Increasing Mobile App Downloads with SaaS Explainer Videos
With the attention span of potential leads getting shorter, the previously used text-only approach to advertising does not work anymore. Explainer videos help in the brand discovery and engaging attention for customer acquisition.
Their advantage is that they work on different types of devices and multiple platforms and help in not just explaining the benefits of your SaaS, but also in establishing the brand’s image and authority.
“According to Internet Retailer, up to 85% of people are more likely to buy a product if they first saw an explainer video. This helped Rypple (who recently sold to SalesForce) increase conversion rates by 20%. CrazyEgg added an explainer video to their homepage and increased conversion rates by 64%!”
Critical in increasing awareness and product sign-ups, and converting users to loyal customers, these videos are what grab the attention of the potential lead and keep a customer going.
A good explainer video is one of the most essential pieces in your SaaS marketing kit as it not just successfully gives the potential user a tour of the SaaS and in many cases the UI, it subtly informs the user on the non-highlighted aspects like affordability, relevance, and usefulness, prodding the client into making a decision according to his needs and taking action sooner.
In later stages the explainer video also demonstrates upgrades on the product, how to use previously launched products, or even answer frequently experienced problems, thereby severely shrinking the churn rate.
It is especially important in the Awareness and Consideration stages of the Marketing Funnel as it helps in announcing the presence of the SaaS to the world, attracting new leads, and making them consider and convert.
Here is a video to give you insight into the types of Explainer Videos
Putting an explainer video on the website significantly decreases the bounce rate of a potential lead. It eliminates any challenges that the viewer’s mind has in grasping the content of the homepage on your website.
Video quickly explains the SaaS in an uncomplex manner and also highlights the benefits that it will provide. This nudges the viewers to make a quick and informed decision to try out the SaaS.
With most of the population constantly on social media networks putting up an explainer on these platforms is the best bet for your SaaS. Channels like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. help in the voluminous growth of the brand as it puts the SaaS right in front of the potential customers helping in generating awareness and from think conversions.
Every brand faces the challenge of immediately converting a potential that stumbles upon their product. Companies that take details of interested leads can later leverage this knowledge by reminding these leads of their SaaS by sending periodically scheduled emails and newsletters to them.
While reading a text-only email can be boring, attaching explainer videos to newsletters and emails exponentially increases the email open rate. It has been seen that videos increase the CTR of emails and help in interacting and communicating with potential customers and helping in acquiring them.
Explainer videos on landing pages help in reducing the decision-making time of a potential customer. As the viewer watches in the video how the SaaS will solve their problems- that too being explained in an engaging, visual manner, their urgency to act on the CTA of the video and immediately sign up for trial increases resulting in conversion.
Nothing establishes credibility like social proof highlighting the positive feedback of a SaaS, and clippings of the working of the product in between are even cleverer. Testimonials and case studies help in establishing a human connection with potential leads and provoke trust in the brand.
Including small sections of explainer videos to explain the features and benefits of the UI in between testimonials containing people talking about your SaaS can help in explaining your product in an even better way while also providing transparency and authenticity.
The best strategy to achieve customer success is by demonstrating that you care about their questions and doubts. Addressing customer problems helps in creating satisfaction and therefore invoking loyalty for your brand.
Explainer videos effectively help in supporting customers, making them aware of the features of a SaaS, and empowering them with knowledge on the UI and its benefits, thereby strengthening the customer base and its relationship with the brand.
The most efficient and trending way of increasing awareness and poking leads to consideration and eventual conversion are paid advertisements.
Informative and engaging explainer videos have proven to be a successful strategy in attracting customers and displaying the benefits of the SaaS directly in front of them as if on a platter. Explainer videos have shown a positive impact on the ROI as they push the leads to purchase the product or service.
Click here to gain insight on how much a B2B SaaS explainer video can cost
| Platform | Performance statistics | Facts | Tips |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | YouTube Press recently proclaimed that viewers watch one billion hours of videos on YouTube daily |
- Maximum time limit of videos is upto 12 hours long but it is advisable to stick to 30 min or less - Standard aspect ratio for YouTube on a computer is 16:9 |
- Upload video as a feature trailer on your YouTube channel so it’s the first thing people see - Have a CTA at the end of your videos to direct traffic to landing page - Focus on optimizing the thumbnail for more traffic |
| According to 99 Firms, more than 4 billion video views take place on Facebook every day |
- Max of 240 minutes video with 10GB only - Videos will autoplay without sound in the newsfeed - Aspect ratios: video with square (1:1) or vertical (4:5, 9:16 and 16:9) |
- Upload native content to reduce Bounce Rate - Optimize the visuals and add subtitles as the videos play on mute |
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| There are over 2 billion video views on Twitter each day |
- Recommended size: 1:1 ratio (1200 x 1200 pixels) - Can create clips up to 140 seconds in length |
- Add hashtags to reach more people - Gives a higher chance of making your video stand out because it is a text-based platform - Work on making the captions the captivating |
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| An ad on LinkedIn can reach 13% of the world’s population according to a study by Hootsuite |
- Maximum length is 10 minutes - Width and height: 1080 pixels x 1920 pixels - Maximum file size is 5GB - Aspect ratio: 9:16 |
- Most users are professionals so design content accordingly - Vertical videos will look square on the newsfeed |
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| Tiktok | Despite Youtube, Facebook, and LinkedIn being the top performers for marketing using video, 15 percent marketers intend to invest in TikTok ads |
- Maximum length is up to three minutes in length compared with the previous 60 seconds - Video dimensions must be 1080×1920 - Standard TikTok aspect ratio is 9:16 |
- Use compelling captions - Longer videos up to 60 seconds must be four 15-second clips recorded natively on the app for better engagement |
| 83% of consumers have said that they discovered new products and services through Instagram |
- 60-second time limit on the Instagram feed video - 15-second time limit on the Instagram stories video - Instagram mutes your video, so use visual effects, text and cues |
- Downsize to key information about benefits of your SaaS - Use the IG Loop to continually play your videos until the users scroll down, to keep viewers engaged - Put most important information first in case viewers don’t watch on IG TV, they have heard what matters - Put relevant hashtags |
Read More: The Best 14 Agencies for B2B Saas Explainer Videos
| Steps | Things to cover | Tips | Software to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Script |
1. Quick overview of your product 2. Introduce the problem 3. Answer the problem with your SaaS 4. Call to action 5. Broadcast your well-known clients |
1. Keep it brief 2. First 30 seconds- key message and value proposition 3. Speak in 2nd person 4. Keep the language simple 5. Add humor if possible |
- Final Draft - Celtx - Writer Duet - Trelby - Google Docs |
| Voiceover |
1. Take time to study the script 2. Clarity is essential- pronounce every word correctly 3. Understand what language and accent would work 4. Make sure the emotions in the voice resonate with your brand’s voice |
1. Hire an artist 2. For self recording, rent out a soundproof studio 3. Don’t compromise on sound quality 4. Keep copies of the recordings |
(Hire on) - Voices - Craigslist - Fiverr |
| Storyboarding |
1. Draw out the frame by frame breakdown of the entire script 2. Tally the storyboard with the and voice over 3. Do multiple revisions 4. Cut out filler content |
1. Analyze whether or not your visual styles and story resonate with your brand's mission and objectives 2. Keep the color scheme of the brand in mind 3. Get feedback on the drafts 4. Work on reducing the length |
- Plot - Artemis Pro - Studiobinder - Astropad Standard - make Storyboard - PanelForge |
| Music & sound effects |
1. Understand what type of music would work for the video and demographic 2. Keep a few back up, royalty free options 3. Experiment with A/B testing |
1. Don’t overdo the sound effects 2. Make sure the music doesn’t overpower the voice over 3. Check the sound file’s licensing agreement before hand Keep a few back up, royalty free options |
- MusOpen - Free Sound - YouTube - Audio Jungle - Audacity |
| Production |
1. Study multiple tutorials of the software you zero down on to get best results 2. Great resources for advancing your knowledge of video production - Lynda - Udemy - Ripple Training - Larry Jordan - Premiere Gal Media - Inside the Edit 3. Edit mercilessly |
1. Can outsource to a video agency for a more professional result- Content Beta, Demo Duck, Wyzowl, LessFilms, Flikli, Explainly, Studio Pigeon 2. Get feedback from a beta group |
- Animatron - Adobe After Effects - Go Animate - Biteable - Videoscribe - RawShorts - Renderforest - Powtoon |
| Marketing |
1. Draw up a budget for investment 2. Hire a marketing strategist if possible 3. Analyze channels of maximum lead influx for better ROI on advertisements |
1. Use SEO to generate more leads 2. Keep testing the performance 3. Offer free trials and make sign-ups easy for more conversions 4. Optimize your videos and target for each channel |
- Put up on landing pages - Include in emails - Include on website Ads on social media platforms |
| Analytics |
1. Measure video engagement regularly 2. Tweak it to understand what works 3. Try multivariate testing |
Note down the data in Excel sheets to improve engagement |
- Wistia - Google Analytics - YouTube Insight |
Click here to learn how to create a highly effective B2B Explainer Video
Explainer videos help in skyrocketing conversion rates and bettering the ranking of your brand on Google’s search results. They are easily shareable, have a high ROI, and help you make the perfect pitch for SaaS every single time. They are therefore a non-expendable sales and marketing resource for any brand.
Explainer videos give SaaS companies a chance to control the narrative of how their product is understood and perceived. Explainer videos help in decomplexifying the UI of the software, thereby enabling more customers to relate and understand the product. This leads to increased awareness and interest in the product and therefore increases the number of sign-ups.
Explainer videos help in giving a very informative presentation of not the product but also the business. It helps in highlighting the story of the brand, its goal with the product, the problem points that they are trying to solve and even the work culture of the company.
Explainer videos can help B2B Saas companies in gaining customers in multiple ways. Please videos combine the effect of audio and visual stimulus to engage with the audience. Explainer videos help in establishing faith in the customers by providing a window of clarity through which the prospective users can understand that the product actually works and its features will help in solving their problems.
Most B2B Saas companies put out explainer videos on their website as that is the first place a marketing qualified lead reaches out to, to understand the product. Such videos are circulated in ads on various social media platforms to create awareness around the product and engage for a wider audience for it. Some companies also create YouTube channels and upload videos that help in solving queries and doubts on how to use the product for maximum benefit. Explainer videos are also circulated and used as a means to communicate with prospective leads and acquired customers.
