Explainer videos: how to ensure an awesome voice over!

Okay – so your latest product is just what your customers are looking for. The question is, how can you show them how great it is in a way that knocks their socks off and makes them want to use it? The answer is explainer videos. This crucial content marketing tool can help you deliver memorable information to customers in the tiniest timeframe. In fact, a video marketing report stated that 96% of people watched explainer videos just to learn more about a product or service. So, is it useful? Absolutely! Dynamic graphics and outstanding voice overs – it’s the perfect combination.

Imagine the infamous voice of Gollum in a video game trailer, muttering, “we want this game, we needs it, we must have the precious game.” It’s an immediate attention grabber. So, whether you’re just starting to explore explainer videos for your brand or want to revamp existing ones, here’s a review of what is an explainer video, the different types of explainer videos available, and how to choose the best voice overs to make your explainers memorable to customers.

What is an explainer video

Explainer videos: image of video camera
Photo by Eric Deeran on Unsplash

An explainer video is a short video that’s either animated, a whiteboard, live-action, screencast, or company about-us style ranging from 90 seconds to 3 minutes. Companies use them to quickly grab customers’ attention with attractive visuals and intriguing voice overs to introduce or educate them about new or existing products/services.

Explainer videos answer customer questions like:

  • How does this product/service solve my problem? 
  • Why should I be willing to use it? 
  • How can I use it after I make the purchase? 

You can also follow the three E’s example to achieve this.

  • Educate: Inform customers about why your product matters.
  • Experience: Make customers part of the solution to their problems.
  • Exposure: Use a call to action, like take advantage of this limited offer or available for a short time only to expose customers to the specific steps you want them to take. 

Now, if you’re thinking, will this work for my brand – the answer is Yes! All types of businesses can benefit from using explainer videos. For example, a local eatery could showcase interesting meals or offer promos to customers who click on specific end-of-video links. Even the local hardware store can use explainer videos to demonstrate tools and equipment to customers and employees. But the first step for any business is knowing which explainer videos are best for your audience.

4 types of explainer videos to grab your audience

  1. Animated and whiteboard: Animation uses illustrations to engage audiences. Whereas whiteboard videos show a hand drawing different characters with a narrator doing the storytelling. Charles Duhigg, the author of Smarter Faster Better, created this video to explain how great teams come together using the example of Saturday Night Live. Here the narration, visual dynamics, and sound effects revamp a scene that most people watch almost every Saturday night. 
  2. Live-action: These feature real people, actors, or real-life footage to make the content more genuine and relatable. Like, Notarize, who uses a dash of history, a sprinkling of costumes, and excellent vocal skills to make something as mundane as notarization funny and exciting to watch.
  3. Screencast: These videos use a computer screen recording to demonstrate a company’s product features and show a product in action, like the MoneYou iPad app video. Notice how the video creators used Apple’s 3D iPad model to demonstrate their app.
  4. Company explainer: These promote a website or explain the objectives of an organization or its products. The Dollar Shave Club’s video gives customers a peak at the more human side of the company. Listen to how Mike’s voice and interview resonate with customers.

How to make an explainer video

1. Formulate a goal with direction

Explainer videos: image of microphone and DAW
Image by Bruno /Germany from Pixabay

Ever tried to drive a car without a steering wheel? It’s just not possible because you can’t move in any direction! So too, videos without the right goal have no direction. Consider an ambiguous goal like, ‘I want more traffic on my website.’ Although it seems good, what happens if you run an extensive video campaign, resulting in a 0.5% website traffic increase in 6 months and 1% in 12 months? Is that a good increase? How do you measure it? So, always set a trackable goal.

2. Create a compelling storyboard

A storyboard for an explainer video is essentially its visual script. It breaks down the different scenes and provides directions and previews of what the video would look like once finished. For example, the storyboard for an animated video helps determine the specific animation and graphics needed.

3. Write a captivating script

Remember the last time using a map saved you from missing a dinner reservation or getting lost on a road trip? Well, scripts are like maps for videos. A concise map outlining pivotal points and the best route to achieve that. Because as much as you need superb graphics and a Jon Hamm Mercedes-Benz voice over to captivate customers, without a script, there’s no real map to help persuade customers to make purchases. After all, you’re taking them on a journey – so what is the final destination, and how can the script highlight that?

4. Animate and design your ideas

Charlie Chaplin’s silent movies may have reinvented black-and-white comedy, but 21st-century customers need something more. So animated explainer videos can spark customers’ interest through humor and colorful graphics. Like Panorama9’s IT man video, which puts a creative spin on software. Notice the idea, ‘What if being in IT isn’t that much different from being in a demanding video game?’

5. Use a voice actor to bring the video to life

Even the best-designed explainer videos still need superb voice overs to round off the video package. Would an eLearning video be as effective for students without a narrative? And why would customers want to buy a product from a video that doesn’t tell them why they should? The Mint personal finance management video is an excellent example of how voice over complements a video. Making simple concepts like spreadsheets and scribbles appear attractive to customers.

6. Add incredible music and sound effects

As super as composed music would be, it isn’t always an option for projects. However, that doesn’t change the fact that you still need to have it in your videos. On the plus side, plenty of royalty-free music sites are available that offer a wide range of music and sound effects for multiple project types.

7. Test the result

Like you wouldn’t buy a house without getting an evaluation, you also need to test the success of your video before you release it. You can send it to your existing customer base or company departments for feedback. And this will help you make any necessary adjustments ahead of the release.    

How to choose the best voice over for explainer videos

So it’s clear you need a voice over in your explainer videos because professional voice actors have the skill to connect your brand with customers. But, you might think, since there are so many people in your company with a nice voice, why not just rope one of them in to voice over the video? That’ll be okay, right? Well, would Budweiser have had the same success if they had used Jean from accounting instead of George Clooney? Now, this doesn’t mean you need to hire a famous name like George Clooney, but there are thousands of professionals with similar voice styles to Clooney on Voice123.

2 steps to choose the best voice over for explainer videos

  1. Choose a voice that tells the story of your brand. Voice actors can make your script more compelling with the right pauses, vocal inflections, and rhythm. Consider, does the voice project the image of the brand?
  2. Next, is the voice actor flexible and able to change their voice style and tone based on your requirements, suggestions, and directions? Will it work from different angles, from corporate to educational tutorials?

Final thoughts on explainer videos

Explainers do it best! And the best way to make one is to start with the right goal, storyboard, script, design, and voice actor. You can also use different video styles to attract audiences, like an animated, whiteboard, live-action, screencast, and company explainer. 

So now that your video toolbox is bursting with the right tips and techniques, why not add a professional vocal touch to your explainer videos with a pro from Voice123? That way, your videos will have the voice that connects your audience to your brand’s credibility. Because Voice123 has all the voices you should bank on!

FAQs

Do explainer videos need a pro voice over?

Even the best-designed explainer videos still need superb voice overs to round off the video package. Without real engagement your explainer video will fail!

How do I choose the best voice over for my explainer video?

1. Choose a voice that tells the story of your brand. Voice actors can make your script more compelling with the right pauses, vocal inflections, and rhythm.
2. Is the voice actor flexible and able to change their voice style and tone based on your requirements, suggestions, and directions? It’s mission-critical!

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