Layne McDonald, Ph.D.
You probably have done your research. You have decided to use whiteboard videos for marketing your product. You probably have arrived at this conclusion by reverse engineering your competitors.
After extensively studying your competitors and seeing what kind of videos they produce, you have concluded that whiteboard videos are the way to go. Congratulations. You did your homework.
However, before you dig into it, please understand that you have to wrap your mind around three critical considerations for whiteboard videos. Otherwise, you will be producing the wrong kinds of videos. No joke. Seriously.
It may seem that these videos look like your competitors’ videos. It may seem like these videos are legit. However, if you do not fully appreciate the three considerations below, you may crank out the wrong videos.
Explain Concepts with Images
The first thing you need to keep in mind is that when you're explaining concepts, you have to use images and texts, no matter how complicated. This is the key. So, the key here is not just the image of plants, people, landscapes, or whatnot, but also text pictures. This way, concepts don't just remain in people's minds when your voice-over says these concepts.
They pair these concepts with things that they can see. They're not stuck with something they heard. Instead, they pair it with something that they can see. This makes it easier to wrap their minds around a concept and make sense of it.
Cartoons can do the Same Job as Face-to-Face Video Connections.
Believe it or not, when you use a whiteboard video, you can plug cartoon animations. This is great because it breaks up the monotony or boredom of a pure whiteboard animation video.
However, it also brings another advantage to the table. It enables you to create some face-to-face connection with your viewer. They’re face-to-face with a cartoon, but this puts a face to the brand. They’re able to laugh. They can approach the concept that you're talking about with less hesitation. Things seem less heavy. In other words, you position them to absorb whatever message you're trying to get across much better and faster.
Even though you may have excellent graphics, diagrams, and text photos, they may not go far enough. You must understand that the more complicated your concepts, the more intimidating they may seem to people. By including cartoons, you removed some of the intimidation while increasing the attention factor that may lead to your viewer absorbing more of the stuff you want them to learn.
Finally, you should make sure that the images you show line up with the voice-over personality you are projecting. Please understand that you introduce a character to the video whenever there's a whiteboard video. This happens subconsciously, but it is happening.
Things may fall between the cracks. If there is a massive disconnect between the image the person sees and the personality they attribute to the voice-over in the video, they may not connect with your concepts. The message you’re trying to get across may fall flat, or the viewer may be distracted. Whatever the case, maybe they did not get what you wanted them to get.