Video is crucial to any marketing campaign. With each day, more and more marketers are realizing that in order to have a well-rounded strategy, they need video.

According to an infographic from Syndacast, 52% of marketers from around the world reported that video content brings in the most return on investment. 93% of marketers utilize video for online marketing, communication, and sales. As long as video maintains its online momentum, that number will only continue to climb. It’s predicted that by 2017, 74% of all online traffic will be video. Wow.

Video is a great resource to draw in customers and establish yourself as a leader in your industry. You can do live action or animated. You can use Facebook video, YouTube, Periscope, Instagram, or Vine. You can make your videos long or short form. They can tell a story, teach viewers about a concept, or simply advertise your product in a compelling way. AND those videos can live on your Facebook page, Instagram feed, Periscope site, or YouTube channel. They can also be used to spice up a blog post or email newsletter.

One way to engage your viewers is to create a whiteboard video. This type of video (which usually involves a person using a whiteboard to illustrate and explain an idea) can take on many forms.

Let’s take a look at a few ways that you can make use of this unique marketing technique in your future campaigns.

Share Your Story

The typical company story or bio is usually a complete bore for anyone that doesn’t work there. It’s doubtful that anyone would get pumped about reading the entire life story of a manufacturing company in Nowhere Town, USA. But the good news is that the story of your business can be exciting even if your industry isn’t. Welcome to the magic of marketing!

So, why not replace that dull company back story with an exciting whiteboard video? We hear all the kids are doing it these days…

Plus, doing so will give you the chance to:

• Highlight your company’s history
• Introduce your founders
• Define what you do
• Solve your prospects’ problems

And when it comes time for sharing and promoting, you can…

• Post it directly on your website
• Feature it on your Facebook page
• Include it in your email signatures
• Set it as the main video for your YouTube homepage

Teach your viewers something new

Though it’s important to include written content in your campaigns, words can’t engage everyone. For visual learners, video is so much more effective. If you’re a B2B company, a team leader could teach fellow professionals in your niche about a new industry development or practice. If you’re running a B2C, try showcasing a new product or service and demonstrate how it works. To make your videos even more appealing, consider adding some stop-motion animation into the mix…

Incorporate Animation for a Thrill

When it comes to the style of your whiteboard video, there are two paths to choose from. The first is the professional, informational journey that simply showcases a person using the whiteboard to teach their audience something. This style of video is useful for when serious lessons are being taught, vital information is being shared, or for when you really want your audience to retain the material given. Some examples would be a quick online course, an explainer video, or even a look at budget.

The other path you can take when stylizing your whiteboard video is the animated journey. Don’t get worried; we aren’t suggesting you hire a room of cartoonists. This technique combines a teaching lesson, some quick sketching, and simple stop-animation.

What you need to animate

All you really need is a video camera (which you can also rent), a whiteboard, probably many colored markers (for artistic appeal), editing software, and plenty of patience. As long as you have a marketing team (or some savvy creatives in your midst), you can pull this off without hiring an entire video production team.

If your company has a story, why not tell it in a visually appealing way? It’ll draw a bigger crowd, bore less viewers, and it will show off your fun side. And in the business world, those are traits that are often overlooked: creativity and fun. Yet those are two things that often draw us in as viewers. So why not try grabbing your audience’s attention with innovative entertainment?

We recommend making a ‘Draw My Life’ video for your company. It’s an ongoing trend, it looks cool, and it’s fun to make. Check out ours here.

Invite an industry thought leader to give a presentation

Hopefully, if you’re in the B2B industry, you already know who the influencers in your niche are. Why not spotlight your authority in the industry by inviting one of those influencers to give a whiteboard video presentation?

Influencers are leaders, and leaders tend to have a massive and loyal group of followers. And because most influencers love an ego boost, they wouldn’t miss an opportunity to share some self-promotion with their fans. The situation is win-win for both parties. You’ll benefit from the new acquaintance with a celebrated leader; they’ll profit from gaining a new promotional platform and added exposure – thanks to you.

The Takeaway

If you put some production value into your whiteboard videos and distribute them to your target demographic, you will definitely see a real ROI. Keep in mind that you should, above all else, aim to provide your audience with fresh content, which will get them started in the marketing and sales funnels.

If you still aren’t convinced enough to jump on the whiteboard video train, maybe a little psychology lesson will do the trick. According to Sparkol.com, students and working professionals that view information via whiteboard video retain 15% more information than if they were just watching a talking head. They also state that ‘people learn better when something is fun’ but we have a feeling you already knew that.

Would you like some help creating your whiteboard videos? Marqana can assist you. Contact us today for more information.

Images courtesy of Marqana Digital and Shutterstock.