Key Takeaways
- Explainer videos can increase conversion rates by up to 80% when placed strategically on landing pages
- Top-rated explainer video agencies combine storytelling expertise with technical animation skills to deliver maximum ROI
- The best explainer videos distill complex information into 60-90 second narratives that solve specific customer pain points
- Animation style selection should align with your brand identity and target audience preferences
- Animated Explainers, a leading explainer video production company, offers end-to-end creative services that transform brand messaging into compelling visual stories
Why Your Business Needs an Explainer Video Today
In today’s crowded digital landscape, you have approximately 8 seconds to capture audience attention. An explainer video cuts through the noise, delivering your core message in a format that modern consumers prefer and remember. Studies show viewers retain 95% of information when watching video compared to just 10% when reading text.
Beyond attention-grabbing appeal, explainer videos solve critical business challenges. They simplify complex products or services, making your value proposition instantly clear to potential customers. This clarity drives decision-making confidence, shortening sales cycles and reducing customer service inquiries about basic functions.
The versatility of explainer videos creates unmatched marketing efficiency. A single well-produced video can serve multiple channels—from your website homepage to social media campaigns, email marketing, trade shows, and sales presentations. This multi-purpose asset continues delivering returns long after initial production costs.
What Makes a Top-Rated Explainer Video Agency Stand Out
Finding the right partner for your explainer video can mean the difference between a forgettable corporate video and a conversion-driving asset. The best agencies don’t just create videos—they craft strategic visual stories that achieve specific business objectives. Let’s examine what truly separates industry leaders from average providers.
Industry Experience and Portfolio Diversity
Top-rated explainer video agencies demonstrate versatility across industries and animation styles. Their portfolios showcase not just technical prowess but strategic thinking tailored to different business challenges. When evaluating potential partners, look beyond surface-level aesthetics to how effectively their videos communicate core messages in diverse contexts.
The most reputable agencies proudly display case studies with measurable results, not just pretty visuals. These success stories should include specific metrics—conversion improvements, engagement increases, or lead generation statistics—that demonstrate real business impact. Animated Explainers, for instance, maintains a comprehensive portfolio spanning startups to Fortune 500 companies, each with documented performance metrics.
Creative Storytelling Capabilities
- Character-driven narratives that create emotional connections
- Problem-solution frameworks that position your offering as the hero
- Metaphor and analogy use to simplify complex concepts
- Brand personality integration throughout the narrative
- Strategic pacing that maintains viewer attention
Exceptional explainer videos transform technical features into compelling benefits through story. This storytelling alchemy requires both creative talent and strategic thinking. The best agencies employ dedicated scriptwriters who specialize in concise, engaging narratives specifically optimized for visual storytelling.
When reviewing agency samples, pay special attention to how they structure information flow. Superior explainer videos guide viewers through a carefully orchestrated journey—from problem recognition to solution discovery—all while maintaining brand voice consistency. This narrative expertise often separates premium studios from budget alternatives.
Technical Animation Expertise
Behind every polished explainer video stands a team of specialized animators with mastery of multiple techniques and software platforms. Leading agencies employ dedicated specialists in character animation, motion graphics, 3D modeling, and visual effects—not generalists attempting to cover all disciplines. This specialized approach ensures each element receives expert attention, from subtle character expressions to complex product demonstrations.
Clear Communication Throughout the Process
Communication breakdowns cause most project failures in creative collaborations. Elite explainer video agencies implement structured communication protocols from initial discovery to final delivery. This includes dedicated project managers, regular progress updates, and transparent feedback systems that prevent misalignments while maintaining production momentum.
Client involvement should be strategically scheduled at key decision points without overwhelming you with every technical detail. Look for agencies that provide clear milestone approvals with sufficient context for informed decisions. Their process documentation should outline exactly when and how your input will shape the project, creating predictability without constant interruptions.
Strategic Marketing Integration
An explainer video isn’t just a creative asset—it’s a strategic marketing tool. Top agencies approach production with distribution and conversion goals in mind from day one. This marketing-first mindset influences everything from video length and format to call-to-action placement and SEO optimization.
Premium partners provide guidance on implementation beyond simple delivery files. They advise on optimal website placement, A/B testing approaches, platform-specific optimizations, and measurement frameworks. Some even offer post-production services like landing page integration, social media cut-downs, or performance tracking to maximize your investment return.
5 Types of Explainer Videos That Drive Results
The animation style you select dramatically impacts how audiences perceive your message. Each approach offers distinct advantages for different communication challenges, brand personalities, and budget considerations. Understanding these options helps you collaborate more effectively with your chosen agency to select the perfect format. For more insights, explore our tips on converting viewers into customers.
1. 2D Animation Explainers
The most versatile and widely-used format, 2D animation strikes an ideal balance between production complexity and visual impact. Its simplified visual language excels at making abstract concepts tangible through metaphor and visual shorthand. This style typically features flat characters and environments with limited perspective changes, allowing faster production timelines. For businesses looking to create engaging content quickly, consider getting a business explainer video in 7 days.
2D animation particularly shines for software demonstrations, service explanations, and brand stories where approachability matters more than photorealism. The style’s inherent flexibility supports diverse visual treatments—from playful and cartoony to sophisticated and corporate—making it adaptable to nearly any brand voice. Production typically ranges from 4-8 weeks with moderate budget requirements compared to 3D alternatives.
2. 3D Animation Videos
When product details, spatial relationships, or immersive environments take center stage, 3D animation delivers unmatched capabilities. This technique creates depth, texture, and lighting effects impossible in 2D formats. The resulting photorealistic rendering makes 3D particularly valuable for physical product demonstrations, architectural visualizations, or scientific explanations.
The trade-off comes in production complexity and timeline extensions. 3D projects typically require specialized modeling, texturing, lighting, and rendering expertise, which extends both production schedules and budgets. For complex products where physical attributes drive purchasing decisions, this investment often justifies itself through enhanced customer understanding and reduced purchase hesitation.
3. Whiteboard Animation
The continuous drawing effect that characterizes whiteboard animation creates a uniquely engaging viewing experience. Audiences instinctively follow the artist’s hand, creating sustained attention throughout even complex explanations. This format excels at step-by-step processes, educational content, and situations where you need to simplify complex information.
Modern whiteboard animations have evolved beyond simple black-and-white drawings to incorporate color accents, minimal character animation, and sophisticated transitions while maintaining the signature drawing aesthetic. The style’s educational associations make it particularly effective for thought leadership content, training materials, and technical explanations where clarity outweighs emotional impact.
4. Motion Graphics
When data visualization, abstract concepts, or brand elements need to take center stage, motion graphics provide the perfect solution. This style animates typography, shapes, icons, and data visualizations without character-driven narratives. The result focuses viewer attention precisely on information rather than storytelling elements.
Motion graphics shine in situations requiring brand consistency across multiple videos, as they easily incorporate existing design systems and visual identities. The style particularly excels for financial services, technology platforms, and data-driven industries where conveying specific information matters more than emotional engagement. Production typically offers faster turnarounds than character-based animation while maintaining high visual impact. For businesses looking to maximize these benefits, consider exploring how to convert viewers into customers with explainer videos.
5. Live Action with Animation Overlay
Combining real-world footage with animated elements creates a hybrid approach that leverages the strengths of both mediums. This technique puts human faces to your brand while using animation to visualize concepts, data, or processes that would be impossible or prohibitively expensive to film. The result feels grounded in reality while maintaining the explanatory power of animation.
This hybrid approach works exceptionally well for testimonial-driven narratives, team introductions, or situations where human connection drives trust. The animation overlays can range from simple text and graphics to complex visual effects that interact with the live footage. Production complexity increases with the sophistication of these interactions, but even simple implementations deliver powerful results. For more on how these animations can boost engagement, explore our guide on custom animated explainer videos.
For brands seeking both emotional connection and clear explanation, this format offers the perfect middle ground. The human elements create relatability while animated segments deliver the clarity and simplicity that pure live action often lacks when explaining complex offerings.
The Step-by-Step Production Process
Understanding the explainer video production process helps you collaborate effectively with your chosen agency and set realistic internal timelines. While methodologies vary between studios, most follow this essential framework to transform your business objectives into compelling visual stories.
Reduced Bounce Rates
Explainer videos dramatically reduce website bounce rates by immediately engaging visitors through dynamic content. Research from Wyzowl indicates that websites with explainer videos on landing pages experience bounce rate reductions of 25-35% compared to text-only pages. This improvement occurs because videos satisfy the visual learning preference of approximately 65% of your audience.
The cognitive processing advantage of video creates an immediate hook, giving your value proposition time to register. While text-based content requires active reading effort, video delivers information passively, reducing the initial user investment required to understand your offering. This lower friction experience naturally encourages visitors to explore further after the video concludes.
Top-rated explainer video agencies optimize this bounce rate reduction through strategic video placement and auto-play considerations. They’ll recommend specific positioning based on your website’s existing user flow and help design surrounding page elements to capitalize on the increased engagement after viewing.
Increased Time on Page
- Average time on page increases of 2-3 minutes with quality explainer videos
- Higher time on page correlates with improved search engine rankings
- Extended engagement creates more opportunities for conversion actions
- Visitor quality metrics improve as superficial visitors self-select out
- Analytics from video engagement provide valuable audience insights
Beyond the obvious benefit of keeping visitors on your page longer, increased engagement time delivers compound marketing advantages. Search engines interpret longer visits as indicators of content quality, potentially improving organic rankings. This time expansion also creates additional opportunities for secondary conversion points to register with visitors.
The psychological investment principle further amplifies this benefit. When visitors invest time watching your explainer video, they become more likely to take additional actions afterward due to consistency bias—having already committed attention to understanding your offering, they’re psychologically inclined to follow through with next steps.
Leading explainer video agencies leverage this extended engagement by strategically positioning call-to-action elements to appear precisely when viewer interest peaks. Through heat-mapping and engagement tracking, they identify optimal moments to introduce conversion opportunities aligned with natural viewer decision points.
How to Choose the Right Explainer Video Agency For Your Brand
Selecting the perfect explainer video partner requires evaluating both tangible capabilities and cultural alignment factors. The most technically proficient agency might still deliver disappointing results if their creative approach clashes with your brand values or communication goals. Consider conducting capability interviews with multiple agencies using the framework below to identify your ideal match.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
Begin your evaluation by asking potential agencies about their production process specifics: “What involvement will our team have at each stage?” and “How do you handle revision requests beyond the contracted number?” Their answers reveal not just workflow details but communication style and flexibility. The best partners provide structured involvement opportunities without overwhelming your team with excessive decisions.
Next, investigate their strategic capabilities: “How will you measure this video’s success?” and “What distribution recommendations would you make for our specific audience?” Strong agencies immediately shift to performance metrics and platform-specific optimization strategies rather than focusing solely on aesthetic considerations. They should demonstrate understanding of your industry’s specific conversion challenges and how their creative approach addresses them.
Red Flags to Watch For
Beware agencies that promise unrealistic timelines or suspiciously low budgets compared to industry averages. Quality animation requires significant time for conceptualization, storyboarding, illustration, and animation—typically 4-8 weeks minimum for professional results. Agencies promising delivery in days rather than weeks likely use template-based approaches that sacrifice brand customization and strategic thinking.
Similarly, avoid partners who resist providing direct access to their creative team during consultations. The best agencies involve key creators—scriptwriters, art directors, animators—in discovery conversations to ensure nuanced understanding of your needs. If you’re limited to speaking only with sales representatives who promise to “relay information” to creatives, critical details and context will inevitably be lost in translation.
Start Transforming Your Message Today
The explainer video you commission today can become your brand’s most valuable communication asset for years to come. By partnering with a top-rated explainer video agency that understands both the art of visual storytelling and the science of conversion optimization, you’ll create content that continuously delivers returns through improved understanding, engagement, and action.
- Begin with a discovery call to assess agency fit and communication style
- Request customized samples or concepts specific to your challenge
- Start small with a single video before committing to larger packages
- Establish clear measurement frameworks before production begins
- Plan distribution strategy simultaneously with creative development
The most successful explainer videos emerge from collaborative partnerships where both client and agency contribute their unique expertise. Your industry knowledge combined with their storytelling and animation capabilities creates the perfect foundation for compelling content that achieves measurable business results.
Remember that visual communication is increasingly becoming the default language of digital marketing. Every day without an effective explainer video means missed opportunities to connect with customers who prefer visual learning and compressed message delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How long should my explainer video be?
Product demonstrations with multiple features may require 2-3 minutes for adequate explanation, while social media teasers perform best at 30-45 seconds. Rather than arbitrarily limiting length, focus on eliminating unnecessary information and maintaining tight pacing. Top agencies script to approximately 150 words per minute of finished video, ensuring every second serves a strategic purpose.
Q: Can I use my explainer video across multiple platforms?
Website versions maintain full resolution and audio with optional autoplay
Social media adaptations feature square or vertical crops with burned-in captions
Email marketing versions use compressed files with thumbnail preview frames
Presentation integrations include transparent background options for slide overlays
Trade show versions loop seamlessly with enhanced audio levels for noisy environments
Beyond technical specifications, strategic content modifications may benefit specific platforms. Instagram and TikTok versions might front-load key messages for shorter attention spans, while website versions can include more detailed explanations knowing viewers have already expressed interest by visiting your site.
The most valuable approach is planning this multi-platform strategy during initial concept development rather than retroactively adapting a finished video. Top-rated agencies build versatility into the core creative approach, creating animation systems that can flex between formats without compromising quality or message.
This platform flexibility dramatically increases your explainer video’s ROI by extending its utility across your entire marketing ecosystem while maintaining consistent brand messaging throughout the customer journey.
Q: How long does it take to produce a professional explainer video?
Most reputable agencies avoid rushing production as it inevitably leads to compromised results and client dissatisfaction. Instead, they offer accelerated production options with transparent trade-offs or phased delivery approaches for urgent needs.
Typical Production Timeline
Discovery & Strategy: 3-5 business days
Script Development: 5-7 business days
Storyboarding: 5-7 business days
Style Frames & Design: 5-10 business days
Animation Production: 10-15 business days
Revisions & Finalization: 5-7 business days
This timeline assumes prompt client feedback at each approval stage. Delayed reviews can extend production significantly, so internal alignment before approvals helps maintain momentum. The most efficient productions involve designated client decision-makers with authority to approve deliverables without extensive committee reviews.
While 3D animation and complex motion graphics may extend these timelines, simpler styles like whiteboard animation or basic 2D can sometimes be completed more quickly. Regardless of style, allowing adequate time for conceptual development always yields stronger results than rushing to animation.
Q: Do I need to provide a script or will the agency write it?
The scriptwriting process begins with comprehensive discovery sessions where writers absorb your brand voice, value proposition, and specific communication objectives. They then transform these inputs into a narrative structure optimized for visual explanation, typically delivering multiple concept options before proceeding to final script development. This collaborative approach ensures the finished script reflects your expertise while benefiting from their specialized knowledge of video engagement principles.
Q: What information do I need to prepare before contacting an explainer video agency?
Next, compile audience information beyond basic demographics. Include their existing knowledge level about your industry, specific pain points, common objections to solutions like yours, and preferred information processing styles. This context helps creators calibrate explanation depth and terminology appropriately, avoiding both patronizing oversimplification and confusing jargon.
Finally, document practical constraints including budget parameters, timeline requirements, and any mandatory branding elements or messaging points. Being forthright about these limitations from the beginning allows agencies to propose realistic creative approaches rather than developing concepts that prove infeasible later. The most efficient productions begin with transparent alignment on these fundamental parameters.
Animated Explainers helps businesses transform complex messages into compelling visual stories that drive measurable engagement and conversion improvements. Reach out today to discover how our award-winning explainer videos can elevate your brand communication.
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