WE MAKE WHITEBOARD ANIMATIONS
Are you looking for a way to get more consumer engagement for your product or service? If so, whiteboard animation could be the answer you’ve been looking for.
Have you ever come across a study about Whiteboard Animation conducted by Dr. Richard Wiseman, an award-winning professor of psychology, currently at the University of Hertfordshire. You haven’t? I never would have guessed. That’s why I created this Whiteboard video to give a brief overview.
The main takeaway is that whiteboard animation is proven to increase customer retention by an average of 15%, as well as increase their participation by 66% when compared to the standard “talking head” videos. It’s no wonder why more companies are starting to utilize this style of animation as an important tool when it comes to marketing strategies. Whiteboard animation is easy, surprisingly so. It also costs much less than you’d expect, which means you get an outstanding return on your investment.
Still not convinced? Perhaps you need some additional information about what whiteboard animation actually is. Want to learn more? Awesome! I knew you would. That’s exactly what this comprehensive guide is for. It’s going to teach you everything you could possibly need to know about whiteboard animation as well as outline easy-to-follow steps to create your own successful whiteboard animation video, guaranteeing that you can stand out from the heard in today’s scrolling content feeds.
WHAT IS WHITEBOARD ANIMATION & WHAT ARE ITS USES?
Whiteboard animation is a video style coupled with narration that walks the audience through a story by showing the artist drawing it onto a white background in real-time.
Whiteboard animation uses effects such as stop-motion and time-lapse.
It is very versatile in its use, ranging advertisements for television and the internet, internal and external software and product demonstrations, and educational and tutorial videos for all ages. It also has a variety of artistic possibilities such as fictional storytelling.
Traditional Whiteboard Videos
Whiteboard videos are usually made by recording the artist live as he/she creates the video’s content while narrating the story all at once. This is an effective technique in our visually oriented times, but it can also be tricky to balance for even the best artists.
Digital Whiteboard Animations
Currently, you’ll find most whiteboard animation video companies combine digital effects with post-production software in the standard whiteboard format. You’re still able to see the illustrator’s hand, but it never gets in the way of the ongoing story.
Modern technology and capable professionals can improve traditional techniques, turning whiteboard videos into an entirely new experience with dynamic characters and a more engaging story.
Whiteboard Animations : An Effective Communication Tool
Carla Clark, PhD, explains, “When we look at photo-realistic objects like a TV advertisement using real footage our brain interoperates that by matching what we see in photo realism to more simplistic 2D and 3D forms in the brain. So, the simpler the object is, the less effort the brain needs to process and relate to the image, freeing it up for other processing tasks. Therefore, we’re wired to pay greater attention to the dimensional rendering of whiteboard animation.”
Here are a few additional reasons why whiteboard animation is such an effective tool in communication:
*It doesn’t discriminate based on age, gender, skimmers versus in-depth readers, or those who are already well-versed in the topic to those who are completely new to it.
*The illustrator’s hand serves as a visual cue that guides the viewer’s attention. This allows them the ability to digest all the information in an easy-to-follow sequence.
*They’re short and focus on a specific audience with a specific purpose – they don’t waste any time and get to the point that is crucial for viewer engagement.
*Quality whiteboard animation gives the viewer a compelling story they can relate to. And when appropriate, using humour is always a good idea.
*When it comes to social media, videos are the content that is shared the most. They’re easy to post on a website or various video-sharing platforms like Vimeo or YouTube.
*Videos are fun! People always love to watch animated characters. You can put them in all types of situations that are impossible to experience in real life.
So, now you know why whiteboard animation works. How about real-life examples? Let’s look at how it’s helped real companies grow their business.
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), a British organisation that is committed to finding sensible solutions to various social challenges, has produced several whiteboard animations videos since 2008 titled, RSA Animates. The results were huge. In a little over a year, their whiteboard animations videos have had over 100 million views on YouTube, making RSA Animates the #1 non-profit YouTube channel.
Another example is the major online file holding service, Dropbox. They first added whiteboard animation to their homepage in 2009, when they were still a small start-up. Over the years, their whiteboard video has been viewed approximately 30,000 times per day. Consumers quickly realized how beneficial cloud storage can be. This has generated thousands of new signups per month, starting a software revolution.
So, what are you waiting for? Why not start creating your own whiteboard animation now? Just remember any whiteboard animation’s failure or success depends on using the correct approach as well as the quality of the script.
HIRE A WHITEBOARD ANIMATION AGENCY OR MAKE THE WHITEBOARD VIDEO YOURSELF?
Below there is a list of pros and cons to make your decision a little easier.
Pros of Hiring an External Agency
*A professional whiteboard company allows for a totally custom-designed whiteboard animation experience, which guarantees that you are presented exactly how you want.
*A quality creative team can take a list of your product or service’s features and benefits and create a narrative that is both compelling and impactful. They can also offer tips on how to choose the best voice over for you.
*There’s a lot less risk involved when you go with an external company. If you choose one with a proven track record, you’re much more likely to be fully satisfied.
*Hiring professionals ensure a high-quality final product. When it comes to whiteboard animation high quality means more engagement. People are more likely to trust you if you look the part.
*A good company will also help you with video marketing strategy and calculate its effectiveness by running it through various consumer engagement metrics.
*Finally, it’s a time-saver! That means you have more time to focus on your business and the more time you have to focus on it, the more successful your business will be.
Cons of Hiring an External Agency
*Hiring an external agency is often more expensive than buying your own whiteboard software and creating your videos yourself.
*Some agencies can’t/don’t provide face-to-face interaction. Without face-to-face communication, there may be greater chances of miscommunication, leading to mistakes and wasted time.
That’s why you should always ask first. At Spiel, we make sure our clients are able to communicate directly, including face-to-face meetings, with the project manager as well as the creative director.
Pros of Doing the Whiteboard Video Yourself
*If you are a creative person and buy the right software, it can be much more cost-effective.
*You are in complete creative control.
*When you don’t work with others, there is no chance of miscommunication.
*The process is even easier if you buy software with pre-existing templates.
Cons of Doing the Whiteboard Video Yourself
*It can take a long time, months or even years, to completely master whiteboard animation software. That means you may actually lose money in the long run.
*It can be frustrating if it doesn’t come naturally to you. You’ll end up with low-quality content, which means less engagement and consumer trust. Not to mention a waste of time.
*If you decide to use a pre-built template your software offers, you may have to compromise creatively. This means your desired vision can be altered, or even lost.
You might be left with a less impactful script compared to what a good creative team could come up with.
How To Find The RIGHT External Whiteboard Animation Agency?
Have you decided to hire an external whiteboard animation agency? If so, here’s what needs to happen next. First, you need to review their website and portfolio of past work. Look at what they’ve produced in the past. This will give you an idea of if they can create the whiteboard video you want. It’s always a good sign if they have dozens of videos in their portfolio and/or worked with major organisations and brand names.
Take The Fully Collaborative Approach
A good agency should not only be willing to provide you with a creative experience; they should also offer conceptual ideas and suggestions. If a company only offers basic features, such as the animation, then they are not providing you with a fully collaborative approach.
Talk To The Creatives
It’s essential to talk with the business development team, but even more important to talk with the creatives, such as the creative director. If you feel you can trust them after speaking with them, then you know you’ve found the right company. Those trying to sell you the company’s services will be able to list the benefits and features of what they offer, but it’s your creative team who really knows how to take your content and turn it into compelling and impactful stories. Remember, no one is interested in a video that just lists features and benefits.
Get Help Promoting The Animation
It’s essential to talk with the business development team, but even more important to talk with the creatives, such as the creative director. If you feel you can trust them after speaking with them, then you know you’ve found the right company. Those trying to sell you the company’s services will be able to list the benefits and features of what they offer, but it’s your creative team who really knows how to take your content and turn it into compelling and impactful stories. Remember, no one is interested in a video that just lists features and benefits.
How Much Does A Whiteboard Animation Cost?
Whiteboard animation production can cost anywhere from €1,000 to €5,000 per minute. Your specific costs depend on several things such as animation’s quality, duration and the calibre of the company itself. When deciding on your budget, be sure to consider the return of investment that the video will deliver. You always want to consider the long-term, not the short-term.
How Long Should A Whiteboard Animation Be?
It’s probably no surprise that the average person’s attention span is decreasing. It would surprise me if you haven’t read or heard this somewhere. While there is a lot of evidence that supports this theory, I think it’s more about the amount of content competing for a person’s attention.
In one study aimed to draw conclusions regarding video length versus engagement, Wistia looked through 564,710 views and over 1.3 billion plays. The results can be found in the chart below.
There is not a decline in engagement in the first 2 minutes. So, don’t try to pack in 2 minutes of information into a 40-second video. You won’t lose your viewer’s attention if you stay under the 2-minute mark.
There is a significant drop in a person’s attention span after 2 minutes. Do not go beyond 2 minutes unless your product or service is particularly complex, and more time is an absolute necessity.
If you keep a viewer’s attention for 6 minutes, then they’re likely to stay with you for 12 minutes. So, for those select viewers, it doesn’t matter where you fall in this range. It wouldn’t have much of an impact on engagement.
The drop off after 12 minutes is not as significant as the drop off after two minutes. Still, you’re losing viewers at this point. Consider the benefits of making your video longer than this against losing viewers. Is the information really worth the extra time? Is it worth the extra cost of making it?
While this is a useful study, it is only relevant for the whiteboard animation on your website’s landing page. It doesn’t consider social media or video hosting platforms, where longer videos are actually preferred.
I have one more tip for your landing page’s whiteboard animations before I delve into optimising your video’s length for external platforms. Make your videos longer than 30 seconds. The goal of your whiteboard animation video is to effectively tell your business’s story. That’s impossible to do in such a short time, at least in most cases.
Generally speaking, the ideal length is between 90 and 120 seconds.
Whiteboard Animation Video Length for External Platforms
Every platform has its own unique algorithms that focus on different things. For example, if you’re making a whiteboard animation video for a YouTube channel, the factors in making it successful will be different than those that would make a LinkedIn profile or landing page successful. That’s why before you create your video’s content, make sure you’re familiar with the best practices of your target’s platform. Here are examples of three of the most popular platforms.
YouTube
YouTube rewards “YouTube watch time” the most. That means the longer people spend watching your videos, the more you’ll benefit.
Here’s an example: If viewers watch 25% of a 10-minute video you have posted then you will have picked up 2.5 minutes of watch time. But if viewers watch your entire 2-minute video, you’ll only have picked up 2 minutes of watch time. So, even though the 2-minute video engaged more people, you’ll get more rewards from YouTube with the longer video with less engagement.
So, for YouTube, longer is better. I’d recommend they be a minimum of 5 minutes.
Not surprisingly, Facebook wants to keep people on their site as long as possible too. That means that like YouTube, total watch time plays a major role. I also suggest on videos being at least 5 minutes long here, but to encourage more engagement, I suggest your videos not go over 10 minutes.
LinkedIn doesn’t care about watch time as much as the others do. They actually suggest you keep brand videos under 30 seconds and more complex videos (which include most whiteboard animations videos) between 30 seconds and 5 minutes. But this is out of necessity. Basically, the shorter the better.
If you’re interested in more information about the different types of LinkedIn videos and the platform’s best practices, you can check out our guide here.
The Best Whiteboard Animation Software To Do It Yourself
Before going into more detail on the steps involved in making a successful whiteboard animation video, here are 3 of the absolute best whiteboard animation creation tools that are currently available online. If you’re planning on making your video yourself, then you need to check them out. And to help you out, each of them has their own helpful whiteboard animation tutorials.
My Simple Show
One of the easiest video producers for simple whiteboard animations and animated explainer videos online is mysimpleshow. Mysimpleshow features include:
*Several storyline templates.
*Useful advice on how to write successful scripts
*Storyboards complete with images that are automatically generated
*You can create your own voiceover or use their easy text-to-speech feature
*Download directly to YouTube or download as an MP4
Their business package is $129 per month while their pro package is $499 per month.
Videoscribe From Sparkol
The benefits of Sparkol include:
*Having the option to choose from thousands of automatically drawn images
*Converting images that you’ve created yourself as SGVs
*Importing your own music library or adding music from their music library
*Downloading your video locally in several formats including mp4, wmv, mov, avi or even share it directly on social media
*MAC, including iPhone and iPad, and PC-supported. You can also use it with Android or Kindle Fire.
*Includes cloud storage so that it can be accessed from multiple devices and from multiple locations.
Sparkol offers a 7-day free trial. After that, you can opt to pay £18 per month / £96 per year / one-time payment of £398
Go Animate
GoAnimate which has recently been renamed Vyond is great because:
*It has an extensive library of character actions, props and backgrounds.
*It has different customisable themes that relate to many different environments, occupations and industries
*You can create animated GIFs or MP4s with a single click.
*You are able to add your own voiceovers and music.
*It provides several resources and training options.
*It has an active customer community for when you need help or just want to network.
GoAnimate offers a 14-day free trial. After that, it’s $39 per month or $299 per year.
Is Any Free Whiteboard Animation Software Available?
Yes. If you’re on a tight budget, then you can check out Biteable and Powtoon. These are the two best free whiteboard animation software options. With their intuitive built-in templates, you will be able to create simple whiteboards.
And now, what you’ve been waiting for – the process of creating your own whiteboard animations.
Here’s How to Make a SUCCESSFUL Whiteboard Video: STEP by STEP
Step 1: Define Your Mission
What do you hope to accomplish with whiteboard animation? For example, you may want to increase your homepage’s customer conversion rate by 30%. Make sure you know what you want.
Step 2: Understand Your Audience And Sales Funnels
If you don’t understand why you haven’t achieved your mission, then you’re not likely to ever achieve it. Instead of making a video based off preconceived notions, gather customer data to shape the content of your whiteboard video.
And here’s how you can do that:
Quantitative Research
You can get important information about your website such as webpage bounce rates, your landing page conversion rates, how long visitors spend on each page and how certain features engage your website’s visitors with heatmap tools such as CrazyEgg.
Qualitative Research
You can collect more subjective data such as audience demographics and key objectives by using survey tools such as Qualaroo and Survey Monkey.
Traffic Mapping
With tools such as Google Analytics, you are able to track all the sources of your website’s traffic to create a traffic source map. With this map, you’ll be able to see which sources are the most effective such as your Facebook page as well as which sources are ineffective such as a specific search engine.
Now you’re ready. Utilise all the data above to build your confidence and create a whiteboard animation that:
*Connects with your target audience directly
*Alleviates any objections and/or doubts they have about your product or service.
*Can be distributed where it will have the greatest impact.
Step 3: Compose a Script
Without a great script, a whiteboard animation will not convert potential customers. It’s just that simple. Getting your message out there depends on a good script, so take your time with it. Be prepared to write several drafts to find the script that works best.
Be aware of your word choice. Sensory words such as “rough” are more impactful than ordinary words such as “difficult.” When matched with visuals, the right words can resonate and stay with the viewer, long after they finish watching your video.
The script is, essentially, your story. You want to create a compelling narrative that is not only relatable to your customers but something they want to go along with.
150 words equal roughly one minute of video. Remember that as an incentive to cut out any information that isn’t necessary, be as concise as possible. Again, you don’t want to exceed 2 minutes.
Your whiteboard explainer video should include:
*What you do
*A problem
*An explanation of how your product/service can solve the problem
*A showcase, highlighting the features of your product/service
*“A call to action.” Essentially, information on how they can act such as how to buy it or find more information about it.
*Answer any frequently asked questions upfront. Customer feedback is where you’ll find these questions.
*Show your credentials. Be able to provide references and show companies that you’ve already worked with.
Step 4: Record the Voiceover
A professional voiceover artist may cost a few hundred pounds. (They should edit out background noise, even breaths, as a part of their service.) If you’re on a strict budget, you may be able to find a less experienced voiceover artist on sites such as Gumtree. There are some artists on there that will do it for only £50. However, I strongly advise avoiding this option if at all possible.
When you choose an artist, be sure they have a voice that will connect with your audience. For example, if your brand is geared toward teenagers, you’d probably be best to avoid using an elderly woman’s voice. Generally, voiceovers should always be lively and upbeat to hold the viewer’s attention.
Step 5: Create Initial Sketches
Begin to visualize your script, drawing multiple sketches for each sentence. At first, they may be pretty rough. Don’t worry about it. It’s not about creating works of art; it’s about getting all your ideas down on paper.
Remember the benefits of matching sensory words to appropriate visuals. If that’s too difficult to do literally, don’t worry. Just do your best to supplement it in the most creative way possible.
Below are a few more pointers to consider when you are creating your artwork:
Interconnecting Sketches:
One of the best ways to hold your viewer’s attention is to have a continuous, interconnecting sketch without many breaks. Basically, you should try to continue adding your visuals to the same screen with as few erases or cuts as possible, so there is a nice, and continuous, flow to your video.
Colour:
While whiteboard animations are typically black and white, consider using colour to highlight key points and increase the levels of engagement. For example, always consider using colour to emphasize your video’s “call to action.”
Step 6: Storyboard
Select which images you want to use and, alongside the script, put them in the order and position that they will appear on the screen. This way you can “see” the video ahead of time, which will allow you to remove any problems before making your video. It saves you time!
Photoshop is one easy way to achieve this. When you scan your images into Photoshop, you can play around with them, and reshape them however you like.
Step 7: Create Illustrations
Once you’ve finalised your storyboard it’s time to create your illustrations using software such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape.
If you’re not comfortable, or simply don’t have the time, to draw your own images, don’t worry. There are plenty of pre-existing images from the stock image galleries available in whiteboard production software such as Doodly and VideoScribe, for you to choose from.
Step 8: Animate
Now it’s time to animate your video using your preferred software. At Spiel, we use Adobe Creative Suite to create our very own animations. It’s great in creating studio-level videos because it is geared toward experienced professionals.
If you want a simpler software tool that only requires little to no animation experience, be sure to check out Doodly, GoAnimate. Explaindio, Animaker and VideoScribe and see which ones work best for you.
Step 9: Sync Audio and Video
Use your video software to match the video speed with your voiceover. Cut out any mistakes or excessive parts and then apply the filters so that the paper looks very white and the lines look very black. Be sure the lighting is consistent and don’t forget to add any relevant logos or credits.
Step 10: Add Music And Sound Effects
While music isn’t strictly necessary, when used correctly it can really elevate your whiteboard video. The same goes for sound effects. The really polished whiteboard animations that you may likely have seen, they will pay very close attention to the finer details. It’s what takes something from being okay to absolutely amazing.
You can look at Audio Jungle for inexpensive songs and commercial licenses. There are plenty of free librarys too but it will cost you in time having to trawl through all the muck thats on there.
Step 11: Distribute and Promote
Once you’re finished your video, release it on every platform that will help you reach your goals. Make sure to tweak it to appeal to each platform that may have different needs such as Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, etc. With each platform’s individual built-in analytics tool, you can keep track of its success.
To maximize your whiteboard video’s visibility, place it as close to the top of your website’s homepage as possible.Keep your homepage simple. You don’t want unnecessary clutter to distract viewers from the video and its most important takeaways.
To maximize your video’s play rates, be sure it includes:
*A catchy title followed by a brief description of why the viewer should watch your video.
*Some type of visual cue such as a person looking or hand pointing towards it. Even a simple arrow would do.
*An attention-grabbing thumbnail image. You can achieve this by using bright, but not too striking, colours, an action that conveys motion, a character’s face or just visible text that gives the video context.
Lastly, make sure to include a strong call to action on your website’s landing page.
Consider and Share A/B Split Testing
By now, you’re hopefully at a point when you can A/B split test your video to boost its conversions as much as possible. To do this, you’ll need to create different versions of it, or constantly tweak your existing version. This way you can find out what works best.
It’s incredibly beneficial for obtaining solid and real-time objective data as well as insights rather than relying on subjective opinions. This way you’ll know for sure what resonates with your target viewers and use that to lower the bounce rate of future videos. This ultimately, reduces your risk and most importantly it can increase your sales.
If it’s appropriate one easy way to calculate your video’s effectiveness is to release it on media platforms such as YouTube or Facebook and use their own unique built-in analytics tools. If you’re not happy with your video’s play rate, just make changes until you find a formula that works best for you.
Tip: If you use A/B testing, we suggest that you don’t go for very expensive animation styles because editing them can be much costlier. This is even more important for your first few videos (if you plan to produce a series of videos).
When you measure how effective your video is on your website, make sure to consider using a video hosting platform; Wistia is a great example. They provide superb in-depth metrics to measure your video’s engagement. Bonus: They allow you to try it for free for your first 3 videos.
However, if you want the test to be truly conclusive, perform several separate single-variable tests on your homepage. You’ll want to know which variables such as your page’s heading, its visual cues, thumbnail image or your call to action, bring about the most change. Invest your time in this and conduct the tests long enough so you can rule out any inconsequential outcomes.
Tools such as UnBounce are great for this.
Now you may be asking how any of this applies to you if you’re using an external company to create your video. It applies to you because not only will a good company help you produce your video, but they should also measure its impact and effectiveness as well as promote it once it goes live.
At TEJ, we provide our clients with a comprehensive, cost-effective and easy-to-follow strategy for A/B testing for their video and the landing pages on which it will appear.
Favourite Examples of Creative Whiteboard Animations
IS A WHITEBOARD ANIMATION RIGHT FOR TELLING YOUR STORY?
Of Course! They're Perfect For Every Story
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