5 Benefits of Animated Explainer Videos

Businesses and marketers are constantly seeking innovative ways to capture audience attention, engage potential customers, and effectively communicate their brand message. One of the most powerful tools for achieving these goals is animated explainer videos. These short, visually compelling videos have revolutionized digital marketing, providing companies with a dynamic and engaging way to explain complex ideas, showcase products, and boost conversions.

But what makes animated explainer videos so effective? In this article, we will explore the five key benefits of animated explainer videos, shedding light on why they have become an essential marketing asset for businesses across industries.

Enhancing Audience Engagement

In a world flooded with content, capturing and maintaining an audience’s attention has never been more challenging. As the average human attention span continues to shrink, it’s crucial for businesses to communicate their message quickly and effectively. This is where animated explainer videos shine—they simplify complex messages and deliver them in an engaging, visually appealing format that keeps viewers interested.

Why Animated Explainer Videos Are More Engaging

Unlike traditional text-based content or static images, animated explainer videos bring ideas to life with motion, color, and storytelling, making them significantly more engaging. Here’s why they work so well:

• Storytelling Hooks the Viewer – A well-crafted animated explainer video follows a narrative structure, making it easier for viewers to stay engaged and absorb information. Stories trigger an emotional response, which enhances recall and retention.
• Dynamic Visuals Hold Attention – The human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text, making animated videos more effective in delivering information quickly.
• Reduces Cognitive Load – Animated videos use simplified visuals and metaphors to explain difficult concepts, making information easier to digest compared to lengthy articles or dense product descriptions.

For businesses with complex products—like fintech platforms, or cybersecurity solutions—explaining how their technology works can be a challenge. Instead of overwhelming potential customers with jargon, they use animated explainer videos to visually break down their product’s features and benefits in a matter of seconds.

How to Maximize Engagement with Animated Explainer Videos

To ensure that your animated explainer video captures and retains audience attention, follow these best practices:

• Keep it short – The most effective explainer videos are 60-90 seconds long.
• Use a clear, compelling voiceover – A well-delivered narration enhances the video’s effectiveness.
• Incorporate brand colors and elements – This makes your video instantly recognizable.
• Include subtitles – Over 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound.

By leveraging these strategies, you can create animated explainer videos that not only captivate your audience but also increase engagement metrics such as watch time, click-through rates, and social shares.

Boosting Conversion Rates

While engagement is essential, the ultimate goal of marketing is to drive conversions—whether that means increasing sales, lead generation, or user sign-ups. Adding an animated explainer video to your website or landing page can significantly boost conversion rates, leading to higher revenue and business growth.

The Direct Impact of Explainer Videos on Conversions

Studies show that:

• Including a video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by up to 86%.
• 72% of customers say they would rather learn about a product or service through video than text.
• Viewers retain 95% of a message from a video compared to only 10% from text.

Why Animated Explainer Videos Convert More Customers

• Increases Time Spent on a Page – Websites with engaging videos see visitors staying longer, giving businesses more time to persuade potential customers.
• Encourages Action with a Clear CTA – A well-placed call-to-action (CTA) at the end of an explainer video guides viewers toward taking the next step, whether it’s signing up, purchasing a product, or requesting a demo.
• Builds Trust and Credibility – Explainer videos simplify the sales pitch, allowing businesses to be more transparent and easily communicate their value proposition. 

How to Optimize Animated Explainer Videos for Maximum Conversions

To ensure your animated explainer video effectively converts viewers into customers, follow these key tactics:

• Place the video above the fold – Visitors should see the video immediately upon landing on your page.
• End with a strong CTA – Clearly tell viewers what to do next (e.g., “Sign up now,” “Get your free trial,” “Learn more”).
• A/B test different versions – Experiment with different video styles, scripts, and CTAs to see what works best.

By implementing these strategies, businesses can maximize the effectiveness of animated explainer videos and drive higher conversion rates.

Improving Brand Awareness and Recall

Building a strong brand presence is essential for business success, especially in a crowded digital marketplace. Animated explainer videos play a crucial role in increasing brand awareness, helping businesses establish a unique identity that resonates with their audience.

How Animated Explainer Videos Strengthen Brand Awareness

1. Customizable to Fit Your Brand’s Personality
   • Unlike generic marketing materials, animated explainer videos allow businesses to use custom colors, characters, typography, and animations that align with their brand identity.
   • This makes your brand more recognizable and creates a cohesive look across multiple marketing channels.
2. Enhances Storytelling for a Memorable Impression
   • People tend to remember stories more than plain facts or statistics.
   • Animated videos enable brands to craft compelling narratives that evoke emotion and connection, making them more memorable to the audience.
3. Increases Message Retention
   • Like we mentioned earlier, people remember 95% of a message when they watch it in video form.
   • The combination of motion, voiceover, and on-screen text enhances information retention, ensuring your brand’s message sticks.

How to Maximize Brand Awareness with Animated Explainer Videos

• Incorporate Your Logo and Brand Colors – Ensure all visuals are aligned with your branding.
• Use a Unique Animation Style – A distinct look can help differentiate your brand from competitors.
• Make It Shareable – Videos with emotional appeal are more likely to be shared on social media.
• Distribute Across Multiple Platforms – Upload your video to your website, YouTube, social media, email campaigns, and ads for maximum reach.

By implementing these strategies, brands can enhance visibility and recognition, ensuring they stay top-of-mind with their target audience.

Boosting SEO and Online Visibility

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical factor for businesses looking to drive organic traffic to their website. Animated explainer videos can significantly enhance SEO performance, helping businesses rank higher on Google, YouTube, and other search engines.

How Explainer Videos Improve SEO Performance

1. Increases Dwell Time on Your Website
   • One of Google’s top ranking factors is dwell time—the amount of time visitors spend on your site.
   • Websites with engaging videos keep visitors on the page longer than those without video.
2. Boosts Click-Through Rates (CTR) in Search Results
   • Video thumbnails in search results attract more clicks than text-only results.
   • This means that a well-optimized explainer video can increase organic traffic and improve ranking.
3. Encourages Social Sharing and Backlinks
   • Videos get 12 times more shares on social media than text and images combined.
   • Engaging explainer videos are more likely to be shared by influencers, bloggers, and news sites, generating high-quality backlinks that improve search rankings.

How to Optimize Animated Explainer Videos for SEO

• Include Keywords in Video Titles and Descriptions – Use terms like “benefits of animated explainer videos” to improve rankings.
• Add Captions and Transcripts – Search engines can’t “watch” videos, but they can crawl text-based captions.
• Host Videos on Your Website – Embedding videos directly on your website instead of relying solely on YouTube improves page engagement.
• Use Engaging Thumbnails – An eye-catching thumbnail boosts video click-through rates.
• Encourage Comments and Shares – Higher engagement signals to Google that your content is valuable.

By leveraging animated explainer videos as an SEO tool, businesses can increase their search rankings, boost website traffic, and improve overall online visibility.

Cost-Effective and Versatile Marketing Tool

One of the biggest advantages of animated explainer videos is their cost-effectiveness and versatility. Compared to traditional live-action videos, which require actors, sets, locations, and extensive post-production work, animation offers a more affordable and scalable solution. At the same time, animated explainer videos can be used across multiple marketing channels, making them one of the best investments for any business looking to maximize their marketing efforts.

Why Animated Explainer Videos Are More Cost-Effective

1. Lower Production Costs Compared to Live-Action Videos
   • Live-action videos often require expensive elements such as actors, props, locations, and filming crews, which can significantly increase costs.
   • Animated videos allow businesses to create high-quality content without the need for costly on-location shoots or casting actors.
2. Reusable and Easily Updatable
   • Unlike live-action videos, which are difficult and expensive to update, animated explainer videos can be easily modified, repurposed, and customized over time.
   • Businesses can change voiceovers, update visuals, or tweak the script without having to reshoot an entire scene or rehire actors.
   • For example, a SaaS company that frequently updates its software features can quickly modify its animated explainer video by swapping out UI elements in the animation instead of reshooting an entire tutorial video.
3. No Need for On-Site Filming or Production Delays
   • Traditional video production can be impacted by weather conditions, actor availability, location permits, and equipment failures.
   • With animated videos, everything is created digitally, eliminating unexpected delays and allowing for a faster production timeline.

Why Animated Explainer Videos Are Extremely Versatile

Beyond being more budget-friendly, animated explainer videos can be repurposed across multiple marketing channels. This means that one video investment can be used in a variety of ways, maximizing its return on investment (ROI).

1. Website and Landing Pages
   • Videos on landing pages increase conversion rates.
   • An animated explainer video can be embedded on a homepage, product page, or FAQ section to quickly explain the business offering to visitors.
2. Social Media Marketing
   • Animated videos get more shares on social media than text and images.
   • Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok prioritize video content in their algorithms, meaning animated explainer videos get better organic reach and engagement.
3. Paid Advertising (Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads)
   • On average, video ads receive a whopping 612% more likes and comments than image ads.
   • Animated explainer videos work exceptionally well for retargeting campaigns, re-engaging potential customers who have visited a website but didn’t convert.
4. Email Marketing and Sales Outreach
   • Including a video in an email can increase click-through rates.
   • Businesses can embed an animated explainer video in their email newsletters or sales outreach campaigns to boost engagement and lead conversions.
5. Presentations, Webinars, and Sales Pitches
   • Explainer videos are powerful sales tools, allowing businesses to educate potential customers before diving into the details of a product or service.
   • Whether it’s a conference presentation, sales demo, or webinar, an animated video helps simplify messaging and keep the audience engaged.

For example, a medical technology company used an animated explainer video to introduce a new healthcare software at a trade show.

How to Maximize the Cost-Effectiveness of Animated Explainer Videos

To get the most out of your investment, follow these key strategies:

• Create a multi-purpose video – Design your explainer video so that it can be repurposed across multiple platforms (website, social media, ads, emails).
• Use a modular approach – Break down a longer video into shorter clips for different use cases.
• Localize content for international audiences – Add subtitles or voiceover translations to expand your reach globally.
• Track video performance – Use analytics tools (Google Analytics, YouTube Insights, Facebook Ad Manager) to measure engagement and optimize future content.

A Smart Investment for Businesses of All Sizes

The cost-effectiveness and versatility of animated explainer videos make them one of the best investments for businesses looking to:

• Improve marketing efficiency without breaking the bank.
• Increase conversions and engagement across different platforms.
• Reach a broader audience through social media, ads, and search engines.

Whether you’re a startup, SaaS company, e-commerce brand, or corporate enterprise, investing in animated explainer videos will provide long-term value and a high return on investment.

Brewing Animated Explainer Videos

The benefits of animated explainer videos are undeniable. From engaging audiences and boosting conversions to enhancing brand awareness, improving SEO, and offering cost-effective versatility, these videos have become an indispensable tool for modern businesses.

If you’re looking to stay ahead of the competition, now is the time to invest in an animated explainer video for your brand. Lucky for you, that’s Digital Brew’s specialty! We’ve been making kick-ass videos for more than 12 years and whether you’re launching a new product, explaining a complex concept, or simply looking to connect with your audience, we know we can create an animated explainer video that gets results. So if you think you’re ready to take the next steps, or just want to know a little more about our process, we’d love to hear from you! You can always reach out to us here.

Let’s Brew This!