To launch a new product or product line, an explainer video is the ideal way to convert your viewers into customers. Read how video can help you get your product off to a successful start.
No desire to read? Listen to the blogcast:Quickly to the appropriate section:
Explainer videos make it possible to package even complex facts or products attractively.
Here’s why an explainer video is worthwhile.
A video makes it easier to draw the attention of potential customers and to your new product. We all understand content better if we can perceive it with our ears and eyes at the same time. This explains why video is one of the fastest growing media on the Internet: the average Internet user watches over 200 videos per month. But many also click away quickly.
This is because the attention span of Internet users is just 8 seconds on average. With a good video intro, you convince the customer! If the video still provides entertainment after 8 seconds, you are on the right track.
Video content makes it 85% more likely that a prospective customer who watches your explainer videos will also become a customer. Therefore, the video should contain a convincing call-to-action. In addition, facts, statistics, and the USPs of your product should be included to inspire the purchase. Ideally, your potential customers will like the video so much that they will link and share it.
As always in marketing, it is essential to target the video to the right audience. You should also be intentional in conveying a clear message and include a call-to-action at the end. Since the video is primarily intended to explain, this message does not have to sound too promotional.
With the help of customer reviews and practical application examples for the product, it is very easy to demonstrate the value. The moving image can convince your customers faster than pictures or texts, and it keeps them on your website up to two minutes longer. Video content plays a central role, especially on social media:
RenderForest shows why explainer videos are so powerful.
By the way, videos can help to convince your team of a new product! In a few minutes, each team member becomes informed and is then able to promote the product.
After all, your goal should be to convince customers and company partners alike of the benefits of your new product. We recommend personalized videos, which your sales team can more effectively create if they’ve been convinced about your product after watching an explainer video.
In order to measure the success of your explainer video, it is important that you keep an eye on various statistics. Video tracking works easily on your own site, but you should also keep an eye on how many clicks you get from videos on YouTube and other platforms. Pay attention to this information:
- Number of views.
- View-through rate (how many viewers watched the video to the end?).
Interaction rate (likes, shares, and comments in relation to the number of followers). - Play rate (how many of your website visitors watched the video?).
- Conversion rate.
Of course, this information is particularly important for the product launch itself. But you should also analyze the key figures after the fact. Viral videos can lead to interactions and purchases even months after launch.
Elements of a good explainer video.
Before you create your own explainer video, you should take a look at a few successful examples. This will help you to quickly learn how to convince your customers and how to make the product launch even better. A good example of an effective explainer video with all the necessary elements comes from Squatty-Potty:
With the help of a colorful unicorn and a prince, the company succeeds in humorously marketing the topic of toilet visits.
This is a classic taboo theme from the bathroom, but it is discussed with humor and even a little uniqueness. The colorful unicorn quickly ensures that potential buyers remember the product and turns it into a truly viral video – partly because unicorns are in the middle of the trend. About 70% of all viewers watched the video to the end and with well over 30 million views, it has reached countless customers.
Altogether, 80% of users can remember a good advertising video from the last 30 days. To achieve this, the following elements must not be missing in your explainer video:
Humor and personalization.
Of course you should bring the product and its characteristics to the point in the explainer video. But instead of making it dry, it makes sense to use a little humor. By presenting the problem solved by your product in a funny way, you will succeed.
A potential customer watching your explainer video and laughing or at least smiling is one step closer to him clicking on the website. Humor also increases his chances of remembering the video.
It's equally important to build trust. For this, you can use a testimonial video or personalize the video in a similar way. This enables the customer to identify with the person.
Brains.
At the same time, you want to convince the customer with your video. Data or perhaps a short statistic should be included. Present your product in a smart way, and at the same time, try to appeal to the hearts of the viewers.
Many videos lose more than half of their viewers after only 15 seconds. To prevent this from happening, you should keep the audience happy with a mixture of humor, convincing arguments, and varied images, allowing you to optimally place your Call-to-Action.
Loving presentation.
In addition, it should be recognizable at first glance that you stand by your product and lovingly present it in the video. This can be done, for example, through identifying language. Whiteboard videos, in which a team member explains more about the ulterior motives behind the product, help to convey the feeling.
The colors and fonts used should also match the product. Trust in the target group analysis, which gives you many tips for a successful, loving presentation. For example, it is also possible to use cute characters for an animated explainer video or products that speak thanks to animation – like Headspace does.
Calls to Action.
Call-to-Action is the central component of your explainer video. Make sure that the link leads directly to the product page and that it is also attractive (in the style of the video). Using the video as a landing page makes it much easier to see how many viewers follow your call-to-action and visit the product page.
Don't just evaluate the statistics of your own website, but also those of external video platforms and social media. If you notice that many viewers bounce before the call-to-action, you should improve your video and move the call forward.
Develop a video marketing strategy for a successful product launch.
There are several videos that you can incorporate into your marketing campaign in addition to the explainer video. In addition, of course, there are advertising images, advertisements, and other measures. These are the possible components of your video marketing strategy:
#1 The Explainer Video.
This is the classic explainer video. It should be about two minutes long and focus on the new product. Ask yourself the question "How does this product solve the customer's problem" and answer it in the video. The value of your product therefore plays the central role.
#2 The Demo Video.
This video can be a bit longer, for example four or five minutes. It should focus on the functionality and details of the product and complement the explainer video.
It works best if you convince the customer with actual product shots. Sometimes, it makes sense to use illustrations. But if you watch the demo video, you are definitely interested in the details of the product and don't mind a technical explanation – on the contrary, you will convince the skeptical customers here.
#3 The Testimonial Video.
This important element should not be missing from your product launch. This is where customers who have already used or tested the product give their opinion. The so-called "raw authenticity" can be achieved particularly well by attaching less importance to the quality of the video in this case. Because a video shot with a selfie camera is more credible!
#4 The Whiteboard Video.
Last but not least, let a product manager or developer explain some features of the product again. This gives the launch a "human touch" and creates a link to the team behind the product.
Tip:
If you send a personalized explainer video to your customers by addressing them in writing with a direct salutation and name, this is particularly promising. This is how you achieve click-through rates of 4 to 5%.
Possible areas of application for an explainer video.
Once you have created your videos, the question of where to implement it arises in order to most effectively inspire customers with the new product, or to convince customers of the product launch in the first place. The following locations are relevant:
- Website.
- Blog.
- Social media.
- E-Mail marketing.
- Advertisements.
Along with your sales team and the PR managers, you should consider where the explainer video will be most successful. The remaining videos from the marketing strategy need to also be placed accordingly.
In the beauty sector, for example, YouTube is a very good platform for explainer videos on your product launch. This is because the video giant invests a lot in its search engine optimization. As the number of clicks increases, more customers who are searching for the right keywords will end up on your YouTube video and then visit your product page.
Other websites, on the other hand, opt for placement directly on your site or blog. Of course, you should choose several locations for the explainer video, but the higher the traffic figures for certain subpages, the more prominent you should place the video there.
A good social media strategy is essential. You can invest in ads to ensure that your explainer video is displayed to the target audience as they scroll. You'll also benefit from the sharing feature: Video on social media has a 1200% better chance of being shared than the combination of text and image. 92% of all video viewers tend to share their favorite videos directly!
In a nutshell: Good reasons for an explainer video.
A good and short explanatory video, available on different channels, will first attract the attention of existing and potential customers. If it includes a stimulating call-to-action, you have a good chance that customers will go to your website and increase their traffic. This in turn improves your search engine rankings.
Video also increases your conversion rate, the proportion of website visitors who become customers. Instead of having to read a lot of text, you address the target group in an emotional way. This allows you to take advantage of the online trend towards videos and lower the threshold for potential customers, which in turn leads to good sales figures.
By combining it with a testimonial video, or by giving a customer or celebrity a role in the explainer video, you increase confidence in your brand. Viewers learn how the product solves their problem and can identify with the video.
In addition, an explainer video is a one-time cost. Once this is covered, you have no further running costs. Platforms like YouTube host your video for free, and it can stay online for a long time. So it will continue to generate clicks and purchases for you in the future.
This is also where social media works for you – a customer who likes the video can share it with all his contacts with just one click. So invest in a good explainer video that appeals to the target group emotionally and has the potential to go viral with its content and design.
Now it's your turn!
Convinced by these advantages? Then develop a video marketing strategy for your product launch, starting with an explainer video. We wish you every success with your product launch!