Published on April 20, 2022
Animation in business is becoming a popular trend. Here’s how to implement it for your company.
Almost every kid in the world likes cartoons. We all grew up watching animated films; some continued. Speaking of which, do you know Encanto won ‘Best Animated Feature Film’ at Oscars 2022? Yes! If you haven’t watched it, we highly recommend it.
However, animation has entered the business world, too. Companies (B2B and B2C) that want to stand out in the market already enjoy the potential. Therefore, if you are a business owner or a marketer wondering how to use animation for the business, we have the answer, well nine, to be precise.
1. Define Your Target Audience
Aside from knowing what you want to present through animation, you must learn to whom you want to show it. Like any other marketing tool, the animation will have no effect if you don’t bring it in front of an audience most likely interested in your products or services. Once you define your ideal customer, it will become much easier to create videos that will bring desired results.
Many businesses make a mistake trying to create videos that would be appealing to all. Even if such videos may attract someone who typically isn’t your target audience, it doesn’t mean that trend will continue.
Remember, quality beats quantity – always! You don’t want any audience; you want viewers who might become customers.
2. Use Animation to Tell a Story
If you want to interest people in your business, you must offer something they can relate to. Don’t use animation just to say, ‘Hey, this is our product; it’s the best; buy it!’ Instead, build the story around it.
Use real-life examples. Show that you understand your audience’s needs and that you are one of them. Address the problem, explain the barriers to resolving it, and then provide a solution – your product. But, again, don’t just say it’s the best. Instead, explain how it could benefit the customer and help them overcome a particular challenge.
Don’t think your business is too rigid or ‘boring’ for such an approach. At the end of the day, we are all people. And people want to work with people. Storytelling gives that human touch to animation and brings your customers closer to your brand. And, above all, it builds trust.
3. Invest in Animation
Milton Friedman said, ”There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” And so, if you want to enjoy animation’s delicious fruits, you must invest in it. But, of course, not all companies have extensive budgets for marketing. Still, nowadays, it’s manageable to find a company that’s open to finding a solution following your budget.
Don’t settle for low-quality motion graphics because they are more affordable. Even if you initially spend a bit more money, it will pay off in the long run. Yes, high-quality animation costs more, but it also lasts more (like a pair of quality shoes).
Remember, the animation kind of reflects your business. So when the audience sees it’s made by a professional and that you put a lot of effort (and means) into creating it, they’ll assume it’s how you approach business overall and what they can expect from partnering with or purchasing from you.
4. Make it Amusing
An animated business video enables you to show your true colors. Despite the rooted belief that we must separate professional and private life to achieve a healthy life-work balance, your company is a significant element of your life when you’re a business owner.
It’s because once an idea you worked on in your free time has become tangible and undoubtedly comprises principles and values you nurture and live by every day. Therefore, being yourself when presenting your business is a legitimate approach — the one you should use in animation.
For instance, if you’re always cracking jokes and having fun, why not show that through a motion graphics video? A little humor never killed nobody, right? So a well constructed and clever joke is always welcome and a great way to attract an audience.
5. Aim for Simplicity
Animation can be colorful and detailed, yet remain concise and on-point. For example, suppose your company offers a complex solution not many people could understand by listening to the product’s specifications. In that case, an animated video is the best option to eliminate the unknown and bring the product closer to your audience.
You could awake their curiosity and keep them engaged by offering simple explanations through animation. Also, don’t make it too long. Two minutes is just the right length for an animation video used for marketing purposes.
6. Don’t Forget About Branding
Regardless of what you want to achieve with animation, don’t forget about branding. Every well-thought-out marketing strategy takes into account branding. Incorporating elements such as the company logo, brand color, and typefaces enables you to reach one more goal – increase brand recognition.
7. Animation in Emails
According to Statista, roughly 306.4 billion emails were sent and received each day in 2020. Most companies, aside from using emails internally, use them in marketing. As a result, we receive so many emails each day, and most of those from various businesses stay unread.
The reason could be quite simple. All these messages resemble each other, and lack innovation and personalization. That’s why companies that want to differentiate themselves from competitors consider animation. Authenticity is always visible, and it will enable you to stand out in recipients’ inboxes. Remember, adding videos to your emails will show a small attachment icon making your email different from the regular ones with plain text only.
8. Consider Animating a Logo
What’s your first association with Nike or McDonald’s? Is it a logo? If so, it’s clear why most reputable companies put a lot of effort into creating compelling logos and modifying them when necessary.
One way to do so is through animation. Such an approach allows for branding diversity, which benefits a company both externally and internally.
9. Animate Your Website
Animation can be pretty effective as part of your website’s design. For example, you can use it to highlight specific sections and make them more appealing to the visitor. Also, the animation will make your website look fun yet innovative, inspiring visitors to spend more on it.
Why Animation
In the first tip, we defined TO WHOM you want to present your business through animation; now is the time to sum up, WHY.
Animation is appealing to the audience because:
- It’s concise yet detailed
- It’s simple
- It evokes emotions
- It’s fun
- It’s fairly affordable
If just one reason listed above is close to your marketing strategy or heart, we’re a reliable animation production company. Have a question or two? Feel free to contact us for more information!
