How to Tell Brand Stories With Explainer Videos

Very few companies have what it takes to articulate what they do, how they do it, and why they do it.

We’re talking about an important, yet often overlooked, brand-building factor for business owners from all around the world.

Telling a story about your business requires a unique way of framing your brand into a narrative timeline.

The most asked question about brand storytelling is “What story should I tell?”

The subject of your story doesn’t really matter. The thing you should focus on is perfecting the composition of that story.

The truth is, people, love hearing a well-composed story more than hearing cold, hard facts.

Essential Ways to Tell Your Brand Stories

Every brand story deserves to be told. It helps your brand to build a meaningful relationship with your customers.

Here are some of the points you should consider to deliver your brand story seamlessly

1. Sprinkle Your Story With Details

You can tell people how you started your business and what that business does in plain language. But you can’t really call that storytelling. Real storytelling is telling people about what is unique about your company and what makes your company worth its time and resources.

Little details that don’t really seem to matter to you can make a big impact on your audience. Tell a story about how you overcame a budget problem in the early days, how you got your first client, or how you first pitched this business idea to investors.

You might remember these events as just another day at work, and that’s alright because you experienced it first-hand.

But you might just stumble across the one story that piques a viewer’s interest in your company and makes them want to know more.

2. Tell People Why You Started Your Business

First, every business is started for the money, so let’s get that out of the way right now.

However, there is always more than just money that drives a person to start a business from the ground up.

There’s one moment in which you thought, “I should start a company that makes this thing.”

Here’s the thing about starting a business: It’s rarely a safe choice.

Most businesses are crazy leaps of faith that expose starters to huge risks, based only on mostly stupid urges that the starters can’t shake.

Most entrepreneurs have had that kind of story happen to them, although few have the ability to articulate this into a story for others to hear, watch, or read.

For example, Elon Musk said that he started the largest electric vehicle company on earth because he didn’t like how big automotive companies recalled electric cars and destroyed them against their owners’ will in 2003.

Few people know that we started Tesla when GM forcibly recalled all electric cars from customers in 2003 & then crushed them in a junkyard

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2017

3. Evolve Your Story

Like any other story, your story should progress as your business grows and changes.

Not only will this add something new for your audience to read or watch, it’ll also stop the boredom of having to tell the same story over and over again.

Update your audience on your company every now and then.

That way, you maintain the good relationship you’ve built with them through your earlier stories.

If you’re telling your stories in blog posts, make sure you add “parts 1, 2, 3” and so on to let them know that what they are reading is linked to other parts of the story.

4. Tell Stories Visually

You can tell stories really well with the words you write and say, but there’s nothing quite like showing people what it looks like when that story happens.

Unfortunately, we haven’t invented the machine to harvest memories and project them from our brains.

The closest we can get to that is a video.

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” they say. If that’s true, then a 1-minute video should be worth well over a billion words.

We wanted to find out just how true the statement was by trying to explain Pinterest to Internet newcomers back in 2012.

Using Explainer Videos to Tell Your Brand Stories

Explainer videos can be a powerful medium to tell your brand stories.

This type of engaging video is well-known for its simplicity and conciseness, helping you to get your message across effectively without overwhelming the viewer.

Have you ever come across one of the “Will it Blend” videos by Blendtec? Now, even if your answer is “no”, you might have an idea of what they’re offering.

Yep, a blender.

Even with my fair share of time in the world of animated explainer videos (six years and counting, folks), and having seen a lot of videos with amusing concepts, I still managed to find their approach hilarious.

What a way to show people what their blender is capable of doing!

From a pack of cards, a golf stick, and figurines of Bella and Edward from Twilight to Apple products, Blendtec’s blender managed to shred them all to what looks like a handful of dust.

See all that silver and gold dust? While it might seem like a waste of a good product – a great product with a gigantic fan base even – Blendtec knew that by tossing them in their blenders they’d make a statement.

It’s their message.

Which is important when creating an explainer video for your business. What message would you like to convey through your video? Well, there are several types of messages that you can go for.

We’ve divided them into four categories. Let me guide you through the possibilities.

1. Show The Benefits

First is the kind of message that shows your customers the benefit they’ll get by using your product or service. In my opinion, Blendtec completely owns this message.

By blending an iPhone 5c – worth almost $700 – into non-existence, it’s like they’re saying “If this thing right here can turn to dust imagine how easy it would be for you to make smoothies – no more chunks or bits of fruit left unblended!” …something like that.

This type of massage is a great strategy to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

2. Answer To a Problem

The second type of message provides your customers with an answer to a well-established problem.

So your message will look a lot like this: Here’s a problem many of us share. You’re dealing with it as well. Now here’s the good part; we can fix that for you. End of message.

A fine example of this can be seen in our video for Next Glass in which the message is absolutely clear: Since there are many different varieties of wine, choosing the right one to match your taste buds can be confusing.

Listening to a recommendation might not always work either, as people’s preferences differ.

However, by using Next Glass, you’ll never have to taste another bad wine ever again.

3. Showcase Your Brand

The third type of message is a mix between an introduction and a tutorial for your customers.

This is an ideal strategy for those of you who have created a service or product that’s completely new.

New is not always perceived as better.

Remember that no matter how awesome the service or product you’re providing might be, if the public finds it confusing at first, not many of them will stick around to figure it out.

That’s why you need to shape the message to allow you to introduce the product while pointing out its awesomeness through a simple how-to. Like Pinterest.

4. Inspire Your Customers

The fourth and final type of message is one that focuses on inspiring your customers.

You are going to inform and educate them on an issue they may not yet be aware of.

The message will still be related to your product or service of course, but your main goal is not selling or acquiring, but growing awareness.

We’ve worked on several explainer videos with this type of message. One of them is this video which we created for Hearing Aids.

Since the aim is to inspire, this type of message will work best when your message is not profit-oriented.

As I mentioned before, your main goal is not to sell or acquire.

So those are the four categories of messages you can use to further your goals – showing a benefit, providing an answer to a problem, giving a tutorial, and inspiring.

Insider Tips for Creating a Story-Driven Explainer Video

Creating your very own explainer video even without experience shouldn’t be hard. Thanks to the internet and the rapid growth of technology.

There are a bunch of video editing tools to help you craft your explainer video to tell your brand story seamlessly.

So joining the explainer video bandwagon is never too late. Sure, it can be intimidating and frustrating during the initial stages, but it will pay off in the end.

Because a compelling explainer video will bring your audiences closer to your brand, which leads to more revenue for your business.

We have gathered tips from the pros and compiled them for you. In this post, you’ll gain insightful advice to create a compelling explainer video.

Your video will not only be kick-ass but will also create a lasting impression.

1. Know Your Audience Well

One of the most shared tips when it comes to creating explainer videos is to know your audience well.

However, this may confuse people with no background in creating videos for marketing purposes.

Now, you may think that by knowing who your target audience is, you’re all set. Believing this would be a fatal mistake that can cost you profits in the future.

We’re not trying to scare you, but it’s a known fact.

Use Buyer Persona

A buyer persona is a representation of who your ideal customers are. A detailed buyer persona can earn your business quite a leverage.

You’ll attract visitors, and valuable leads, and gain customers.

Knowing your audience through buyer persona will help you shape your explainer videos.

Identify Their Pain Points

So now you’ve acquainted yourself with your audience. What’s next?

Identify their pain.

If your viewers identify with the emotions in your video, there’s a good chance of them watching until the end.

Showcase a Common Problem

How do you ensure your viewers empathize with your video?

Provide a common problem.

Your viewers will find common ground because they’ve encountered the same in the past. This will make them interested in what your product or service can do for them.

2. Exhibit Your Brand

When your viewers begin to identify with the problem, the next step is to exhibit your brand.

Showcase it as the best solution available in the market.

Make your product or brand the holy grail that makes their problem go away.

Talk About the Benefits, Not the Features

When we say exhibit your brand, we’re talking about showcasing the benefits. Companies often intertwine features with benefits.

This often makes viewers lose interest in the explainer video.

Losing interest in your video will lead to losing interest in your product, and that is never a good thing.

Once you’ve shown your viewers how your product or service is the solution, focus on what they can gain from it. Let your viewers see why using your product or service has added benefits.

Showcase Your Experience

When you exhibit your product as the solution to their problems, show them a guarantee.

Let your viewers see that you know what you’re doing.

Try inserting reviews from your past customers. Show them how your business is the industry leader when it comes to solving these problems.

3. Keep it Short and Sweet

Studies have shown that the attention span of humans is now shorter compared to that of a goldfish. Keep that in mind when creating your explainer videos.

If you’re unsure about the ideal video length, check our article here.

The Script

Your script should tell a story that is brief but concise.

Create an introduction that is creative and, at the same time, compelling. When making your script, write as if you’re talking to a friend.

Don’t use jargon that your general viewers won’t be able to understand.

When it comes to explainer videos, a well-written script is key to a successful video. This applies whether you’re creating your video or hiring an explainer video company.

We cannot stress enough how important the script is.

Plan the Finish

When completing your explainer video, keep your goal in mind. What’s that, you may ask? Your goal is to direct your viewers’ next step. Call-to-action will give that needed push to gain the ideal response from your viewers.

4. Strive to Entertain

When you explain what your service is, try to make it entertaining to your viewers.

Sure, it’s a compelling script, but if you bore them with too many details, they’ll click out of your video in seconds.

Try to add humor if the opportunity arises.

Visuals Are Secondary

When it comes to explainer videos, it’s surprising to find out that visuals come as secondary.

Lessen the use of visual effects since this can distract your audience.

Remember that your script should stand out in your video.

Set the Tone With Music

Have you ever noticed how thrillers can make a scene suspenseful with just the right kind of music? You can do the same for your video.

Add the appropriate background music and use it to evoke emotions from viewers.

Ditch The Gimmicks

Some businesses try to reach out to a broader audience, meaning a wider age range than their audience now.

They expect them to connect to the videos no matter what.

This is a rookie mistake you can’t afford to make: using gimmicks to attract a wider audience.

We’re talking about pop culture references or what’s trending at the moment.

Remember how everyone used to say ‘YOLO’ before? Yeah, it has a cringe effect now. You don’t need gimmicks to make your video seem “cool.”

5. Plan For The Launch

Planning the launch of your explainer video is as essential as creating it.

Before showing it to the public, make sure that it displays well on different devices.

Remember that people use various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Have the thought of your video being mobile-friendly in mind.

Your thumbnail can gain more views

Before your audience can view your video, the first thing they’ll see is its thumbnail image. If your thumbnail is too crowded with text, there’s a high chance your target won’t click on your video. Find the right balance where your thumbnail is attractive enough to intrigue them.

Planning the launch of your video should be done with careful consideration.

Select a Video Host

Once your video is ready, you’ll need to find hosting options. If you’ve been thinking of hosting it on your site, you’re making a rookie mistake.

Video files are usually significant. Hosting your explainer video on your website will make them use a huge amount of bandwidth.

This can cause many problems, not only for your video but for your website’s performance, too.

Common problems:

• Video glitches and errors
• Compatibility and quality problems
• An issue with server storage

Since video is a very popular medium, you have the option to use video hosting platforms.

You don’t even have to limit yourself to one, you can post your video on many different ones to gain more views.

Here are the top video hosting stages you can use for free.

• Youtube
• Facebook
• Vimeo
• Dailymotion

You can upload your video to all video hosting platforms mentioned above. After all, they’re free!

Read More: 6 Best YouTube Alternatives to Host Your Videos

Have a Marketing Plan

Don’t expect your video to gain immediate views the minute you post it online. Take extra steps to earn more views by linking your video to your emails.

Feature your video on your social media accounts so you can gain some traction.

You can also place it in a strategic location on your website’s landing page. If you have a sales presentation prepared, bonus points for leveraging your video.

You can also take advantage of its value by publishing it in your newsletters. You may even link to it through your email signature.

Integrate It On Your Website

Placing your video on your website is very common. But how do the pros do it? They use heat maps and eye-tracking technology.

Displaying your video where you know your visitors look at it most will gain you more views.

You’ll notice how the views you get are better when compared to putting your video front and center.

6. Hire Professionals

Creating an explainer video can be intimidating and exhausting. There’s so much you need to do and so much you need to learn.

You have to create a compelling script that embodies your company’s values. The script needs to be able to entertain your audience.

You need to create a balance between the ideal length and that perfect script. You need to be a pro at video editing software.

It will take the utmost commitment and dedication to produce a video of high quality.

But if creating that video will take your valuable time away from more pressing matters, what do you do?

Consider hiring professionals.

Hiring specialists is worth it when the quality of the work is not compromised. They can create compelling videos for you, and you’ll be able to focus on your business.

There are still parts of creating a video that is better left in the hands of experts. No man is an island, after all.

Use a Professional Voice Over

If you ask around to find which part of creating a video you shouldn’t skimp on, people will say voice actors.

Voice actors know the recipe to engage your audience and connect with their emotions.

They can modulate their voice to the right pitch, so your viewers get excited or concerned.

Professional voice actors can provide engagement as much as your visuals can. Imagine producing a great video but with a monotonous voice.

Ten seconds in and your audience will fall asleep.

Cutting costs on professional voice actors is not a practical solution.

Hire a Pro Video Editor

Having a hard time understanding how video editing software works? Save yourself from wasted hours by hiring a professional explainer video company.

A professional explainer video company has the experience to tell your brand stories and showcase your company values.

They know what the audience wants to see and integrate it into your video.

Remember that even with a great film, your video can get ruined by poor editing.

That is why hiring a professional video can be a safe way to ensure that you create a visually appealing, story-driven explainer video.

How Breadnbeyond Helps You for Visual Brand Storytelling

We’d love to show you our process to create an explainer video, starting from a raw concept to a fully-fledged animated video that helps you convert leads into customers.

1. Brainstorming Script

If you don’t have a script ready, just send us your basic ideas and outlines. We’ll create the script based on what you have sent to us.

Once we have an initial script we can start a discussion with you until you give us your approval. Of course, you can skip this step if you already have a script written.

2. Script Visualization

Once the script is approved, we will create several still images for you, which will illustrate how we would visualize your message.

3. Drawing a Storyboard

Upon your approval, we’ll begin to develop a full storyboard for your video in still images. In this phase, you get limited chances to ask for revisions.

Please understand that the script has been finalized at this phase, and we are hoping to not have any revisions to the already approved script.

This will help ensure we get the project done in the time frame we have promised.

4. Supporting Component

At the same time, with the full storyboard undergoing completion, if voice-over work is necessary for your video, our voice talent will start working on the project.

You may want to have a musical background for your video instead. If that is the case, we can help you find the best tune among the hundreds in our royalty-free music library.

Or you may simply suggest the use of your favorite song!

5. Animation Phase

When we have completed the full storyboard, voice-over, and background music, we are ready to start animating your video and deliver it to you!

Closing Thought

Combining both video and audio is the best possible way to tell a story. You can use video to push your audience towards drawing particular conclusions of your choice.

For example, you can tell your audience about how your first meeting with investors was thrilling and scary, sharing as many details as possible to help them understand how you felt in that room.

Or you can recreate the entire atmosphere of the room that day in the form of a video scene. They are presented with a situation, and they can conclude for themselves how it felt to be in that situation.

By giving them the opportunity to draw the conclusion themselves, they’re more likely to believe it.

Storytelling is an effective marketing strategy that doesn’t really look like a marketing campaign. You can connect with your audience emotionally, and start building and growing your brand from there.

Explainer videos help you tell and show captivating stories to your audiences! Interested in creating one? Breadnbeyond can help you with that. Check our video packages and get a FREE consultation on the banner below: