How-to videos have grown in popularity to become a chief tool in our learning experiences. They condense lengthy explanations. They clearly navigate complex ideas with visual aids. And they’re beloved across audiences.
A whopping 98% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. Moreover, when asked how they’d like to learn about a product or service, 78% say they’d most like to watch a short video.
It’s obvious video is king when it comes to clear communication. Your customers will prefer — and appreciate — an explanation of your protocols, policies and services via video, too. These explainer videos can live on your website, get shared across social media and even be repurposed for presentations and sales outreach, making them a smart video marketing asset.
This pays dividends in terms of ROI. Satisfied customers who fully understand your message drive better business results. A new customer confused by what exactly it is you provide might miss out on some of your brand’s benefits. Miscommunication not only dampens the customer experience — it hurts your bottom line.
We’ll show how explainer videos take your customers from unsure to informed and why it’s essential for your business. Read on for our in-depth explanation of explainer videos, plus a look at some of the best explainer video examples from different industries.
What Is an Explainer Video?
Explainer videos relay information to the viewer by combining insightful text with engaging visual aids, critical for quickly processing information. Science shows we primarily learn through pictures — 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual.
We not only understand, but retain, information explained with visuals more than text. One study found that we remember almost 65% of visual information after 3 days but only 10%-20% of spoken or written information.
In the spirit of visual learning, this video from Mr. Cooper is a perfect example of a well-made explainer video.
Imagine you’re a new customer purchasing a mortgage plan for the first time. You promptly receive an email from your provider explaining how they handle your payment changes. Your first thought may be, “Wait, I have payment changes? Where are these numbers coming from?”
But this explainer video easily explains the complex concept of escrow before diving into the services provided. After watching, the viewer has a solid understanding of escrow and common pain points, like taxes and insurance payments that often vary. They’re then able to understand why having Mr. Cooper pay for those unexpected fees is beneficial.
And that’s not the only use case. Here are some other types of explainer videos brands can leverage:
- Employee onboarding: Explain company protocols, where to find resources and other information critical for new team members.
- Tutorials: Teach the viewer something new — or refresh their skillset — with the help of visual aids and voiceovers.
- Mission statements: Tell a compelling story of your company’s values and priorities to inspire and engage viewers. Include customer testimonials to really show potential customers the value you offer.
- Product explainer videos: Whether you’re a SaaS startup or a retail brand with physical products, showing how something works in a clear, step-by-step video builds trust and makes the unfamiliar feel simple.
Explainer videos are also super versatile. Place one on a landing page to quickly establish your value proposition, include a brand explainer on your home page to welcome and educate first-time visitors or share a product demo via email to onboard new customers in a way that’s more memorable than a block of text.
The bottom line? A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video explains them even better.
How Data Clears Up Confusion
While video is key to both educating and engaging your customers, generic videos only scratch the surface.
Videos that explain a viewer’s unique situation through dynamic data save them from information overload. In an age where our attention span is getting shorter, videos need to quickly get to the point before losing the audience’s interest. You can keep your video short and relevant by personalizing it with powerful customer data.
We call it Next Generation Video — the new standard for video content that’s hyper-personalized, interactive and even generated by AI. It’s perfect for explainers precisely because it cuts through excess info to get to the point faster. It doesn’t just share information — it delivers the right information to the right person at the right time.
An explainer video can and should be tailored to the individual watching it. With today’s innovative technology, it’s easy to combine helpful visuals with impactful data to create an explanation relevant to every viewer’s unique situation. Instead of covering every possible scenario for a broad target audience, you personalize messaging to match the exact needs of the individual viewer.
So while a generic video may show your audience stuff they probably need to know, making your message data-driven ensures they see and hear exactly what they need — and actually understand it.
Here are all the reasons why personalized explainer videos are essential for your business.
Streamline Complex Messages
You don’t want to miss any important details when introducing new information to your customers. But as we mentioned before, you also don’t want to make your message too long or complex. Thoroughness is important, but so is clarity.
While clear communication is essential in any industry, it’s particularly important in those industries that have complex messages — like healthcare. Videos in healthcare offer a powerful way to simplify and personalize messages that might otherwise be overwhelming or misunderstood.
For example, the NHS sent out a video with information relevant to each viewer to help with navigating their Type 2 diabetes.
A generic explainer video requires searching for relevant information and then applying it to your specific situation — crunching numbers, taking a look at your health records and spending more time researching the steps you need to take.
But a personalized explainer video keeps the message straightforward. What did my blood pressure first look like? Has it improved? Where does it need to be? Watching this video tells the patient exactly what they need to know by leveraging their unique data.
Knowing the specific steps they can take, viewers feel empowered and enabled to take action in leading a healthier lifestyle.
And they’re not only educational. They’re engaging. Colorful graphics make learning a visually stimulating experience that captivates the viewer instead of boring them.
Another great example comes from Spectrum and its interactive explainer video that walks customers through a self-installation kit. Instead of having to flip through a manual or figure out confusing diagrams, the video guides the viewer every step of the way with dynamic visuals and audio.
From outlining what’s included in the kit to showing how to activate the modem, the video is a much more user-friendly experience than written instructions alone. Better yet, it’s interactive. While the video includes lots of information, users can easily skip to relevant sections, saving them time and ensuring a smoother setup experience.
With this approach, Spectrum ensures that its customers feel in control and supported throughout the process, leading to better experiences and fewer headaches.
Answer Questions Before They’re Asked
Don’t just answer your customers’ questions ASAP. Answer them before they’re asked. You know your product or service better than anyone else, so give your customer information they may not even know they need.
Even if your viewer has yet to ask, proactively sharing best practices shows you’re always thinking of your customers. For example, National Grid created a personalized animated explainer video that shows each customer how many kilowatt hours of electricity they used last summer. It then goes a step further by providing tailored tips on how to save money and energy in the upcoming season, answering questions about energy usage before they even come up.
Because explainer videos provide clear, actionable steps, customers come away feeling more confident about how to reduce their energy usage. It’s just one of the ways utility companies are helping customers go green.
This helps with brand love and loyalty, too. Instead of waiting for customers to have questions or frustrations, you’re addressing their needs and concerns before they even ask, demonstrating that you’re always thinking of their best interests. Customers realize your brand isn’t treating them as a quick cash grab — you’re sending them valuable information that really helps.
Enhance Transparency and Trust
Transparency is key in building trust with your customers, and nothing says “we’ve got nothing to hide” like a clear, upfront explanation. Take this live action explainer video by BT, which breaks down the details of a customer’s first bill.
Personalized with specific numbers and dates that directly pertain to the viewer’s plan, the video proactively prevents any pricing confusion. Meanwhile, the use of real people adds a human touch to what might otherwise be a dry topic. When customers see a friendly face walking them through their bill, it humanizes the process and makes the experience more welcoming.
A bill explainer like this can go a long way in fostering positive relationships with your customers. This kind of transparency helps them feel confident that they truly understand the charges on their bill, helping you build trust from the start.
Explainer Videos Made Easy With AI
Post on
Creating an explainer video used to be a complex and time-consuming process. It involved scriptwriting, storyboarding and an entire production process that could take weeks to complete. But thanks to AI video makers, the whole process has been simplified, making explainer video production faster and more accessible than ever before.
Take our groundbreaking AI, Lucas, for instance. With just a single click, Lucas can turn any document, webpage or knowledge base into an engaging video. In fact, customers are 2x more likely to prefer receiving an AI video generated from a document than the document itself.
The video above was created by Lucas from a document. As you can see, he can handle it all, generating a video complete with visuals, text and even an interactive call to action. The final product is high quality and ready to go without hours of effort.
Data-Driven Explainer Videos That Work
Video content is engaging and easy to follow. Data is powerful and keeps your message relevant. Combine the two, and you have an effective explainer video that clearly and concisely gets your point across. Whether you’re breaking down answers to FAQs or explaining complex product features, data-driven explainer videos create a more engaging and tailored experience for your audience.
Of course, a good explainer video needs to not only educate but also align with your marketing strategy and help you achieve your goals, whether that’s improving brand awareness, preventing churn or strengthening customer loyalty.
By making your content data-driven and personal, you’ll also see tangible business results. In fact, we’ve seen clients use Next Generation Video to get results like:
- 73% call reduction
- 22x engagement
- 30 additional NPS points
What if you have millions of customers around the globe? No worries. You can educate every customer 1:1 with our fully open, enterprise-grade platform. It’s easy to use — minimal explanation needed — and designed to help businesses scale their efforts without sacrificing quality.
Ready to get started? Reach out today to learn how personalized explainer videos can give you a healthier bottom line, improve conversion rates and more.
