When you want customers to know more than your sales slogan, an explainer video is a great way to highlight why your products or services are the best in the business. Whether you choose to relay this message in an informal, youthful tone or a more sophisticated one, video has proven to be an effective way to gain brand awareness, increase revenue and pique the interests of future prospects.

What Is an Explainer Video?

In its basic form, an explainer video is a visual elevator pitch that gives customers an idea of what you have to offer them. Many businesses employ them solely to gain sales and leads, but they can serve several different functions. The typical length is usually between one to three minutes, but some are longer depending on the message and the audience they’re targeting.

• Fact: 78 percent of adult Internet users download or watch videos they encounter online.
• Tip: Viewers aren’t looking for a 30-minute video sales pitch. Highlight what you have to offer, stick to the point and do it in three minutes or fewer.

How Are Explainer Videos Effective?

They Sell for You

One aspect that makes explainer videos extremely effective is the ability to use them as an online sales tool day and night. Instead of sending out tons of email messages asking prospects to set up a call with you and listen to why they should choose your business, you could send emails introducing yourself and link to a video that does the selling for you. This takes less time than setting up calls and allows the promotion to work in your favor 24/7 — as long as the landing page is active.

• Fact: Adding video to your landing page could increase conversion rates by more than 200 percent.
• Tip: When sending emails to leads, make sure the explainer video that you link to covers the most basic FAQs for your company. The customer should be well-informed and ready to make a decision when you hear back from them.

They Grab Attention

Some people don’t have a sales bone in their bodies. They may be good at creating a product or delivering a service, but lack the people skills or the courage to get out there and present their company to the world. Explainer videos fill this gap by arming non-sales staff with a tool that will capture the customers’ attention and give them all the information they need to make an informed decision to choose your business.

• Fact: Videos that contain a bit of humor are watched and shared more than any other type.
• Tip: One way to add humor to an otherwise mundane video is to poke fun at how someone could misuse your product or service.

They Evoke Emotion

If you’ve ever watched a movie, you already know how the right words, combined with music and stunning graphics can evoke you to respond emotionally. Well, explainer videos are no different. Not only can they be used to demonstrate your product or service, but they can also create an emotional response within the viewer. It’s the same tactic often used by Cheerios and Huggies. Emotion has proven to be a prime factor in consumer buying decisions.

• Fact: Ads that contain raw emotional content outperform others by twice as much.
• Tip: Work closely with your script writer to capture the right emotion in your content. You may need to run through several versions to get this right.

How Are Explainer Videos Used?

• Sales: Explainer videos are most commonly employed as company sales tools. This could be in the form of a link sent in an email, a video embedded in the business website or a company video sharing channel (YouTube, Vimeo, Vine, etc.). The primary purpose is to convert sales leads to customers.
• Education: After you obtain the customer, you may need to educate them on how to properly use your product or service. Explainer videos are a great way educate consumers, all while keeping your brand front and center. Many software-as-a-service companies (SaaS) teach their customers how to maneuver around their platforms with video tutorials.
• Brand Awareness: With thousands of similar businesses competing  with each other both online and offline, the need to separate and focus on branding is highly important. Some explainer videos are produced for this sole purpose. They don’t try to sell you anything, and they won’t teach you anything. Their main purpose is to make you remember the brand. These are typically no longer than one minute, and have a strong focus on customer support. Testimonials are often included to show transparency and customer loyalty.

• Fact: 52 percent of consumers reported that they feel more confident about their purchasing decisions after watching a product video.
• Tip: After you’ve made a sale, include links to your educational videos in a welcome email to the customer. This will show that you’re dedicated to helping them succeed and will ultimately engage the customer on a deeper level.

Explainer Video Do’s and Don’ts

Don’ts

• Don’t forget about your audience. Depending on what type of product or service you offer, you may have several demographics to pitch to. Treat each demographic separately and create distinctive videos that address their needs individually. Don’t try to sell to everyone with one production.
• Don’t forget to add a contact form on the landing page that houses your explainer video. You may not make the sale today; however, obtaining a lead’s contact information while they’re engrossed in your video gives you a much better chance of making the sale tomorrow.
• Don’t make your video too long. People have very short attention spans and unless they’re already a customer looking to learn more from you, you could lose them if your production is lengthy.

Do’s

• Do hire a professional scriptwriter to handle your copy. This person should know how to add emotion and urgency into your writing in order to drive sales. Learning this can take some time, so it’s best to hire a professional to cover it for you.
• Do take the time to plan out the purpose of your video. Decide whether your goal is to make a sale, explain a concept, educate the viewer or entertain the viewer. Identifying the purpose beforehand can help to narrow down your target audience and deliver an explainer video that distinctly meets their current needs.
• Do focus on the benefits that you have to offer the customer. No one wants to hear about how awesome you are. In order to make the sale or the emotional connection, people need to see the benefits of your product or service.

Visual communications repeatedly capture the hearts, minds (and pockets) of consumers, and explainer videos are a prime example of that. With YouTube being the second largest search engine, it’s safe to say that video marketing is here to stay. The question is whether or not your company will be on the inside benefiting from this trend, or on the outside, waiting for the next big thing.

This post originally appeared on the Infographic World blog.