Today’s audience is more savvy and more difficult than ever to market to and may not think your cute or funny ad is that cute or funny. On the flip side, consumers are reading less as the screens are considerably smaller and watching more. Information is prepackaged for them, and when the video is done right, it is easy to understand.

With the high cost and singular distribution of TV, until recently, video marketing had been standardized; a 30-second commercial that was either cute or funny in attempts to get the word out about your product or service. Millions are spent on commercials every year, including writers to compose brilliant scripts, actors to get the point across, and directors to mold the idea into reality, and so on. Sometimes the hard work and money spent pay off, but other times the audience is not affected (and you end up with a less than viral commercial).

You can have an effective video to reach your target audience within a surprisingly reasonable budget. The new digital age of marketing is all about storytelling – explainer videos are perfect for this.

So how do you tell your story? Because so many videos are now battling to get the most views, brands and marketers need to come up with new ideas to make their videos stand head and shoulders above the competition. It’s not easy to make an appealing explainer video, but by following these simple steps, you will be able to keep your audience interested while reaching a wider demographic at the same time.

Here are 11 proven components to effectively tell your story:

1. What are your marketing objectives and who are you trying to reach?

These questions apply to any marketing initiative, but for video, these questions will determine what kind of video you want to create:

• Are you looking to increase sales by targeting millennials? Promote a lifestyle, a meaning, and escapism that can give them goosebumps.
• Are you looking to educate current customers on how to use your product? Create their emotional connection to the product, helping you establish trust.

Whatever the goals are, make sure you think about those first; a video that is produced with no goal in mind makes it much harder to measure return on investment.

2. What is the story your business tells?

While you don’t need to reprise â€œThe Epic Split,” there should be some type of narrative arc to your video.

It can be as simple as a tour of your facility where you make your product or as complicated as that vampire musical you always wanted to make. What matters is the video needs a beginning, a middle, and an end.

3. Demonstrate, Don’t Explain

Ironically, one of the worst things you can do with an explainer video is the actual explaining. Many people misjudge this medium and think that all they need is one person standing in front of the camera talking. Just like if you were making a feature film, the intention is to show, not tell. Instead of having one person explaining all the way through the video, it is much more appealing to have someone demonstrating what they are talking about. If you are trying to explain how a product works, then a video demonstration is one of the most effective ways to show how good your product is.

4. If You Can, Use Genuine Reactions

Quite often, with explainer videos, actors are used to posing as general members of the public. This is something that is alarmingly easy to spot, which is why it is much better to use authentic reactions. If you are thinking of using real people for your demonstration, it is always best to use as many as possible and over a wide demographic. This way, you will be able to illustrate that your product is suitable for everyone.

5. What do you want people to do? What is your call to action?

So the viewer loved your video. Now what? You need to present them with a clear action at the end of your video, as well as in the text surrounding it (for example, the description section on YouTube). If you like them to sign up for your email newsletter, tell them. If you want them to post the video on Facebook to share with their friends, tell them.

6. Do you think we’re done? Optimize your video.

Although there are too many different ways to optimize your video to go into detail in this blog post, video is a perfect way to take advantage of search engine optimization and social media. There are techniques and strategies which include keyword research and video sitemaps. To learn more about video optimization and SEO, check out this YouTube SEO guide.

7. Use Social Media

When you have put your video online, it is always important to spread the word through social media. Instead of pointing out that it is an explainer video, it often helps to mention the nature of the demonstration. Also, make sure that you use hashtags and mentions to increase the number of people who share the link.

8. Don’t Make Advertisements

Nowadays, audiences install ad blockers on their computers and skip through all ads possible. They do not want to feel as if they are being sold to because they will just move on.

Make sure to create a compelling story. You want to keep your viewers watching by indirectly selling your brand and company. Viewers want to see stories, not ads.

9. Make Sequels

Don’t just stop at one video. In order to keep your viewers engaged, make short and continuous videos so that your viewers will want to come back to your channel to watch more. Making sequels will allow you to further introduce the viewer to your brand.

10. Connect With Comments

After you have posted a video, pay attention to viewer comments. This will help you determine the success of a video, what works and what does not.

You should be thinking and acting based on viewer debate. The Brand – Old Spice had its views skyrocket after they customized their videos based on viewer-submitted questions. Their favored viral video – “Smell Like A Man, Man” is still being viewed today.

11. Never Restrict Access

Launch your viral campaign without any barriers.

Viewers do not want to have to register in order to view a video. It takes too much time and will only discourage the viewer from watching the video. People do not want to work hard to watch a short video.

Final Thoughts

With the right video marketing strategy, you can convince visitors to buy your product or service. We are visual creatures. To hit the rock bottom and attract that engagement (ultimately leading to sales), take your time to research how you can tie your brand into a powerful story. Audiences are smarter than ever today but also more passionate about the people and products they connect with. When you make a truthful connection, you make a new customer. So think about the stories and experiences your company wants to share. Chances are there is an effective, engaging video in there just ready to be made!

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