The Impact of Animation on Businesses

Will Dawson, Creative Director at Raw Pictures, considers how businesses can benefit by using animation

Smart Insights recently reported that 92% of marketers see video as an important part of their marketing strategy.

Animation is an incredibly powerful form of marketing. With the ability to tap into a wider audience due to the universally visual nature, animation can not only be used within a marketing campaign but to enthuse employees, connect with clients or simply improve brand reputation.
This article will highlight various types of animation and offer some insight into the powerful impact animated video can create.

What type of animation is right for my business?

Before any business begins an animation video campaign, businesses need to consider the type of animation they will use.

What Are Different Types of Animation?

• 2D Animation
• 3D Animation
• Hand drawn animation
• Digital 2D animation
• Infographics
• Kinetic Typography
• Motion Graphics
• Screen Capture Animation

What makes a great animation?

There is no set formula for success when it comes to great animation but business should always aim to create an animation that:

• Informs and entertains
• Forms a connection with the viewer
• Is of a suitable length
• Accurately portrays a business & its values
• Delivers a clear and impactful message
• Is memorable and original

Businesses need to remember that regardless of budget, style or length the final animation must encapsulate the business as a brand and convey a message that stays with the consumer. Businesses must work to build trust with the consumer. Humanising a brand can help forge this trust and animated video can see brands form a connection with the consumer through a short, sharp, emotive piece of content.

Do I have the budget for an animated video?

Animation can be a highly cost-effective solution when compared to real-time footage. If a business were to create a promotional video without animation the following would need to be considered:

• A film crew
• Various equipment
• Post-production costs
• A suitable location or set
• A shooting schedule
• Actors

The above would be a much higher cost than that of animated video. Video production companies will be able to discuss various options as well as offer a complete service including post-production.

How can animation support the promotion of your business?

Animated video allows a business to condense all the information they wish to share in a completely original format. Allowing for complete creative freedom, it can encapsulate a brand’s story and uniqueness by incorporating brand schemes, colours and ethos.
Animated video as a sharable format can be used for:

• Sharing brand stories
• Showing a demo of a product
• Sharing company/ customer insights
• Demonstrating a new product
• Introducing a webinar series
• Advertising a new event

Animations that are sharp, snappy and succinct are instantly more shareable, so brands need to be sure they consider this in the production process. There are many ways to promote your video and ensure its success which will determine whether the strategy is worthwhile pursuing for your business. This needs to be included in the process to make the time and effort spent creating the animation successful.

The benefits of using animation for employee engagement

Animation can not only be used in the capacity of consumer outreach but internally by businesses too. It is important to ensure employees remain enthused and onboard regarding any updates or change in direction concerning the business. Animation videos are a powerful tool that can be used to share an idea or initiative with employees to maintain morale and productivity.

• Forbes recently reported that highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability.
• Viewers retain 95% of a message they learn through video (Source: Wordstream), meaning a company will find their message resonates far more than through words alone.

As well as assisting in message retention, animation also gives businesses the opportunity to take a more personalised approach to team training and in-house practices. When time and care is put into employee engagement, employees are more likely to stay with a company because they feel valued.

Conclusion

Animated video can greatly impact a business’ marketing strategy, delivering key messages and increasing brand awareness in a format that is engaging, original and fun. When approached with the right story and impactful message, animation has the power to connect a business to their target audience and employees on a deeper, more personal level – all that’s needed is a great idea to bring it to life.