How familiar are you with the concept of video marketing? This type of marketing strategy has made a boom in the world of business by drastically improving companies’ ROI. Consumers no longer have an interest in learning about different products through reviews and guides. They prefer watching videos that have the same purpose of informing customers about products.
Whiteboard animation is the most prominent video style used in marketing. It involves a series of images telling a story, accompanied by a narrator and background music. The drawings are expected to guide the viewers through the scenes and communicate the audience’s desired message.
Whiteboard animations can be included on social media, websites, and email newsletters. These are powerful, memorable, and incredibly influential.
In case you are interested in creating whiteboard videos, follow the tips below.
Start with the script
The process of creating a whiteboard video should always start with writing a script. The script is of absolute importance for conveying the message you wish to send to the audience and determining the length of the video. To create a script, individuals should think about the objectives of their whiteboard animation.
For instance, you’re expected to determine your video’s audience is intended to entertain or persuade into taking a particular action. Make sure you decide on the action viewers should take once they finish watching your whiteboard video. The script is basically the story one is trying to tell to the audience, so it should have the structure of a story. Click here to check out five prompts for writing more creatively.
Stories tend to follow a universal structure, presenting a problem, in the beginning, followed by overcoming an obstacle and coming up with a resolution. Unless the story follows these particular steps, chances are it won’t be engaging for the audience. Remember that illustrations can never compensate for a low-quality script, regardless of how clever they are.
Moreover, the script’s focus should be placed on your target audience and the problems they deal with. The storyline shouldn’t revolve around your products’ features, as viewers will most likely get distracted while watching your whiteboard animation video.
When it comes to creating a video script, individuals are provided with a few alternatives, such as writing it independently, hiring a writer, or using copywriting software. The lowest-cost alternative is writing the script by yourself, provided your writing skills are decent. Make sure you look at the whiteboard animations of your competitors to get inspired during the brainstorming session.
If your writing skills aren’t good enough for creating a script or you’re intimidated by the process, you can hire a writer to create a video storyline on your behalf. Copywriters are experienced in writing video scripts that appeal to the audience and increase conversions. The price you’ll be charged for having a script was written will be determined by the copywriter’s experience and reputation.
The ultimate alternative involves using copywriting software, which creates a storyline after users provide answers to a couple of questions related to their brands. Based on the provided answers, the software uses a copywriting formula to create a script. This type of software is used to create video scripts and generate Facebook ad and email campaigns.
Continue with storyboarding
After finishing the script, the next step to take is storyboarding. Many whiteboard animation software programs, such as Doodly, allow individuals to create realistic whiteboard videos in minutes. Storyboarding refers to the task of sketching out videos, requiring individuals to create the scenes that comply with the words in the script. Although some people exclude storyboarding from creating whiteboard animations, it’s best to see whether the envisioned scenes correspond to the storyline.
When sketching, a maximum of four images is considered sufficient to represent a single sentence. It’s vital for the pictures not to be overly elaborate due to the amount of time necessary for the animation to show the hand’s movements. Instead of focusing on detail, make sure to visualize every sentence to the best of your abilities using simple icons and poses.
Furthermore, video pacing is crucial for the storyboarding task to be completed professionally. The images shouldn’t appear and disappear too quickly or slowly for the audience to follow the storyline without feeling rushed or bored.
As far as storyboard methods are concerned, you can either sketch the images by hand or use storyboarding software. The simplest storyboard method is to draw the ideas on a piece of paper with a pencil. Make sure to draw a square for each scene, sketch the images inside the square, and write the text under the scene.
A more sophisticated storyboarding method to try is using a storyboard software program. These programs enable users to develop quick illustrations, include voiceover dialogues, and specify how long certain scenes are supposed to last.
Record the script
Once storyboarding is completed, it’s time to continue the process by recording the script. Creating a unique voiceover is essential for making a successful whiteboard animation video. Individuals with limited budgets choose to record the script to save on the expenses for collaborating with a voice actor.
Nevertheless, not every person has a talent for a script reading, as the voice should be modulated in different ways for the story to sound appealing. The pitch and tone of voice incredibly important when recording a voiceover. Perhaps you’ll need to sign up for voice modulation training to acquire vocal attributes before you commence the recording process. Visit the following link, https://medium.com/@thejigsaw.in/voice-acting-tips-dos-and-don-ts-92a3fa3ae74c, for some useful voice acting tips.
If you aren’t confident in your voice-acting skills, hiring a voice actor is the right decision to make. These actors are trained and experienced in recording voiceovers that sound professional, thus generating many clicks. After recording the track, voice actors process it by removing background noise and breath. If necessary, they will re-record some of the sections to convey the required tone for the story.
Nevertheless, reputable voice actors tend to charge high fees for their services, between $100 and $250 per minute. Unless your budget can cover the cost of their services, you’ll have to think of another alternative.
Fortunately, individuals are provided with an alternative to using text-to-speech software to create voiceovers. The steps required for using such programs are straightforward, asking users to paste the text on the screen, choose a voice, and click a button to listen to how the text is pronounced with the chosen voice. Even though artificial voices don’t sound identical to human speech, most viewers are incapable of differentiating between human and artificially-generated voices.
Text-to-speech software programs enable users to choose from a vast assortment of voices until they find the most convenient one for their whiteboard animation videos. Before selecting the best one, you can test as many voices as you want. Some software programs even allow individuals to create voiceovers in languages other than English.
Make a choice of video background
When creating whiteboard videos, a whiteboard isn’t the only background style you can use in the process. There are multiple background styles, such as glassboards, blackboards, and custom styles. The whiteboard style is undeniably the most popular choice of background. It looks exactly like the whiteboards you can find in offices and schools.
In contrast, the blackboard background style is similar to traditional chalkboards used in schools. Videos using blackboards as background resemble a classroom lesson, as these are made to imitate the style of teachers writing on a chalkboard.
Moreover, glass boards are incredibly similar to whiteboards; only the former make the objects on the screen look transparent. Hence, the hand doesn’t cover the drawings but appears behind them. Also, individuals can opt for a custom background for their animated videos. It might be a particular color or image you wish to use. Additionally, you can either choose a marker or chalk to be your drawing tool.
Consider the video settings
The following task to deal with is adjusting the video settings to meet your expectations for the whiteboard animation. The first setting to consider is the hand style, which can be a real or cartoon hand. Whiteboard animation software allows users to choose between a left and right hand, a female or male hand, etc.
Also, these programs provide several scene settings, enabling users to select video transitions. For example, you are the one to decide whether the animation should finish when the video ends or to play until the audio ends. Also, you choose what happens between scenes by deciding if the hand should change the scenes or not be used at all.
Video resolution is another vital setting to consider when creating a whiteboard animation video. The provided resolution in most programs ranges between 480p and 1080p. Most individuals decide to use the resolution that functions the best on social media like Instagram and Facebook.
Add music
Adding a music track to your whiteboard animation is recommended for the story to sound even more attractive. After uploading the voiceover to the software, you’ll gain access to a music library. Make sure the music track you choose corresponds with the storyline so as not to ruin the effort you’ve invested in the video. The music volume should be sufficiently reduced for the viewers to hear the story without any obstructions.
Don’t forget the animation
The most existing part of making a whiteboard video is using animation to bring the script to life. Software programs come with thousands of characters of different professions, ethnicities, and ages. Consequently, users have no problem selecting the best images for their animations. The characters engage in various activities and express different emotions. Besides characters, users stand to gain from the endless number of props, which add texture to animations.
Make video timeline adjustments
After creating the scenes, look at the video timeline to make the necessary adjustments. Use the slider to change the scenes’ speed, as they need to comply with the voiceover. The images should always correspond to the voices viewers hear. Make sure to preview the animation before exporting it to your computer. You can preview the entire animation at once or scene by scene.
Final thoughts
Video marketing is the future of advertising.
Animations are effective in attracting target audiences, especially when coming up with engaging stories.
Whiteboard videos are your chance for success!