Walt Disney has notably said, “Animation offers a medium of storytelling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages everywhere in the world.”
Mass communication has changed in many ways ever since animation came into the picture. Animation has become an excellent tool for advertising strategies, especially for businesses. The variety of animations available has increased customer engagement and helped businesses make profits. This is especially true for social media marketing.
Animation comes with the kind of features that cannot be substituted by other kinds of tools. Besides classic 2D animation, 3D models have been making their mark on business marketing techniques. The aid to visualization makes customers form a clear impression about businesses, which is why the animation approach is so popular.
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The use of animated videos has become a top choice for most digital marketers. With the incorporation of several effects and the ability to have 3D visualization, the approach is a guaranteed success. Integrating its function into businesses has allowed them to showcase their vision to clients with ease. The issue regarding understanding has been taken down through the use of video, and has further improved brand image. A survey has shown that 45.4 percent of users viewed at least one video online over the course of a month. This frequency means that watching videos has led to greater impact than pictures or articles.
Most people who use social media spend their time watching videos. All social media networks have noticed this trend and are thus focusing their promotional tactics on this kind of content. This favouritism towards video and animation has led to more engagement on each platform. The prolonged trend of watching video content has been growing ever since Vine, YouTube and TikTok became popular. It can be seen why businesses are opting for this technique, as the algorithms of most social media sites are giving it more recognition. Not only is this a great opportunity to present a brand in front of an audience, but it has a long-lasting effect. Social media sites keep on giving animated video content their approval by promoting them, which makes the daunting creation process all the more worthwhile.
Although the production of videos receives better results than other media, it is also a draining process. The procedure is not only technical but once you add animation to the mix, it becomes difficult and time-consuming. There are other issues that arise when using animation in marketing that explain why it isn’t used everywhere.
Everyone knows that creativity is not easy to come by organically. Research cannot make creative processes happen, and there are no guidelines that can make you produce original content. Coming up with creative and original content has been a struggle as almost every idea has been thought of before. This lack of originality can be seen in various content forms, whether it is the storytelling aspect or character design. Animation is a creative process that requires emotional engagement with audiences and this will not happen if the same kind of content is being reiterated. This way, any marketing technique will fall short.
YouTube gets over 30 million visitors per day. The run time for most videos on YouTube and Facebook is what makes up the monetization of a certain piece of content. Viewers will most likely not sit through numerous ads on short videos, and they will eventually get bored of the longer videos. Even if your animation is fun and bold, if people lose interest then your business will not be able to market itself properly. Much like commercial breaks on TV, the ads that run need to be included naturally.
Any sort of artwork creation is expensive. Single frames of animated videos can have several moving parts and individual features. Skilled animators can move each hair on character's body for a highly realistic effect. Not only is this hard work, but it is costly because of the technical nature of the work. Besides this, animation studios are expensive and not easy to maintain. This is why good video animation services require a bigger budget.
Digital marketing is evolving at a quick pace. It has been noted that 71% of consumers who have had a good social media service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others. The considerable changes most algorithms undergo have decreased the effects of traditional SEO. Thus, businesses are going for other methods. While looking for new ways to promote their brand and their content, social media marketing has been considered. What were regarded as simply platforms for entertainment, have now become the forefront for promotional content.
There are many ways that animation has improved marketing approaches on social media.
Business owners know that if they do not market their brand on social media, their competitors definitely will. Even market leaders know that it is easy to lose loyal customers if they are not updated and engaged on a daily basis. Any kind of digital presence needs online traffic for better results. Animation based content has led to more reach than other media, especially on sites like YouTube. It acts as a direct way of addressing the needs of customers and improves your business overall.
Marketing experts are aware that the effectiveness of a campaign is found in measurability. Animated videos are able go on social media platforms become promotional ads simply through this ability. Marketers can view stats like how many videos have been clicked-on how many times, whether they have been liked and shared around, and what the comments say. This monitored measurability comes free with social media sites, which is why animation is preferred as a marketing medium.
In 2019, it was found that 79% of people are convinced to buy a piece of software or app after watching a brand’s video. Most internet users do not have the best attention spans. Thus, there is only so much time they will spend reading an article or watching a video. Animated videos are known to be emotionally impactful as they resonate with audiences. Viewers want to follow the storyline and stay engaged because of the fun graphics. Animation is also the lesser known medium for marketing, even on social media. Intrusive marketing ads are no longer successful, so using animation to promote your business is more likely to have an effect.
Animations are the best way to bring ideas to life. Characters can do anything that the animator wants, there are no limitations as to what is real and what is fictional. Mechanisms and processes can be showcased in an interesting way, which is why marketing has been using this technique so much nowadays. Teams can get together, brainstorm and pitch an idea, make it as original as possible and then it can be executed. Movements, coloring, storylines, everything can be made easy with animated videos.
Video content is one of the most popular visited mediums of all mobile traffic. YouTube has revealed that around 40% of its watch time is held by smartphones, which is a whole new demographic. Animated videos that are short in length can be embedded into any platform with ease. Social media needs can be addressed directly through this since the content is almost exclusively being designed for phones. Businesses who are in competition with other brands can use this edge over them. Not only is it an innovative marketing plan, but it helps garner the interest of more investors.
Visual representation can be limited if you are using human actors for a video. With animation, you can go beyond what is possible and enhance your storytelling process. Keeping a business goal in mind, you can use graphics to pull on the viewer’s heartstrings and resonate with them directly. Creativity will have no boundaries and the message of your brand will make its way across a hindrance free channel. Corporate messages can hence be transformed into fun stories.
Animations play a vital role in telling your audience who you are as a brand. Instead of using trite and boring tactics for promotional value, you are able to add a certain flair to the way you display your vision to the world. Animated videos are expressive and allow for greater communication. The style that they undertake is interactive and allows for more emotional connection with viewers than text or pictures. Adding life to your brand is thus an easy task and your story is more compelling to your audience.
One of the key improvements that animated videos have brought to social media marketing is the reusability of content. Videos can be modified, integrated into other videos, and have additional data for enhancement. This will make sure you can use them again in a different context later on.
Since 87% of businesses now use video as marketing too, animation has become a staple in the industry. Along with the ease of distribution, free social media platforms, and advanced techniques, and effective video can be created for your brand at a minimal cost.
Author Alison Adams
Alison is a content writer for Vidnado and has been writing for their department for two years. She is interested in web development, animation, graphic design and marketing. She likes to read in her free time and visit interesting new places.
