How to convince your boss to invest in an explainer video

Between us, we know you know exactly why you need an animated explainer video. But when you're in the thick of planning a killer video, it's easy to forget not everyone understands just how powerful animation can be. 

Which is why your boss probably needs a little extra persuading... But don't worry - that's where we come in!

In this blog we're walking you through 4 easy, quick and fool-proof steps to get buy in from your manager for your next video project. Read on to discover the tips.  

Step 1: Determine what your boss cares about most

Regardless of what department or area of your organization you work in, your manager isn't going to give your video project the green light unless you can prove it works towards your company goals. This is ultimately your boss' top priority and it's your job to help them get there. 

So, how can you determine how your video could fit with management's priorities? Start by considering these quick questions:

• What are your organization's top goals this year?
• What role does your team or department play in achieving those objectives?
• How is your team working towards them in the short, medium and long-term?
• How is your department's budget currently allocated?
• Which areas is your boss particularly focused on?

Of course some of these answers you're likely to know already from company meetings and updates but others might require a little research. For instance if you're not involved with team budget setting you might need to ask a colleague in finance for a rough breakdown. Similarly, to get your manager's thoughts on team priorities it could be worth grabbing a quick coffee with them to discuss. 

But with this insight you'll be able to move onto step two, primed for success! 

Step 2: Understand how explainer videos align with your boss' goals

Now, here's where we start mapping the objectives of your organization, team and manager against the benefits an explainer video can bring. 

To give you some examples, we've broken this down into a few key areas. Simply pick the option best suited to you and your company and build on it. 

Sales and marketing benefits

One of the most common objectives for any business is to boost sales and revenue. To do that you have to increase awareness of your brand and products or services, explain how you help customers solve their problems and prove that you're the right company to do it. 

Just looking at it, this sounds like quite a complex and long-winded process. But it doesn't have to be! With targeted explainer videos you can help new opportunities move down your sales funnel to make a purchase. Plus, it's proven to work - 64% of consumers make a purchase after watching branded social videos. We're sure your manager can't say no to those kinds of numbers!

People and training benefits

If your objectives are focused on getting the best out of your people and teams, whether that's building a stronger culture, boosting training or recruiting the best talent, video can help.

Research shows we retain 85% of a message presented via video versus just 10% from text. So if you want your colleagues to remember your latest policy changes or health and safety information video is going to be your secret weapon. 

Similarly, video helps you share more of your brand personality. This is key in attracting the best talent as we all know picking the right job isn't just about a job title. It's also about finding a culture that suits your personality, values and interests. So show off the real you with a fun animated explainer that's sure to attract fresh applicants.

Retention and support benefits 

Another major focus for businesses is often around after-sales. Whether it's retaining the customers you've won or ensuring you're providing the right level of support. 

The good news is... explainer videos help with both! A quick explainer shared with new or existing customers can help remind them of the benefits your products or services provide, how they can get maximum value from your offering and where your company is going. With all this opportunity on offer, your customers are much less likely to churn and feel like you're engaged in the relationship.

Similarly, video can help you solve common pain points quickly. Instead of pointing customers to a long support article, simply send them the link to a 30 second explainer video. In a fraction of the time you'll have answered their question, improved the chances of this customer staying with you and saved your team time! We call that a win, win, win 😎

Step 3: Evaluate explainer video creation options 

Once you've determined how an explainer video will help meet your objectives, it's time to think about how you'll bring your video to life. For this step you have two key options - to create your video in-house using a video maker like VideoScribe, or to enlist the help of professional animators like Sparkol Studio. 

Of course this choice isn't always black and white, there are lots of advantages and challenges with each so it's just about picking what's right for this situation. Let's look at them in more detail. 

In-house video creation

Advantages:

• More control over video creation timelines
• Lower up-front cost 
• Opportunity to develop video skills in your team 

Challenges: 

• Steeper learning curve
• Less polished finished animation
• Likely to be more time consuming overall
• Requires time and resources from your team which could mean pulling them from other projects

Professionally created animations

Advantages:

• Harness the expertise of a full team of animators, script-writers and project managers
• Often much faster delivery 
• Very high quality finished video
• More ambitious design and animation styles can be achieved 

Challenges: 

• Requires more up-front investment 

Picking the right option for you is all about balancing these factors. So if your budget is looking pretty tight but you've got a colleague who is keen to try their hand at animating then a tool like VideoScribe is an awesome option. But if you do have the scope to hire professionals, you definitely won't regret it! Not only is the quality of video going to be incredible but you'll also save a heap of time internally managing the project.  

Step 4: Gather your research and prepare your presentation

Once you've made your decision, it's time to present all your findings back. For this, what could be better than a video! It's your opportunity to give a flavor of what's to come if your project is given the go ahead. 

Of course, for this part there's no need to get the professionals in. Presentation templates like the ones in VideoScribe can help you make impressive animated presentations quickly and easily, giving you the perfect taster to share with your manager. Check out an example below 👇

They'll be amazed that you created something so easily and build even more confidence for the finished explainer video.

Here are a couple of extra tips for a flawless animated presentation:

• Reinforce where your boss will see a return on the investment 
• Record your own voice-over to take the stress out of presenting - just hit play and your video will do all the work
• Edit the colors of our images to match your brand palette - this will bring a level of familiarity and polish to your presentation
• Stick to a smaller number of key points - you want you  

If you're looking for a little extra persuasion, we can help you make the case for animated video in your organization - just drop us a message today to learn more.