Whether you create a 10-second GIF or a 2-minute animation, you can rely on the power of this type of video to tell a story and send an easily understood message to any audience. Animation has the power to communicate easily understandable information in a simple and clear fashion, not burdening the audience with graphs, statistics and endless pages of written words that no one reads.

It’s not difficult to integrate an animation in a marketing plan. It includes everything, from hand-drawn, to 3D animations, to character design and combined animations.

The power of animation starts with a small idea. With mild encouragement, that idea grows bigger and better than it was at the beginning. An animation is more than colorfully drawn characters and playful images; an animation enlivens work.

1. Social media advertising

People are visually oriented beings and advertisers should be aware of that. Statistics largely confirm the superiority of image over text. Since 2016, Facebook algorithms have been recognising that, therefore inclining to video content against all other types of posts. It means that, in addition to being naturally more appealing, video records have an even higher reach and viewership rate.

The use of an animation instead of a live video for advertising has two advantages. Firstly, an animation is relatively cheap to produce – you don’t need expensive equipment, actors, set, props and other stuff included in production. Secondly, it is much easier to accomplish a unique and distinctive design with an animation than with a live video. Creativity always wins over production costs. If you do this part right, a video will not only be the future of content marketing, but also the future of your content marketing.

2. Service/product presentation

What would you rather watch:

a close-up of a head of a person repeating phrases about advantages of a product/service you’ve heard a hundred times before from other brands

or

a short and entertaining animated video explaining advantages of a service/product with illustrative visuals?

In short, people prefer animated videos because they are appealing, pleasant to watch and entertaining. As opposed to that, people usually watch live video tutorials only if they’re already interested in a product and want to learn more about it.

An animation is perfect for simplifying complex actions, and that is what is required from a video tutorial. Out of top 17 video clips selected by HubSpot, 13 are animated, clearly indicating the tendencies in the years to come.

3. Animation on landing page

Adding a video to the landing page increases the conversion rate by 80 percent. However, it cannot be any video, but a video that provokes specific emotions among viewers. People have a very short attention span. If visitors don’t get emotionally engaged in the first few seconds, they will probably leave and never come back.

An animation is a perfect choice if you aim to achieve that effect – due to several reasons. It differs from what we see around us and therefore immediately draws attention. When created properly, it may result in all kinds of emotional reactions.

In the age of information saturation, it is vital for small businesses to offer content that is easily “digested”; otherwise consumers will simply move on. Independent research shows that seven out of 10 people have a more positive brand perception after watching its appealing video. Without doubt, a video improves brand recognition – and is basically a viral marketing tool.

When considering a potential reach, a video is unrivaled. YouTube has more than one billion individual visitors per month – or more than any other channel, except Facebook. Grab viewers’ attention and they’ll share a video with others. They will spend more time on your website, and thus more time interacting with your brand. For any SoMe campaigns or a SEO exercise, there is no doubt that a video is one of the best tools at disposal.

And finally, why is an animation my no. 1 choice?

• Draws attention
• Entertaining/educational
• Mobile-friendly
• No expiration date
• Google loves animations
• Describes a product/service within seconds
• Memorable and sending clear messages
• Simple for posting, sharing, searching
• Animation and SoMe are soul mates