with personality and emotion, highlights your potential and makes your pitch actually exciting (yes, it’s possible). 

If This Sounds Like You, It’s Time for an Explainer Video

How could you know that it’s the perfect time to invest in a professionally-made explainer video? I’ll break down some of the signs that indicate that your business could benefit from one right now.

Sign #1. “People Still Don’t Get What I Do”

If every networking event, sales call, or casual convo with a friend turns into a mini TED Talk about your business, we might have a problem.

Not every offer is as simple as “We sell coffee”. If your product or service involves multiple steps, abstract concepts, or tech-heavy details, you risk losing people before they even try to understand.

Your offer could be groundbreaking, but when people don’t understand it quickly, they don’t stick around to figure it out. Because if people don’t get it, they won’t buy it.

Here, I’m using Breadnbeyond’s video as an example. 

“Explainer video company” can mean a lot of things. Do we make cartoon ads? Do we film people explaining stuff on camera? Do we whip up PowerPoint slides with fancy transitions? And what does “explainer video” even mean?

I don’t want to make people guess (or worse, assume the wrong thing), so I let a video do the talking. It shows what we do, how we do it, and why it can be a solution to their problems. 

An explainer video helps break things down in a way that actually makes sense. No tech jargon, no confusing buzzwords. A story-driven story-driven breakdown with visuals does the heavy lifting.

Sign #2. “My Pitch Feels Like a Never-Ending Monologue”

Ever caught yourself rambling through a pitch, watching your audience zone out halfway through? I’ve been there. 

You can use an explainer video as a pitch that helps you trim the fluff and get straight to the good stuff, all while keeping people hooked.

One of my clients, KeyOpp, had this exact problem. As a real estate investment and property management company, they had a lot to explain: market trends, investment strategies, rental management… the whole deal. 

But cramming all that into a pitch? It would be Adrien Brody’s speech in the Oscars, and you can expect your audience to just stand there “politely” like Cillian Murphy with his can-I-go-home-now signature look. 

So, we designed an explainer video to summarize what they actually do so they could focus on sealing the deal.

Sign #3. “I Keep Answering the Same Questions Over and Over”

If your inbox is full of “So, how does this work?” emails, or your sales calls start with a 10-minute FAQ session– or if your sales team spends more time educating than closing, something’s off. 

People should walk into a demo or call already knowing the essentials, and not needing a full-on lecture.

An explainer video acts like a warm-up act by getting leads prepped and excited before they even talk to you.  They answer the big questions before people even ask, so they’re already sold on your offer by the time they reach out.

That means shorter sales cycles, fewer “let me think about it” responses, and more deals getting closed.

One of our projects was for the University of Ottawa’s Credit Transfer program. It was prime FAQ territory. 

Students and parents kept asking the same questions: How do credits transfer? What courses count? Will this delay my graduation? It was like a prolonged loop of déjà vu for their support team.

The explainer video with classic 2D animation style tackled all these common questions in one go. Now, they don’t need to answer the same emails over and over, they can just send the video. 

Sign #4. “My Competitors Have One… and I Don’t”

People are wired to watch rather than read, and if your audience has to work harder to understand your offer while your competitor’s video lays it all out in 60 seconds… guess who they’ll remember?

An explainer video keeps you in the game, makes sure you stand out, and stops potential customers from clicking away to someone else’s shiny, engaging video.

I saw this firsthand with OLEDWorks when we created an explainer for them. 

Most of their competitors already had invested in visuals to showcase their innovations, and OLEDWorks needed something just as cutting-edge– and it had to be better.

My team and I brought their story to life with a realistic 3D explainer video. They no longer use walls of text or complex diagrams as now they have a dynamic piece of content that instantly captures attention and showcases their advanced tech.

Sign #5. “People Don’t Get What Makes Me Different”

There are too many businesses selling the same product or service just like yours, right? You can list everything that makes you different in a bullet list. Sure. 

But does it make people actually care?

Dollar Shave Club could’ve just listed their key selling points like this:

• High-quality razors
• Affordable prices
• Convenient subscription model

But they decided to drop an iconic explainer video that was packed with personality. It showed why they were different instead of just telling people. 

Unlike cookie-cutter marketing tactics, explainer videos are fully customizable. Your brand’s personality, voice, and style can shine through in a way that’s uniquely yours.

A quick reminder: the best way to get noticed is to be unapologetically you. Who’s going to talk about Adam Sandler if he didn’t wear a bright blue hoodie and gym shorts at the Oscars?

Sign #6. “I Keep Losing Customers Before They Buy”

As a business owner myself, it’s really heartbreaking seeing a potential customer leave us high and dry just like that.

Here’s the thing: if potential customers are bouncing before they purchase, there’s a good chance they’re confused, overwhelmed, or just not convinced yet. 

When you have an explainer video, you walk them through the “why.” 

You show them why they need your product, why it is a solution to their problem, and why they should even stick around in the first place.

This one played out with another client, Bulk.ly. 

They had an awesome social media automation tool, but potential users weren’t making it past the trial stage– mostly because they didn’t fully get how it worked and how it’s any different from other social media tools.

So, we helped them create an explainer video that illustrates how it works and helped them increase the trial sign-ups by 280%.

Read the Bulk.ly case study: How Our Explainer Video Boosted Trial Sign-Ups by 280%

Sign #7. “I Have a Sales Deck, but No One Reads It”

I get it. You poured your heart (and probably way too many bullet points) into that sales deck. But if your prospects aren’t reading it, I wonder why… Maybe there’s just too much text? 

We all know that most of us would rather watch a short video than read a wall of text. So why not make it easy for them?

We worked on this customer onboarding video for MeetEdgar. The whole purpose of the video was to turn their info-heavy deck into something that is more appealing to learn from. 

Now that the deck is more visually pleasing, audience retention has been boosted up to 11%.

Read the MeetEdgar case study: How Our Explainer Video Improved Audience Retention by 11.25%.

Sign #8. “I Need to Train People, but We Don’t Have Time”

I’ve heard a lot of people assume that explainer videos are just for product demos or customer instructions. There’s so much more to it.

Explainer videos are also perfect for training. If you find yourself or your HR department struggling to explain the same thing over and over again— First, I feel your pain. Second, it’s time for a better way to teach.

And you guessed it. Explainer videos can make it better by making training a lot less painful, both for you and the learners. 

That’s exactly what we did with Cummins Construction. They needed a way to make sure that every worker got consistent, clear safety training, all without spending hours in repetitive training sessions.

We helped them produce a training and safety video that acts like a manual book, but it’s much easier on the eyes and more retainable.

Happily Ever After Starts Here

I started by mentioning Snow White, so I guess it’s only fair to keep the fairy tale rolling. Here are some quick takeaways:

• If your message feels like a poisoned apple: If customers take a bite (aka visit your site) and seem confused or disengaged, an explainer video can clarify things before they turn away.
• Your brand should shine like a diamond in the mine: If your value proposition is buried under complicated jargon, a well-crafted video will help you dig it up and let it sparkle.
• Don’t wait for a prince to wake up your audience: If your engagement is asleep, don’t rely on luck. A compelling explainer video is the true-love-kiss that can bring your brand back to life. 
• Mirror, mirror on the wall, who needs a video most of all?: If your competition is thriving with videos while you struggle to stand out, it’s time to get one before you become the forgotten step-business.
• Lost in the marketing forest: Overwhelmed by too many content options? An explainer video is the perfect guide to lead your audience straight to your brand’s doorstep.

Alright, I’ve given you the rundown. Now it’s your turn to figure it out for yourself. 

I made this quick flowchart that’ll clear up whether your business needs an explainer video anytime soon.

Why let your brand be the apple no one wants to bite when an explainer video could make it the sweetest pick in the market?

Like the Seven Dwarfs, Breadnbeyond knows where to find the real treasure, crafting professional explainer videos that make your business sparkle. 

And the best part? We whistle while we work so your message lands better.

Ready to create an explainer video that wins hearts?