Here it is folks. The moment you've been waiting for - the secret to animated video for business.
It's been under lock and key in our studio for a while, but we've finally decided to share this strictly confidential piece of information with you.
Just promise you won’t tell anyone, yeah?
Ok, get ready. The secret to animated video is…
Time. In every sense of the word.
Let us explain...
Time is an extremely valuable and limited commodity. It’s impossible to buy directly, and difficult to bargain for.
It's something nearly every mum, dad, entrepreneur, student, employee … human being … desires most in life.
Ask any business owner what they’d want more of and you’re likely to hear ‘time’ mentioned right up there with ‘money’, ‘human resources’ and ‘sleep’.
It also happens to be a central theme in the world of animation and motion graphics - not just in terms of client deadlines and studio hours, but also the length and flow of video… it all comes down to time.
If you manage to nail it with your next animated video, everything else will fall into place.
There's no easy answer to this one, as every client will have a different objective in mind. But generally speaking, the highest-performing content lasts between 30 seconds and two minutes.
It's a proven fact too. Research indicates that the longer a video is, the less people will pay attention to it. Hardly surprising in a society where attention spans are rivalling the memories of goldfish (around eight seconds).
However, the beauty of animated video is that you can create multiple versions of multiple durations. Hook your audience with a short excerpt on social media and then lead them into the full-length version on your website.
Along with this full-length video, Fernwood also wanted 15-second and 30-second animations for pre-roll and social media use. No matter the occasion or channel, Fernwood now has an animated video that fits the bill.
The same research that revealed longer videos receive less attention also found that engagement levels start plummeting around the 10 second mark.
As soon as the audience realises the content isn't interesting or relevant enough for them, they simply switch off.
This means you need to put the ‘good stuff’ near the start, or at least give the viewer a compelling reason to stick with your animated video for the duration.
This video for the Forza Motorsport 6 NASCAR expansion pack grabs the viewer immediately by showcasing the range of cars available within the first three seconds. You can't help but keep watching to discover more about the downloadable content.
This might sound kind of obvious, but the more time and production hours an animated video receives, the better it will turn out.
From concept to completion, each stage of the project will benefit from additional expertise, greater attention to detail, and a lot more love.
When it comes to providing clients with a quote for our animation services, we always base the price on the number of studio hours their budgets stretch to. This emphasis on time can be the difference between a good animation and a great animation.
Just like Pete Best, the original drummer of the Beatles who decided to quit mere months before the band's first hit 'Love Me Do', animated video can also fall foul of bad timing.
Every visual element needs rhythm, every scene needs a continuous flow, while the voiceover requires perfect pacing for easy comprehension.
This was certainly the case with Carben Creative’s ‘storytelling’ video. Each scene seamlessly transitions into the next, as the visuals marry perfectly with the voiceover. The speed of the voiceover is also key to the narrative, creating a gentle viewer journey.
When you commission an animated video for business, you receive a resource that can be called on time and again.
In fact, by not directly mentioning dates or time-bound promotions, animation and motion graphics can be re-used for multiple purposes over many years. And that makes for a compelling argument when the ‘ROI discussion’ rears its head.
There’s an art to increasing views and interactions on social media. It isn’t solely reliant on the type of content you publish (even if that content includes the latest and greatest memes)...
You’ve got to make sure you’re active on social media at the same time as your target market. That way, fans and followers won’t give up before unearthing your animated video.
While there are no hard and fast rules (it’s different for every audience), a general rule of thumb for optimal posting times is as follows:
The secret to animated video for business? Time
Looking for top-notch animated video production services and animation studios in Australia? Explore our video production services in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. We're here to transform your ideas into compelling animated videos that captivate your audience. Contact us today to get started!