B2B Explainer Videos – Learn How To Make Them + 11 Examples

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B2B explainer videos are gaining popularity with biz dev, marketing and sales teams because they help improve every stage of the sales funnel. Whether you want to increase awareness, generate more leads, nurture prospects, close sales or educate your customers, B2B explainer videos are highly effective at getting the job done. In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions about B2B explainer videos and walk you through the production process to make them.

What Is A B2B Explainer Video?

Explainer videos are educational videos that break a topic down into small, easy-to-digest topics in order to help the viewer learn new information. They can be animated, live-action, illustrated on whiteboards or a combination of all the above.

Explainer videos make it easier for people to understand new information because they combine custom visuals that are designed to focus on the specific details that are needed to learn the topic along with a voiceover that explains the information being presented. These videos are designed to be easy to digest and help the viewer retain the information longer.

To read more about explainer videos and how they’re used, check out our companion article titled: “What is an explainer video?”

Why Do Companies Make B2B Explainer Videos?

 

Increase Awareness

B2B Explainer videos are phenomenal for generating awareness within your target market. Custom animated videos help your message stand out and get attention better than blog posts, images and live action videos. When you put colorful moving images in your target audiences’ feeds, you increase the odds your target audience will spend a few seconds of attention to learn what your video is about. If the message is truly relevant for them, they’ll navigate to your website or social media pages to learn more.

Generate Leads

Animated explainer videos are great for generating leads on your homepage. With proper script writing, your video should be designed to address a problem your target audience experiences and present a compelling case for why they should use your product/service to address their pain points. Ending your video with a call to action encourages viewers to sign up for your service, download your app, input their email address or contact your sales team to learn more.

Nurture Prospects & Educate Customers

Often times, blog posts are used to nurture and educate leads because it’s a cost effective way to put out large quantities of educational visual content for your prospects to self-educate. However, we all know most people prefer watching videos over reading text. That’s why we recommend creating some explainer videos. It makes your content more digestable in order to help your target audience understand what your product/service does. It also helps them remember the information longer.

Close More Sales

When you nail your video pitch, it can be better than having a sales person.

Because the video is consistent.

It delivers the same high quality pitch every time.

If you can’t justify flying or driving to meet all your prospects, a b2b explainer video is a fantastic way to get your foot in the door and quickly explain what you have to offer. B2B explainer videos can help you close sales in places you never thought you’d be able to reach in the first place.

11 Examples Of Animated B2B Explainer Videos

 

 

How To Make An Animated B2B Explainer Video

To get your project started, get in touch with us and let us know what kind of animated video you want us to create. We’ll help you figure out pricing and a timeline to get your video created. We’ll also send you a questionnaire to help us collect important information about your video including what you want the video to be about, what key details we need to include, what the video should look like and who is the target audience for your b2b explainer video.

Script

We’ll use the information you provided in the questionnaire to develop the first draft of the script for your b2b explainer video. Our goal is to write a script that concisely articulates the problem your target market experiences and create a compelling story that highlights how your product/service can resolve their problem. We’ll send you the first draft of your script and give you time to review it internally. Send us your comments and let us know if there are any changes you would like us to make for your script. Otherwise, mark it as approved and we’ll start creating the storyboard.

Want to save some time and money on your b2b explainer video production experience? Consider writing the first draft of your script and sending it to us instead of hiring us to write the script for you. We can work with you to polish your script to make it production-ready!

B2B Explainer Video Script Writing Resources

How To Write A Script For An Animated B2B Explainer Video

7 Tips to Supercharge Your Explainer Video Script

Examples Of Explainer Video Scripts + How To Write A Script

Free Scriptwriting Template: Get our free script writing template here.

Storyboard

The storyboard is the blueprint for your explainer video. It tells the illustrators what visuals need to be created and it lets the animators know how they are supposed to animate the scenes so that they’re in sync with the voiceover. Each page of your storyboard includes four parts: a sentence from your script, a rough mockup of the scene, a list of directions for the animators and a list of assets that are needed to create the scene. The diagram below show an example of what you can expect to see in your storyboard:

We’ll send you the first draft of the storyboard and give you a chance to review it internally and provide your feedback. If you love the storyboard as-is, mark it as approved and we’ll proceed with production. Otherwise, let us know what sorts of changes you want to see and we’ll incorporate them asap. You’ll get another chance to review the storyboard for approval before we proceed to the next phase of production.

Free Download: Get our free storyboard creation template here.

VoiceOver

Now that the script and storyboard are locked in, we can help you create the voiceover for your b2b explainer video. First, we’ll order voiceover auditions from several voiceover artists that we feel will deliver a professional tone that resonates with your target audience and reflects well on your brand. You will get to hear a sample recording from several different voiceover artists.

After you let us know which one you prefer, we will hire them to record the full voiceover and secure the appropriate license to use the voiceover recording wherever you plan to show your explainer video. We will guide the voiceover artist to let them know where to change their tone/inflection/energy throughout the voiceover including places where they should pause or how to pronounce difficult words. You will get an opportunity to review the voiceover and approve it (or request revisions) before we use it in your animated video.

Soundtrack

We’ll select a handful of soundtracks we feel will enhance the presentation of the message in your b2b explainer video. If you are in love with one of the soundtracks, we’ll purchase the appropriate broadcast license for your video’s use. Not satisfied with any of the options? Let us know why and we’ll select fresh options for you. Got a few options you like but can’t decide which is best? Let us know and we’ll help you preview each soundtrack with the first draft of your animated video so that you can hear which soundtrack works best.

To learn more about how to pick the right soundtrack for your animated video, check out this video.

Illustrations

The illustration phase of the production process has two steps: concept art creation & creation of all the art for your animation.

After your storyboard is approved, our art director will review your brand guidelines and any style references you provided and use it to develop one or more unique visual styles for your b2b explainer video. The art team will take a key scene from your storyboard and use it to create one or more pieces of original concept art.

When you review the concept art, let the art team know if there is one style in particular that you are in love with. You can share feedback with them and we’ll update the concept art before sending it back to you to review. If there are aspects of multiple pieces of concept art that you like, let us know which details resonate with you and well use them to develop a new piece of concept art. Not a fan of any of the concept art? Let us know your thoughts and we’ll create some completely new concept art for you.

Once the concept art gets your sign off, our art team will create the rest of the illustrations for your explainer video using the concept art as a visual style reference. You will get an opportunity to review the art and request revisions before we proceed to the animation stage.

Animation

Now that the voiceover and illustrations are locked in, it’s time to animate. It takes about one week to animate each minute of a b2b explainer video. Fancier 2D animations or 3D animations may require more time. If you need your video animated quicker, we have rush delivery animation options available. When the first draft of your animated video is ready to watch, give it a detailed review with your internal team and members of your target audience. Collect everyone’s feedback and send it off to us to wrap up the final draft.

Are All B2B Explainer Videos Animated?

No. Not all b2b explainer videos are animated. Some use a mix of filmed footage or stock footage mixed with animations and motion graphics. It is rare for an explainer video to not include any animations or motion graphic elements.

How Long Does It Take To Make An Animated B2B Explainer Video?

2D animated b2b videos take 3-8 weeks to produce. To learn more about what’s involved at each stage of production and how long each stage of production takes, check out our companion article called, “Understanding the Animated Video Production Workflow.”

You can save a little time by writing the script and or the storyboard yourself. If you need to guarantee quick delivery, get a quote and let us know that you are interested in rush delivery animation.

How Long Should My Explainer Video Be?

That depends on your goal.

If you want to create explainer videos for the top of your funnel, aim to create shorter content. 5-30 seconds is ideal but you could go up to 60-90 seconds. Your goal isn’t to explain everything. You just want to get the attention of your target audience and hook them into clicking over to your website or landing page – where they can watch longer videos if they’re interested in what you offer.

If you want to create content to generate leads, nurture prospects and close more sales, your explainer videos are likely going to be in the 30-120 second range. These videos can be a little longer since viewers have more interest in what you have to offer. For certain types of videos (educational content) you’ll want to go in depth and for others (more sales-y videos), you’ll want to stay as concise as possible.

If you want to educate your customers, these explainer videos could be as short as 20-30 seconds or over 5 minutes. This content can be longer. It all depends how long it takes to actually explain all the steps a user needs to know to understand how to use your product/service.

How Much Does It Cost To Make A B2B Explainer Video?

B2B explainer videos cost $1500-$7500 to create a high quality, 60 second 2D animated video. 3D animated videos cost about twice as much to produce. We recommend spending at least $1500-$4500 to create a professional looking B2B animated video that will deliver a stellar first impression when new leads and prospects discover your company. It is possible to make cheaper animated videos but you run the risk of lowering your brand perception with a poorly designed video.

Looking For Pricing Information To Make Your B2B Video?

Get a quote.

Access our newest pricing page.

Schedule a call with our production team

Learn what goes into the cost of making an animated video.

Low Cost Explainer Video Demo Reel (+$1,000/Min)

 

Medium Cost B2B Explainer Video Demo Reel (+$3,500/Min)

 

High End B2B Explainer Video Demo Reel (+$7,500/Min)

 

How Do I Find An Animator For My B2B Explainer Video?

Looking for someone to create your animated b2b video but not sure where to start? Whether you’re looking to hire an animation studio, a freelance animator, or a production service like Video Igniter Animation, there are many factors to consider including: pricing, visual style, storytelling, customer service, production timelines and more. Here are some resources to help you figure out the right production option for your b2b video:

– 9 Things to Look For When Hiring An Animator to create an animated b2b explainer video.

– How to outsource an animated video project?

– How to hire an animator?

– Pros and Cons of Different Animation Styles

– What’s the difference between hiring an animation studio, vs a freelance animator vs Video Igniter?

– What goes into production cost of an animated video?

– Considering making the animated video yourself? Learn about DIY options.

– Need your video fast? Learn about rush delivery.

– What is Video Igniter Animation?

 

What Is The Video Igniter Animated Video Creation Service?

Video Igniter offers b2b explainer video production services online. Video Igniter modernizes the experience of creating a custom animated video to help you save on your production costs, and create custom content faster. We streamline the complex process of making a custom animated video and do all the work for you. All you need to do is tell us what you want us to create and then send feedback for the assets that we create for your animated video (script, storyboard, voiceover, soundtrack, art and animation).

If you’re looking for a website to make an animated video, Video Igniter is a new kind of custom animated video production service that enables you to create any kind of animated video you can imagine. Our talented staff collaborates behind the scenes to create custom 2D and 3D animated videos so you don’t have to figure out if you have the right animator or studio for the kind of animation you want to get created. We handle all the technical and creative aspects of production for you including helping you develop your script and storyboard (if you haven’t already created them yourself).

Hire Video Igniter To Create Your Animated B2B Video

World class animation and design talent at prices startups can afford.

We can make any kind of 2D or 3D custom animated video you can imagine.

+20 reasons companies love hiring us to create custom animated videos.

B2B Animated Explainer Video Demo Reel

 

B2B Explainer Video Success Stories and Testimonials

“Video Igniter came to us with a number of creative and engaging ideas and were able to create an exciting, impactful video in a short period of time. And the best part was that it cost much less than other options of similar quality. The video they made is a great marketing tool for us.”

Alex Raymond – Founder, Kapta Systems

“Video Igniter offered us the critical combination of creative value, clear communication, and patience with stakeholder feedback. We ended up with truly high-quality design assets for our video series largely due to the extra level of commitment — and the right balance of efficiencies with flexibility in the process when called for.”

Larry Schlessinger – Sr. Creative Program Manager, Amazon Web Services

“I am beyond satisfied with my experience with Video Igniter. The first drafts of the work were almost exactly what I had in my head when developing the concept. After that each step along the way was seamless until arriving at a perfect finished product. And all this at a tremendous value. Anyone who has considered creating a marketing video should check out Video Igniter.”

Anonymous Customer Feedback

Get In Touch About Creating Your Animated B2B Video

Schedule a call with our production team to discuss creating your animated b2b video.

Get a quote for us to create your b2b explainer video.

Request access to our newest price sheet.

Create your Video Igniter account, fill out a creative brief, and we’ll start creating your animated video.