People generally think of an animated explainer video as a piece of content used by businesses to explain the benefits of their product or service.  In this case, the main goal is to nudge the viewer into a sales funnel.

In the life sciences market, these can certainly be used as sales marketing tools, but in the grand scheme of things, they can be used for so much more than that. 

Explainers to support science literacy.

Explainers to introduce the viewer to a scientific topic or theory. 

Explainers to showcase your organization or institution’s ground-breaking work.

Explainers to guide your viewers through and troubleshoot scientific protocols.

So, this page is dedicated to get you started, to show you some creative ways to use explainers and share some of the pitfalls to watch out for so you get the most bang for your buck. 

Start with a science explainer. That single video can be used in your content marketing strategy. If you need more than one, consider what you want to tell your viewers and your goal(s) before you commit to spending time or money on your first video.

As you get some ideas flowing, remember…

#2: Animated explainers allow for a combination of visuals and narration, but…

We know that people use two channels (their eyes and ears) to learn new information. This is good news for your explainer.

But, there is a catch.

Each of those channels has a limited capacity in terms of how much content they can effectively take in. 

Providing too much information through either channel will sabotage your efforts to educate your viewer.  

Think about that time you went to that PowerPoint presentation where there was too much text on the screen or the presenter was speaking too fast. 

Your goal is to be as clear and concise as possible in a short amount of time. 

Instead of trying to cram a ton of information into a single animation,  you have two options. One involves a serious round of edits. You’d be surprised at how many words can come out of a script. We can either write your script or provide consultation on the one you have so that you’re left with a more targeted message.

The other option involves breaking one animation up into two.

How do you know whether you need more than one video? 

Generally…

Providing too much information through either channel will sabotage your efforts to educate your viewer.  

Think about that time you went to that PowerPoint presentation where there was too much text on the screen or the presenter was speaking too fast. 

Your goal is to be as clear and concise as possible in a short amount of time. 

Instead of trying to cram a ton of information into a single animation,  you have two options. One involves a serious round of edits. You’d be surprised at how many words can come out of a script. We can either write your script or provide consultation on the one you have so that you’re left with a more targeted message.

The other option involves breaking one animation up into two.

How do you know whether you need more than one video? 

Generally…

We try to encourage our clients to consider whether they’ll need multiple videos early in the planning stages for two main reasons. 

#1 The viewership of explainers can fall off sharply after a few minutes. Once you go beyond this, you run the risk of losing your audience. If you had some kind of action you wanted them to take after watching (sign up, schedule a demo, etc), they might not have stuck around for your video’s punchline. 

#2 The studio you work with might cut you a deal for your willingness to commit to multiple pieces of content up front. Once the style of artwork and animation is established, assets can often be created quickly or re-used in future videos. Check with your studio to see whether they factor this into the cost of your content creation. 

If you check out Scientific American’s social media channels you’ll notice something about these kinds of collections. These videos aren’t building on each other and there’s no real linearity to the messaging. The main focus might be science literacy or to simply introduce the viewer to something new. Many topics spark discussions and debate between viewers in the comments section.  

These videos range from educational, to thought-provoking, to downright polarizing. But, more than anything, they drive views through curiosity. 

If you check out Scientific American’s social media channels you’ll notice something about these kinds of collections. These videos aren’t building on each other and there’s no real linearity to the messaging. The main focus might be science literacy or to simply introduce the viewer to something new. Many topics spark discussions and debate between viewers in the comments section.  

These videos range from educational, to thought-provoking, to downright polarizing. But, more than anything, they drive views through curiosity. 

#2: The Video Series

DEFINITION: A collection of 3 or more videos based around a particular theme or objective. 

WHO’S IT FOR? – Organizations/Non-profits/Institutions or companies who have a large amount of useful or interesting information to convey.

GOAL(S) – awareness – donations – funding

EXAMPLE – Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s Stem Cells Inked series

If you check out this series, you’ll undoubtedly notice a few things:

Viewers aren’t flooded with information. Instead, we’re given a broad overview of ongoing research using easily understandable language. In this particular series, the commonality here is that the five young scientists chosen to showcase their work are all stem cell researchers supported by the OIRM. However, each video stands alone in the sense that they aren’t building on each other. You don’t need to watch Nika’s video to understand Josh’s research. 

If you check out this series, you’ll undoubtedly notice a few things:

Viewers aren’t flooded with information. Instead, we’re given a broad overview of ongoing research using easily understandable language. In this particular series, the commonality here is that the five young scientists chosen to showcase their work are all stem cell researchers supported by the OIRM. However, each video stands alone in the sense that they aren’t building on each other. You don’t need to watch Nika’s video to understand Josh’s research. 

In this case, all content is based on a particular subject and videos frequently compliment and build on each other. The defining feature is that there’s simply too much information to convey in a single video. By breaking things up into shorter scenes, the viewer is less likely to be overwhelmed.

There you have it! 

A few ideas to get you started.

We’re here for you when you’re ready to plan your next animated explainer video, smorgasbord, series or video course. And, if you’re still brainstorming, use the link below to get in touch!

In this case, all content is based on a particular subject and videos frequently compliment and build on each other. The defining feature is that there’s simply too much information to convey in a single video. By breaking things up into shorter scenes, the viewer is less likely to be overwhelmed.

There you have it! 

A few ideas to get you started.

We’re here for you when you’re ready to plan your next animated explainer video, smorgasbord, series or video course. And, if you’re still brainstorming, use the link below to get in touch!