8 Ways To Use Your Animated Explainer Video To Generate Lead and Sales

A well-made animated explainer video can be a powerful sales and marketing tool. A top-quality explainer video can help you generate leads, drive sales, and even upsell existing customers.

In this article, we’ll discuss why animated explainer videos are effective and share 7 ways you can use your animated explainer video to generate leads and sales.

What is an explainer video and why it’s so effective. Let’s quickly find out:

• They are short videos (usually 1-2 minutes long) that quickly and concisely explain a complex concept or product.
• They’re easy to consume and they can be memorable. In fact, a Content Beta study found that among all the SaaS and software videos, Product Demo/Product Explainer videos are the most viewed on YouTube at 56%.

Not bad, right?

Explainer videos are also the most common type of marketing videos, with as many as 82% of B2B businesses using them. 30 second explainer videos are the most trending currently:

Now let’s get into the 7 ways you can use the sales & marketing power of animated explainer videos:

8 Ways to use an Animated Explainer Video on your Homepage

Animated explainer videos are one of the most powerful marketing tools available today. If you’re not using them to generate leads and sales, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.

Here are eight ways you can use animated explainer videos to boost your business:

1. Use them on the homepage

There are many ways to use animated explainer videos – you can use them on your website, in emails, on social media, and more.

On your company homepage, you can use them as background videos, as part of a product demonstration, or even as a lead generation tool.

Background video: Visitors are more likely to stick around and explore your site if they’re immediately engaged by an exciting and interesting video. Plus, having a video playing in the background will automatically set your site apart from the majority of other sites.

Product demo: Give potential customers a quick and concise demonstration of how your product works. This is especially effective if your product is something that can be tricky to understand or use without seeing it in action.

Lead generation: Include a call-to-action at the end of the video that encourages viewers to sign up for your email list or download a white paper or e-book.

Look at this example from Content Beta, a leader in B2B explainer videos

2. Use them in Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads are a great way to generate leads and sales for your business. Here are some tips for using an animated explainer video in your Facebook Ads:

1. Use concise videos: This is because people have short attention spans.

2. Use visually appealing videos: People like to watch and remember a video that is visually stimulating and has great audio.

3. Use calls to action: Include calls to action throughout your video so that viewers know what you want them to do next. This Content Beta study tells you about what CTA’s can lead to: 37% to signing up for free trials, a third to booking demos, and about 10% to both.

4. Test, test, test: Always test different versions of your ad before you roll it out to a larger audience. This will help you determine what works best and what doesn’t.

5. Monitor your results: Keep an eye on your results so that you can see how your ad is performing and make changes as needed.

This 39-second animated explainer video created by explainer video company "Explainer Video Hero" for Nectar, the Employee Recognition Software is ideal for Facebook ads:

3. Use them for Email Marketing

One of the most powerful tools in a marketer's arsenal is email marketing. According to a Constant Contact study, email marketing generates $36 for every $1 spent, making it one of the most ROI-positive channels available.

Here are seven ways you can use an explainer video to maximize the effectiveness of your email marketing for generating leads and sales:

1. Include an animated explainer video in your email newsletter.

2. Use it as a “teaser” to promote a new product or service.

3. Create a series of animated explainer videos, each one highlighting a different feature or benefit of your product or service. Then, include these videos in a sequence of emails, leading up to a sales pitch.

4. Send a “thank you” email after someone purchases from you, and include an animated explainer video expressing your appreciation.

5. Use an animated explainer video as part of a contest or promotion you’re running. For example, include a link to the video in every email you send during the contest period, and make watching the video a requirement for entry.

6. Use it as an “icebreaker” when reaching out to new prospects. For example, you could include a link to the video in your first email contact with them.

7. Incorporate it into your email signature block. This is a great way to promote your brand and increase awareness of your product or service with every email you send.

Here is an animated explainer video example created by Explainer Video Hero for Picatic that you can use. It is concise, action-packed, and short:

4. Use them in LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn is a powerhouse when it comes to business networking and lead generation. By placing your animated explainer video as a LinkedIn video ad, you can boost your reach and significantly increase the chances that your target market will see your video.

LinkedIn ads are highly effective, and when used in conjunction with an animated explainer video, they can be even more impactful. Include a call-to-action (CTA) that encourages viewers to take action after watching your video.

According to a study by B2BHouse, Lead generation forms with video ads perform x400 better than website visits.

This animated explainer video example created by Content Beta for Snorkel, the data-centric AI platform for the enterprise, is ideal for product marketing on Linkedin.

5. Use them on YouTube

Over two billion people are active on YouTube each month, making it a powerful platform. And while most people think of YouTube as a way to watch funny cat videos or the latest movie trailers, it’s also an incredibly effective way to reach your target audience and generate leads and sales.

Animated explainer videos are a perfect tool for reaching your target audience on YouTube. There are several ways you can use an animated explainer video to generate leads and sales on YouTube.

You can use animated explainer videos:

1. As a YouTube Pre-roll ad.

Here is an example of an animated explainer video Grammarly uses for pre-roll ads:

2. As a teaser video to drive traffic to your Website or Landing Page.

3. Host them on your company’s YouTube channel.

4. You can create YouTube shorts to gain the early bird advantage as only 25.8% of SaaS companies are using this incredibly powerful tool as this Content Beta study reveals.

6. Use them on Instagram

With over 800 million monthly active users, Instagram is a powerful platform for promoting your business and reaching new customers.

And with the recent addition of Instagram TV(IGTV), businesses can now share long-form videos on Instagram, making it an even more powerful tool for marketing your products and services.

Here are some tips for using an animated explainer video on Instagram to generate leads and sales:

1. Use an attention-grabbing thumbnail: When someone is scrolling through their feed, you want your video to stand out and grab their attention. Make sure your thumbnail is bright, visually appealing, and includes a headline or brief description of what the video is about.

2. Use relevant hashtags: Hashtags are a great way to reach new people who might be interested in your video. Use relevant hashtags that relate to your industry, product, or service.

3. Share behind-the-scenes footage: People love seeing the process that goes into making a product or service. Share behind-the-scenes explainer video of your team in action to give people a glimpse of what goes into making your business run.

4. Drive traffic to your website: Include a call-to-action in your video that encourages viewers to visit your website. You can also include a link to your website in the description of your video.

5. Use Instagram Stories: In addition to posting your animated explainer video on your main feed, you can also share it on Instagram Stories. This is a great way to reach even more people with your video and drive traffic to your website or online store.

Watch this Instagram Reel from Airtable:

7. Use them in Sales Presentations

Animated Explainer videos are a powerful way to provide a visual demonstration of how your software works. Additionally, they are inexpensive and easy to create, and they will make your software sales presentation stand out from the rest.

They are quickly becoming an essential part of any sales presentation. By providing an innovative way to tell your story, explainer videos can help you engage with your customers and make your presentation more memorable.

They can also help you explain more complex topics, which can make your presentations more effective and persuasive.

Last but not least, think of the time you were using slide shows and the response they evoked. Instead, use an explainer video to do the job for you like this animated explainer video example created by Explainer Video Hero for Ibexa, the B2B Digital Experience Platform:

8. Use it on your ‘Thank You’ page

As a business, it’s essential to use every available tool to ensure a positive user experience.

The ‘Thank You’ page is one of the most important pages on your website. It's the page where people go after they've completed a transaction or taken an action on your site.

And, it's an excellent opportunity to use an animated explainer video to generate leads and sales.

With a ‘Thank You’ page, you can show customers that your company values their time and decision to do business with you.

Use these tips to take your ‘Thank You’ page to the next level:

• First, make sure the video is to the point.--no long, drawn-out videos.
• Second, make sure the video is relevant to the action they just took. For example, if they just purchased a product, your video should be about that product and how to use it.

For example, an ideal animated explainer video to use here would be something entertaining like this video that explains how to show client logos on your website to gain social legitimacy:

Conclusion

Animated explainer videos offer a great advantage for B2B sales. They are engaging, visually captivating, and easy to understand.

With an animated video, you can customize your content and make it attractive to the target audience.

Finally, the best explainer videos provide flexibility; once created they are then used across various channels including websites, email campaigns, and social media – meaning your B2B business gets the most bang for your buck!