Because Animation Means Business
When you think ‘business strategy’, you probably don’t immediately think ‘cartoon’. But actually … why not? Just because you might not have used animation in your marketing strategy before, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a go this year.
Animation is one of the best ways to communicate with both an engaged audience that already knows and loves your brand, and a disengaged audience that either has no idea who you are or already has a misconception about you and your product or service. Think of animated video production kind of like it’s your funny, slightly irreverent uncle who says ever-so-slightly rude comments during Christmas dinners but manages to get away with it because of his cheeky smile. In the same way (minus the rudeness), animated video enables you to connect with your viewers on a friendly, informal and slightly unprofessional (in a good way), while still getting your message across clearly and concisely.
Animation meets business strategy
If one of your main goals this year is to connect with more people who’ve perhaps never heard of you (or other people who have heard of you but didn’t get a great first impression), animation is a great place to start. Why? Because it’s simple, clear, easy to understand and has the potential to make people smirk. Laugh, even.
Animated video has a unique way of bridging the vast gaps between serious and hilarious, straight-laced and irreverent, informational and entertaining. It adds character to your brand (whether you’ve already got overflowing bucket-loads of it, or you’re severely lacking on the personality front). And it creatively tells a story that doesn’t require oodles of effort from the watcher’s point of view to try and understand what you’re going on about.
Business strategy done right
When incorporating animation into your overall business strategy, your message – and the point – of your video all comes down to your business goals. If you don’t have business goals, stop right now and set some because business simply cannot thrive if it doesn’t know where it’s heading (but that’s a whole other story). Once you’ve established your business goals for the immediate future, now it’s time to figure out how video, specifically animation, could enhance them. Perhaps your goal is to drive more business and sales. An animated explainer video is a great way to introduce new customers to your overall business proposition in a visual, easy-to-understand way (without requiring them to sit through a 40-minute PowerPoint presentation). Or, create a fun, engaging corporate video that gives an overview of your business, your goals, and how your business can solve your viewers’ problems.
It all comes down to engagement
A memorable video is less about content and more about how that content is expressed. When you’re in business and your core proposition is all you live and breathe, sometimes that’s hard to hear. But the 21st-century consumer culture is so used to being entertained that often an important message that actually needs to be heard by the masses simply isn’t because it can’t cut through the video noise.
That’s where animation can help. The art of animation enables business owners to communicate their important messages in a way that doesn’t feel like a lecture. It doesn’t have to be funny or dumb down your very important message, but the very nature of animation means that it feels more relaxed and informal than any other kind of video production. Animation is friendly and non-confronting. It’s clear and simple. Its use of colour and design appeals to the eye more than a simple static shot of a static head as used in other modes of video production. And because it’s almost entirely created using digital technology, it’s much easier to future-proof than other forms of video production.
Animation and your business strategy
Keen to add a whole new level of vibrancy to your business strategy or marketing plan this year? Have a chat with the friendly animation video production team at Onepost – we’d love to help.