How to Choose the Best Explainer Video Style for Your Business

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Picture of Stephen Conley
Stephen Conley
Stephen is Gisteo's Founder & Creative Director. After a long career in advertising, Stephen launched Gisteo in 2011 and the rest is history. He has an MBA in International Business from Thunderbird and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he did indeed inhale (in moderation).

The ability to communicate your business’s value proposition effectively is paramount.

One of the most potent tools at your disposal is the explainer video—a concise, engaging medium that distills complex ideas into easily digestible content.

Choosing the best explainer video style is crucial for effectively conveying your business message and engaging your audience.

Here’s a guide to help you make an informed decision:​

1. Clarify Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Before delving into video styles, it’s imperative to articulate your USP. As Dan Kennedy emphasizes, your USP answers the critical question: “Why should I choose your business/product/service versus any/every other competitive option available to me?”

A well-defined USP will guide the narrative and visual elements of your explainer video, ensuring that your core differentiators are prominently featured.

2. Understand Your Target Audience

An intimate understanding of your audience’s needs, desires, and pain points is foundational.  It’s important to enter the conversation already occurring in the customer’s mind.

This entails crafting messages that resonate with their existing thoughts and emotions, thereby increasing engagement and relevance.

3. Choosing the Best Explainer Video Style For Your Unique Needs

Aligning the video style with your message and audience preferences is crucial. Consider the following options:

2D Animation: Ideal for simplifying complex concepts through engaging visuals. Gisteo example: 

3D Animation: Suitable for providing a realistic representation of products or services. Gisteo example:

Whiteboard Animation: Effective for educational content, illustrating ideas in a straightforward manner. Gisteo example:

Motion Graphics: Perfect for presenting data or abstract concepts dynamically. Gisteo example: 

Mixed Media: This approach combines various visual elements, such as live-action footage, 2D and 3D animations, text overlays, and special effects, to create a dynamic and engaging narrative. Mixed media videos are particularly effective for conveying complex ideas in an engaging manner. ​Gisteo example:

Live-Action: Combines real-world actions and production for a realistic, high-end and human approach.  Gisteo example (our own intro video):

4. Craft a Compelling Script

The script is the backbone of your explainer video. You’ll want to emphasize clear, concise, and persuasive language, focusing on benefits over features.

Employ storytelling techniques to create an emotional connection, and ensure a strong call to action that directs viewers toward the desired outcome.  Watch Gisteo Founder, Stephen Conley, explainer 9 different approaches we take to developing scripts. 

5. Implement Direct Response Principles

Incorporate direct response strategies to elicit immediate viewer action. Techniques such as creating urgency, offering strong guarantees, and reducing friction through free trials can significantly enhance conversion rates.

6. Review Competitor Approaches

Analyze the explainer videos used by competitors in your industry. This can provide insights into what works and help you identify opportunities to differentiate your content, facilitating your selection of the best explainer video style for your brand. 

7. Test and Optimize

Continuous testing and optimization are cornerstones of Kennedy’s methodology. Analyze viewer engagement metrics, gather feedback, and refine your video content accordingly to maximize impact.

Gisteo: Crafting the Perfect Explainer Video, No Matter What Style You Choose

Since 2011, Gisteo has been at the forefront of creating best-in-class animated explainer videos tailored for sales, marketing, and training purposes.

With over 13 years of experience and thousands of projects completed, Gisteo understands the nuances of different industries and audiences, ensuring each video resonates effectively. ​ Our experience and strategic mind-set ensures that you’ll not only get a quality video, but one that utilizes the best explainer video style for your unique needs.

Why Choose Gisteo?

Here are just a few of the things that sets Gisteo apart from the competition.

Expertise: Gisteo’s team combines expert scriptwriting and production skills to deliver world-class explainer videos that clarify your offering and ignite your business.

Simplicity and Fair Pricing: Gisteo offers a straightforward process with transparent pricing, ensuring you receive high-quality videos without unexpected costs. Plus, our Unlimited Year Plan offers tremendous value-for-money and something entirely unique to the explainer video industry.

Diverse Portfolio: From startups to Fortune 500 companies, Gisteo has collaborated with a wide range of clients, adapting their approach to meet unique needs and objectives.

AI Explainers: Hyper-realistic, lifelike avatars based on real human actors—no robots, no weird synthetic voices. These AI-powered videos allow for rapid production, multilingual options, and cost-effective messaging at scale. Ideal for presentations, overviews, training, FAQs, corporate messaging, and more.

Reel Interviews: You talk, we do the rest. We’ll interview you (or your team) remotely, extract the gold, and turn it into highly engaging short-form content with music, captions, and B-roll footage to help you build trust and authority.

Remote Customer Testimonials: Your happy customers are your best salespeople—so let’s get them on video! We handle the entire process remotely, making it insanely easy (and much less awkward than having them try to do it themselves) to capture them sharing their love for your brand.

Conclusion

Choosing the best explainer video style is a strategic decision that can significantly impact your business’s communication effectiveness.

By aligning the video style with your brand identity and audience preferences, you enhance engagement and convey your message more compellingly. Partnering with experienced professionals like Gisteo ensures that your explainer videos are not only visually appealing but also strategically crafted to drive results.

Want to discuss a potential project?  Contact us or schedule a free consultation today.

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Best explainer video style for your business