Madalyn Sklar

Getting the Most Out of Animated Videos

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Getting the most out of animated videos - #TwitterSmarter chat with Payman Taei - September 17, 2020

We often talk about videos and their importance in today’s social media marketing. And even though we’ve covered this topic a few times now, we’ve never spoken about animated videos and how they can help your brand reach. That’s why, this week, we invited Payman Taei, founder of the video making tool, Visme, to talk about animated videos and their benefits.

Here’s a summary of our chat.

Guest: Payman Taei
Topic: Getting the most out of animated videos
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to share.

Q1: Are we in the golden age of video?

Whether or not you choose to call it the ‘golden age’, video has certainly become one of the most important aspects of social marketing. As our guest mentioned, customers nowadays consume more videos than they ever have.

Payman shared an impressive statistic: by 2022, 82% of all internet traffic will be videos. That’s how important it is to include video content in your social media strategy.

And as Sabrina reminded us, it’s also a great time to start making videos. With such great advancements in technology, we now have countless tools and resources to make videos easily and quickly. We can no longer hide behind the excuse of videos requiring expensive equipment or expertise.

Speaking from a slightly different perspective, Bernie said that we’re still not at the ‘golden age’ stage. Sure, he agreed, more people are using videos than before. However, we still have a long way to go in terms of adoption and distribution. Simply put, it will only get better from this point.

Q2: What kind of videos can you share on social media?

Lance made an excellent point about not sharing videos for the sake of it. If you end up doing videos just because everyone else is doing it, you run the risk of making poor quality videos that your audience might not resonate with.

For instance, some audience wants tips and advice in video format, while some others prefer marketing and promotional videos. It’s also a good idea to listen to your audience and understand how they feel about the content you intend to post. If you’ve already posted a specific type of video, observe how it performs over other types—that’s how you can identify what works and what doesn’t.

Another good type of content is user generated ones, as Emma said. It’s a great way to build trust because it’s engaging, and less work for you.

From product how-tos, customer interviews and testimonials, to behind-the-scenes of your workplace or an event, there’re so many types of video content you can share.

Talking about ideal lengths and content, Payman suggested tailoring videos according to the platform. For instance, people might watch longer videos on Facebook and LinkedIn, but prefer shorter 30-second ones on Twitter. It’s crucial that you analyze what works best for your content and follow that.

Q3: What is an intro and outro?

Just as with any article you read online, the intro is the main introduction of your video, whereas the outro is the end card.

While the intro sets the expectation for the main subject matter of your video, the outro is a place to set the call to action. It’s also where you reinforce your brand name and tagline to increase recall value.

Christine made a good point about being consistent with your intros. That way, when someone looks up your videos or business, every relevant result will have the same branded video cover image.

Q4: How can animated videos increase views?

Everyone loves a good animated video. It’s eye-catching, and a great way to narrate your story in an engaging way.

Jim pointed out one of the best aspects of animated video: it lets you show the impossible. Because animation is highly rooted in imagination, you can easily create attractive and fun stories.

As Madalyn said, animation can also be a good way for businesses to experiment with different types of videos. It gives them a break from having to physically be on camera every time.

Q5: What kind of businesses should use animated videos?

The beauty of animated videos is that they make any tough and confusing concept easy to understand and approachable. That’s why animation is particularly useful for industries like medicine, education, and technology.

Always bringing an important and different perspective to our #TwitterSmarter chats, our friend from GiveWP pointed out how nonprofits can use animation as a way to communicate sensitive issues for which they often can’t use photos or recordings of real people.

Q6: Share some design tips for creating the best animated videos.

It’s always good to remember that if you’re not trained in a skill, take the safer route and keep it simple. When it comes to design, in particular, it’s easy to go overboard. To avoid that, stick to best practices and proven design elements that work. Check out this video where our guest talks about some of the common designing mistakes people make.

Mel gave us a simple, clear tip: focus on your lighting, framing, and composition.

Shruti also shared some great tips like using your brand colors throughout the video, adding catchy music, and using simple, everyday language.

Q7: What are some important things to remember while making animated videos?

First of all, make a plan. Know your goals and message for each video you make. A good way to go about this is to stop and create an outline of the message, and then visualize it in a storyboard. After that, finalize the script, and only then start creating the video.

And of course, as with any creative endeavor, don’t animate too much to fill up space. As our guest suggested, what you don’t show matters just as much as what you do show.

A common mistake a lot of people so is to underestimate how long it takes for people to read through any text on their videos. As a result, so often the slide changes before we can even comprehend what’s being conveyed. As our friend from Biteable pointed out, make sure you give your viewers enough time to catch up.

Q8: Are there any DIY tools to create animated videos?

Our guest mentioned Vyond, Adobe, and Lumen5 among others.

Jignesh shared a huge list of great DIY tools including Powtoon, InVideo, Biteable, and the crowd favorite Canva.

Payman’s own company, Visme, also got a lot of special mentions in our chat. Go check out all of them!

Well, folks. That’s all from me this week. For more great tips and suggestions from our chat with Payman, have a look at this Twitter Moment that Joana put together. And if you have some time to spare on Thursday, join us for the next #TwitterSmarter chat at 1pm ET.

About me, Narmadhaa:

I write all things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.

Say hello: Personal blog | LinkedIn | Twitter

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