If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many does an animation convey?
The fact is, ever since the dawn of time, animated images easily catch our attention, holding our imaginations captive. Of course, even in the 21st century, we still adore dynamic pictures and films that tell a story. That’s precisely why animation remains a potent force for marketers and why it’s crucial for businesses of all sizes to embrace it – particularly small businesses, where animation can make a significant impact.
Contents
How to Master Animation in Marketing
Today’s marketing landscape is a bustling sea of content, teeming with striking images, killer copy, and brilliant branding. Amidst this fierce competition, the primary objective of any marketing material is to break through the chatter and stand out. However, achieving this distinction is no easy feat, as we find ourselves easily overwhelmed with an avalanche of pictures, statistics, slogans, and persuasive calls to buy.
So, how can you elevate your marketing to soar above the crowd? An effective way to elevate is through animated videos. Unlike still images or slogans, animation captivates viewers for extended periods, ensuring sustained customer engagement. These videos leave a lasting impression, making them far more memorable than photographs that are quickly seen, processed, and forgotten. Savvy marketers recognize animation as a powerful tool for deploying impactful marketing campaigns.
3 Benefits of Animation for Small Businesses
Incorporating video animation can unlock a world of opportunities for small businesses. By harnessing the power of animated content, they can effectively convey their brand message, captivate their audience, and elevate their online presence. For small businesses, the advantages of utilizing video animation are manifold. In this article, we’ll uncover three key benefits that can revolutionize your marketing efforts and propel your brand to new heights.
Enhance brand image
Establishing and promoting a brand image is a crucial priority for any business. It encompasses not only the logo but also the essence of what the brand represents, whether it’s soft drinks or recruiting automation tips. It can be associated with the quality, value, and environmental awareness of you and your product. Whatever the brand essence may be, nurturing and solidifying it in the minds of potential customers is of utmost importance.
Small businesses feel this necessity even more acutely than larger enterprises, as they often face the risk of being overshadowed by their bigger, more assertive counterparts due to limited resources. Leveraging smart and captivating animation allows even modest investments to yield significant gains in enhancing brand image. This cost-effectiveness is expected to further improve with the advent of AI.
Simplify complex concepts
“Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive,” said Walt Disney. In other words, there’s nothing that we know of that animation can’t cover—and cover exceptionally well.
A well-crafted animation can ingeniously convey a deceptively simple story that encapsulates a complex idea. It might appear to be a straightforward tale of a college kid gaining acceptance, but beneath the surface lies a tapestry of accompanying concepts that the company aims to promote, such as inclusivity and diversity. Animation accomplishes this feat by skillfully integrating markers that emphasize the company’s key priorities throughout the narrative.
Moreover, animation has the unique ability to simplify intricate business processes, including tasks related to payroll services, making them highly comprehensible. For businesses offering complex products, this becomes a tremendous advantage, as animation greatly aids in communicating intricate concepts to their audience.
Increase engagement and retention
As mentioned earlier, animation demands active engagement from the viewer, requiring a certain level of commitment to reap its benefits. When the animation is compelling and delivers valuable information, it captivates the audience throughout the entire presentation. The cartoon-like representation further enhances its appeal, making the content effortlessly digestible without overwhelming details found in photographs or real people. This simplicity becomes even more important in the context of mobile devices with smaller screens, which highlights the need for mobile development and consulting services.
Simplified matters are more readily processed and retained for longer, making simple animation an effective technique for companies aiming to leave a lasting message with their customers. The advantage for smaller businesses also lies in the cost-effectiveness of basic animation compared to complex 3D animation or text content. A pet insurance company, for example, could use animation to create a series of social media ads that highlight the benefits of pet insurance and encourage viewers to learn more, which are more likely to attract attention and generate stronger customer retention and engagement than traditional text-based ads.
4 Practical Ways to Use Animation in Your Small Business
With the knowledge that simplified cartoon-style animation is a potent tool, small businesses can leverage its power effectively even with limited budgets. Let’s explore four practical ways to harness the potential of animation in enhancing your small business’s marketing and communication strategies.So, now we know that animation, particularly simplified cartoon-style animation, is a potent tool for businesses with smaller budgets.
Animated logos for better branding
While certain static logos have stood the test of time as iconic symbols, the market has become saturated with uninspiring efforts. Merely introducing another still image is unlikely to make a significant impact for you or your business. Make your business logo stand out and relevant by adding modern elements like bold typography and vibrant colors. To stand out from the crowd and elevate your branding, harnessing the power of animation is the key. Utilize animated logos for enhanced branding, incorporate animation in your social media posts and ads, and create animated explainer videos to captivate your audience. Moreover, consider using animation in digital badges as a strategic approach to bolster brand image and engage your valued customers.
Social media posts and ads
Animation thrives on social media platforms due to its visually entertaining, concise, and highly shareable nature. Among the most impactful social media ads, animations stand out. Consider the example of this great Android AD, ingeniously combining the rock-paper-scissors game with the college students gaining acceptance trope mentioned earlier. The ad’s brilliance lies in its entertainment value, simplicity, and meaningful message.
Animated explainer videos
An animated explainer video has the power to simplify complex concepts or processes, making them easy to understand. Whether it’s an educational video highlighting a school’s eco-stance or a business animation discussing its stance on insourcing vs outsourcing, animation excels at enhancing viewer comprehension. The process of animation effectively transforms intricate subject matters into readily digestible content.
Website animations
Websites are becoming somewhat outdated, so it’s essential to explore options that inject vitality into them. Animation offers an excellent opportunity to transform a website from a mere page of facts and persuasion into an engaging platform. By incorporating animation, you can introduce entertaining content that captivates visitors and brings life to your website.
How to Get Started with Animation
DIY animation tools for small businesses
In the vast landscape of animation tools available, it’s essential to find the ones that best align with your specific needs. Fortunately, numerous options cater to different requirements, making it possible to craft animated content that suits your creative vision. For those embarking on their animation journey, a great starting point is Animation Desk from Kdan Mobile, an intuitive and user-friendly tool that offers a plethora of features to bring your ideas to life.
Additionally, as you delve deeper into the world of animation, you may encounter the challenge of large file sizes for your animation videos. However, there’s no need to worry, as you can employ online tools specifically designed to compress mp4 files without compromising the quality of your work. By utilizing these tools, you can efficiently manage file sizes and ensure smooth sharing and viewing experiences for your audience.
Employee upskilling and training
The concept of animation might seem daunting for some businesses, particularly if they lack an in-house animation expert. The good news is that animation can be easily learned, thanks to the availability of excellent online training programs offering complete courses or valuable piecemeal assistance resources. While having an aptitude for working with images can be beneficial, most individuals can be taught to create remarkably effective and memorable animated content. To ensure the quality of the final product, it’s wise to thoroughly test any material produced by trainees for potential bugs. You can perform this testing in-house or, for more complex animations, consider leveraging crowdsource services like Global App Testing.
Hire a freelance animator
Alternatively, you can opt to hire a skilled animator to handle the job for you. The advantage of this approach is that you only pay for the specific project, making it cost-effective for small businesses with limited animation needs. Moreover, a freelance animator is likely to be experienced in working with companies like yours, allowing them to quickly grasp your requirements and deliver precisely what you need.
Conclusion
No matter the nature of your business, whether it’s dealing with Paylocity payroll products or Uncle Uli’s Unusual Umbrellas, delving into the exciting world of animation is a worthwhile pursuit. Regardless of the animation style you select, moving images are bound to captivate your audience with greater vigor than static ones.
So, what are you waiting for? Lights, camera, action!
(Feature image source by Afif Ramdhasuma on Unsplash)