How To Create A Short Explainer Video For your Website

You got all the traffic to your website with ads and social but it does not seem to be converting well?

Try a short explainer video. Short explainer videos on websites have proven to boost conversions.

These are short videos (around three minutes) that introduce your prospect to you, your business, your products, or some other concept. If you’re ready to start enjoying those higher conversions for yourself, then you’re going to want to use this post to develop your explainer script.

Check it out…

Step 1: Define your purpose

Your first step is to figure out what the purpose of your video is. Ask yourself:

• Do you want to use it to introduce prospects to you and your business?
• Do you want to introduce prospects to a specific product?
• Do you want to explain some sort of niche-relevant concept to your visitors?
• What do you want visitors to do after they’ve finished watching your video?

Once you define your purpose – what you want visitors to get out of your video and what you want your video to do for you – then move onto the next step…

Step 2: Decide on the video type

Now that you know the goal of your video, you next need to choose a type of video that best suits your purpose. Here are some of your options:

• Whiteboard video: These are the “doodle” videos that have become so popular. You’ll need to buy software that creates this video for you, or hire someone to produce it. This is a good option for introducing problems and then introducing your products and content as the solution.
• Animated video: These sorts of videos require animation skills. If you don’t possess these skills (most of us don’t), then you’ll need to use a tool like GoAnimate, or hire someone. This is a good choice if you’re business is fairly light-hearted.
• Screencast: This is where you record your screen while you do voice-over work. It’s a very simple video to make using screen-recording software such as Camtasia. It’s a good choice when your purpose is to give prospects a tour of your website, software or other digital product.
• Live Action: This is your typical “talking head” type video. The benefit of this particular video is that it’s easy to make (especially if you have a good high-definition camera), and it helps foster an emotional connection with visitors. That makes it a good choice for introducing prospects to you and what you can do for them.
• Combination video: As the name suggests, this would combines two or more of the types of videos above. For example, you might combine live action with a screencast.

 Once you pick the most suitable video type, move on…

Step 3: Design Your Script

Generally, explainer videos are only about three minutes or less. Generally, people speak anywhere in the range of an average of 125 to 150 words per minute

Now it’s time to create your script. Follow this mini-checklist to be sure you have everything in place…

• Brainstorm ideas. First, write down all the main ideas you want to include in your video. Don’t worry about word counts or anything else at this point – just figure out the main ideas you want to get across to your prospects and visitors.
• Focus on the benefits. Next, pare down your list of ideas by focusing on the benefits your visitor will get. That is, what does your product/business/strategies do for your visitors? What do they get? Those are the questions on your prospect’s mind (“what’s in it for me?”), so be sure your video answers those questions.
• Craft your script. Now take your ideas and create your script. The actual script obviously is going to depend on the purpose of the video, but here’s a rough outline:
• Start with the problem. E.G., “If you’ve ever spent a lot of time and money advertising with a low ROI, then you’re going to want to listen up…”
• Agitate the problem. E.G., “It hurts to drain your ad budget and have nothing to show for it…”
• Describe how your business/products/strategies/etc. solve the problem (benefits). E.G., “… But it doesn’t have to be that way – let me manage your Facebook ad campaigns for you so that you can start getting great results!”
• Give reasons why. Tell visitors why they should believe you and why your offer/product/business is different. Offer proof, testimonials, etc.
• Provide a call to action. E.G., “Click the contact button below this video now to get your FREE consultation!”
• Check that it’s lighthearted. Generally, explainer videos get the content across in a fun and entertaining way, so be sure your script is conversational, friendly and engaging.
• Craft a compelling title and teaser for your video. The title and teaser are going to be what persuades people to watch your video, so be sure to lead with benefits. E.G., “Watch this video now to discover the surprising way that one business owner made $56,993… without lifting a finger!”

And finally…

Step 4: Develop Your Video

This checklist is focused on the content, not the actual technical aspects of developing your video – so we’ll leave this step to you. Again, remember that you can hire a professional to produce your video for you, which means your end result will be more polished. Search Google for the type of professional you’re looking for (e.g., “whiteboard video production,” or use a freelance site like UpWork.com or Fiverr.com)

An explainer video is a great way to connect with your prospects and boost your conversion rates – so get started creating your script today!