The whole world is on social media-- from individuals to companies and brands. The sheer reach of this medium is unprecedented. Everyone everywhere is on it, at almost all times of the day; and social media funnels down to individual users’ likes and interests with amazing precision and granularity.
But the ubiquity of social media is a double-edged sword: Everyone’s using it to broadcast their message. So how do you get yours to stand out and be seen and heard? Worse, how do you get your viewers to remember your message afterward?
The secret is more obvious than you may think: it’s storytelling, usually in the form of animated social media videos.
Let us explain.
Videos are immediate, attention-grabbing, and feel very natural. We are visual creatures, after all-- and moving visuals check all the boxes.
For example, did you know social media posts with videos have 48 percent more views? Did you know that studies show that visual cues can trigger emotions?
But it’s not just moving pictures with sound that does the job. You can’t just put a video up and call it a day.
The real magic ingredient here is storytelling.
What makes animation even more amazing is that there are even less constraints. You’re really only limited by your imagination. With the right team of talented scriptwriters and animators, you can explain the most complex topics in a way that’s easy for anyone to understand.
The amazing thing about animated videos is how versatile they are. The format easily meets a wide range of needs, audiences and even budgets.
A fantastic example of how animated videos can simplify and engage with even the most complex subject matter is the SaaS industry.
Even those with some technical knowledge can get lost in the weeds trying to explain or understand this industry.
However, even this can be broken down and explained easily through the power of animation and storytelling-- even when going into detail. And it can do it without overwhelming or boring the viewer with too much information.
It’s a similar story with the finance industry. The first thing that comes to the typical person’s mind is that it’s probably very technical, boring, and doesn’t affect their life in any meaningful way.
Again, this is where animation and storytelling can really shine.
The thing about storytelling is that it’s a potent blend of information and emotion. Facts speak to the mind; art and music speak to the heart. But storytelling, however, does both.
Because there is an emotional aspect to storytelling, it grabs the viewer’s attention far better than text or static images would. This is the secret to why movies are so entertaining and can make the viewer care about things they otherwise wouldn’t be interested in.
Don’t believe us? Check out our animated social media production portfolio for examples of engrossing, captivating animated videos we created for clients in the financial services industry, and see for yourself!
Another industry animation works well for is the healthcare industry. At first thought, you might wonder what animated storytelling videos have to do with healthcare. But it’s a surprisingly good fit.
Healthcare can be complicated and even scary to some. However, the power of animated storytelling can enlighten, explain and bring assurance to your viewers; and ultimately, help you build trust with them.
Furthermore, the animation is an excellent training tool! Since it’s visual, cost-effective, and interesting to watch, it’s a fantastically efficient way to train medical device technicians and hospital staff on procedures and protocols.
This should go without saying, but you really should consider who you’re trying to target even before you begin. Who is your audience? What are they like? What are the pain points that you’re trying to solve?
This is fundamental to your strategy!
Remember that animated storytelling is more art than science. The first time you try something and it works, you will be tempted to stick with that formula and keep repeating it. But don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things and learn what works and what doesn’t.
When is your target audience active? Are there holidays and events on the calendar where you can deploy your best deals and sales? The “when” of social media marketing is as important as the “what” and the “how”.
Going viral on social media is, to put it mildly, incredibly difficult and seemingly random. It’s one of those bizarre paradoxes where if you set out trying to make a viral video, you’re doomed to fail; yet the videos that do go viral were almost never created with that intention.
However, there is some order in the chaos that is the internet. There are some guidelines on how you could better your chances of going viral. Read about it in our dedicated blog post topic here.
It’s safe to say that the future couldn’t be brighter for social media marketing. Much like the internet itself, it’s impossible to predict just where this will take us and how big it will become in the early days. Whatever your opinion, it’s a safe bet that most of us are underestimating the power of this relatively new realm in marketing.
If you’d like to know how we do it, we recommend checking out our animated social media company’s landing page.
To loosely quote a bumper sticker: “someday” isn’t a day of the week. If you’ve been reading this blog wondering about when to get started, well, maybe it’s time to stop wondering and take the plunge today. We’d love to chat with you about what the power of animated storytelling can do for you and your business today!
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