Victor Blasco — June 19, 2018 — June 19, 2018
Is there a more powerful storytelling resource than motion picture? The easiness of videos to explain intricate concepts and convey all kinds of emotions maybe explains the fact that by 2020, it is expected that online videos will make up more than 80% of all consumer internet traffic.
One of the most compelling and explanatory techniques to use video in favor of your business is whiteboard animation. Get to know what this approach is all about and learn some pro tips to make a whiteboard video that results in huge exposure and conversions for your brand.
What exactly is a whiteboard animation video?
The most prominent characteristic of a whiteboard video is that it simulates being created in front of the viewer. In the background we see a plain white screen, the “board” which is usually filled with drawings, charts and words “written live” by a hand holding a pencil or a marker. This effect is nowadays often recreated digitally. See how here!
As they show concepts graphically as while they are presented to the viewer, whiteboard animation videos are one of the best video marketing techniques to explain hard to grasp concepts or show in a simple and entertaining way the complexity behind a particular product or service. For this reason, whiteboard animation goes well with the release of new company products, the explanation of specific qualities or characteristics and even with user manuals.
The Best Tips for Making a Killer Whiteboard Video
1. Focus on your story
Whiteboard animation is all about the story! A great script is the backbone of a great whiteboard video. But writing it doesn’t have to be too complex: there is a very simple three-step rule that will help you with the process of writing a video script that involves a character who needs a solution to their problem (your product!). This is known as the classical script structure.
- First moment: What? In the beginning of your video, present the viewer with the problem your product solves. It will be something your target audience can feel related to, meaning it will quickly grasp their attention so they will continue watching.
- Second moment: How? How does your product solve the issue? The best way to show this is being detailed and explanatory without getting too technical.
- Third moment: Why? Here you can fully brand your video by showing your logo and your most salesy side. Be direct with telling your audience why your product is the best alternative to solve the problem you presented.
Voilà! Now you have your script ready, it is time to dig deeper into its characters.
2. Make your characters real
Identification is essential for viewers to engage with your video. This is why portraying credible characters is fundamental and not as easy as it might seem. To tackle this task successfully, you can rely on your buyer persona for inspiration, use a prototypic person that portrays your target audience with a single personality.
Sketching the attributes of your buyer persona without staring at a blank screen for quite a moment can be hard, but with these buyer persona questions to guide you, the task can be much easier!
3. Keep the fundamentals…
When looking for whiteboard animation videos, you might find out that some are not as easy to understand as they are supposed to be. The temptation to be super original with your video might backfire if the message is not clear enough because too many changes have been made to the original structure and aesthetics. For a whiteboard video to be a whiteboard video, there are some specific characteristics to be found:
- The background of your video must be white. Yes, my friend! It might sound weird when you have millions of colors at your disposal to choose from, but the whiteboard background is what will predispose your viewer to the type of video they will be watching. Putting it in context will help them better understand what it is about and will lower the possibility of false expectations (which usually accounts for abandoning your video before it ended).
- Drawings must be simple. Remember whiteboard animation recreates the effect of sketching onscreen, so don’t use too much color or 3D graphics because it will look weird.
- The hand is important. The scribbling hand holding the marker or pencil with which it draws is the third key component of your whiteboard video. Don’t forget it!
Hands are super important in whiteboard animation.
4. … but have fun!
With the basics correctly recreated, you can get creative with some other stuff! Being black and white, adding a touch of color here and there will help you highlight important aspects of your video. If you are willing to play with color, the best is to do it with your brand palette, with the advantage you will be branding your video as well.
Regarding the characters, you can also animate them –yes, even though they have technically already “been drawn” onscreen! This will give your video a lively and interesting dynamic, which will help retain your viewers.
As you can see, with whiteboard animation it is all about balance! If you have fun with creativity while keeping the fundamentals, look at how interesting the final result can be:
5. Keep everything connected
A flowy video accounts for a professional final result and will help your audience enjoy a seamless viewing experience. Although you can “clean the whiteboard” if you consider it necessary, be sure to do it as few times as possible. Ideas are always related to one another, so the ones that compose your video can and should be as well.
Whiteboard videos with connected drawings account for easily understandable ideas, as you can understand through the following explainer video. You can even grasp the general idea although the voiceover is not in English! That’s how easy it can be to understand notions with good whiteboard animation.
How complex can the process be?
In order for a whiteboard video to look top-notch, the best method is to look for a professional video company to help you along the process. You will have a dedicated team of writers, designers, animators, editors and more to help and assess you through every step of the way. As a result, you will increase the returns on your investment and will end up with a professional quality video, which you will be able to use for years.
But if this is not a possibility for you now, you can go for something simpler. Although digital is the latest thing and it offers endless possibilities, the easiest way of making a whiteboard video is sketching everything live, by hand, or having the whole thing drawn and cut beforehand and presenting your illustrations onscreen one by one.
Whatever method you choose, make sure you enjoy the process and the final result doesn’t last longer than 90 seconds. Remember people’s minds are quite restless (especially on the internet!), so make a succinct video to ensure they won’t get distracted and leave.
All in all, what do you think? We say making a whiteboard animation video can be a lot of fun! You can get creative and learn tons of new stuff along the process, both regarding video making and with respect to your own business and brand. What could be better? We hope you enjoy it as much as we do and end up with a super pro video that will help you generate leads, boost conversions and improve your sales.
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