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How We Made Our Explainer Video

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Alexander Darcy

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Alexander Darcy

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    Hopefully you’ll have seen the video on our homepage. We thought it might be interesting to share why we made it!

    At TechBrain we do a lot. We’re not just your average remote IT department. For a start, we have a very special business model whereby we offer unlimited IT support for a fixed monthly fee. We also cover a lot of areas – cloud computing, product supply, IT project services and managed IT services. Then there’s the huge amount of verticals to which we offer our services… medical, legal, insurance, architects, engineers – the list goes on. 

    The problem is, how to explain everything we do in a way that is simple to comprehend and fun to digest?

    So we set about creating an explainer video. You can see it here!

    What is an explainer video? Well, the clue really is in the name. It’s a fun, upbeat, catchy way to outline a company’s products and services without the feel of a PowerPoint presentation. 

    It took us a lot of planning to get it right, but if you’re a small business owner, you might benefit from our learnings.

    With that in mind, here are our top tips for success:

    Simplify your brand. The explainer video doesn’t need to include everything. Its brevity is its charm. The simpler you keep the message, the more powerful and effective it will be.

    Understand that it represents your brand. There are very few opportunities for an average company to show the world how it views itself. The visuals, choice of language and music will all help give the customer a feel for what kind of company you are. Think of the difference in tone between fast, chirpy music or something slow and melodic.

    Be creative. Animated explainer videos are usually cheapest, but also think about filming something live – with an actor or a confident employee. If you’ve got the budget, a strong script, and a concept that’s better than someone standing near a wall and talking, you can make something genuinely special.

    Keep it short. People tend to see explainer videos when they’re in the office, so keep them brief. No matter how good yours is, nobody likes to look like they’re sitting at their desk watching YouTube. About 90 seconds should be the absolute maximum. If you want a rule of thumb to work to, a minute’s worth of script is usually 150 words.

    Start strong. Your key message should be in the first 30 seconds. State your point, and then you can expand upon it.

    Speak normally. No matter how much jargon your industry uses, a good explainer video should use language anyone can understand. This is one time impressive terms might just alienate potential customers. Try and keep the tone casual and conversational. 

    Think of benefits. Whether you’re selling a product or a service, it’s easy to concentrate on your features. However, your explainer video should look at the benefits of your product/service. The customer wants a quick guide to how your thing is going to help them. 

    Hopefully, that overview will give you the inspiration to make your own explainer video. But we’d love to hear your thoughts on our effort. Why not leave a message here, or via our contact us this form.