How to Commission an Explainer Video: Engaging Storytelling for UK Businesses

Defining the Purpose and Audience

Before you commission your explainer video, get clear on your business objective and know exactly who you want to watch it. These two points will shape every creative decision, from the first draft of your script to the last animation tweak.

Clarifying Your Explainer Video Goals

Your explainer video should tackle a real business problem. Don’t just get one because everyone else does.

Figure out what you want to achieve. Maybe you want to:

• Increase conversion rates on your landing or product pages
• Build brand awareness for something new or a business that’s not well known
• Make complicated products simple for people who feel lost
• Train staff on how to do things safely or efficiently
• Help your sales team with more engaging materials

Each aim needs its own message and length. If you want conversions on your website, keep the video short—about 60 to 90 seconds—and push viewers towards one clear action. Training videos can be longer since people are already committed to watching.

At Educational Voice, we ask clients to set out what success looks like before we start. If you want to see a 20% bump in conversions, we’ll build the call to action around that. Need 80% of your staff to complete safety training? We’ll add in knowledge checks.

“Your explainer video goal has to be measurable and linked to a business outcome, not just ‘raise awareness’ or ‘look professional,’” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice.

Identifying Target Audience and Challenges

Your target audience decides everything: the words you use, the visuals, the tone. A video for Gen Z gamers? Totally different approach than one for procurement managers in engineering.

Ask yourself:

• What problem keeps them up at night?
• What words do they use to talk about it?
• Where do they actually watch videos—LinkedIn, your site, trade shows?
• How much do they already know about your topic?

Write down their real pain points. If you’re aiming at Belfast retail businesses struggling with staff, your video should talk about recruitment and keeping good people. Vague talk about ‘business solutions’ just doesn’t cut it.

Think about how long they’ll watch. Decision-makers scrolling LinkedIn might give you half a minute. Someone coming in from a targeted email might stick around for longer.

We worked with a Northern Ireland SaaS company that wanted to reach construction project managers. Their audience needed proof the software would save time with site paperwork. So, we focused the visual storytelling on real-life scenes: muddy building sites, missing forms, looming deadlines.

Aligning the Video With Brand Identity

Your explainer video should fit your brand’s look and feel, but still make your message easy for new people to get.

Get these brand bits together before you brief your animation studio:

Brand Element	What to Provide
Visual identity	Logo files, colour palette (hex codes), typography guidelines
Tone of voice	Examples of your writing, words that describe your brand personality
Existing content	Website, brochures, any previous videos

Your animation style needs to match your brand. Playful, character-led videos suit brands trying to build awareness with consumers. Clean motion graphics fit professional services where you want to show credibility.

Don’t expect your studio to hunt down your brand guidelines. Send over a full asset pack at the start, or you’ll end up with more revisions than you’d like.

At Educational Voice, we look at how UK and Irish clients talk to their audience before we suggest animation styles. If your brand voice is warm and chatty, stiff corporate narration will feel out of place. If you want to look cutting-edge, we might throw in some 3D alongside 2D animation.

Decide early if you’ll need a series of explainer videos. Using the same visual style across several videos helps people recognise your brand and builds trust with repeat viewers.

Choosing the Right Explainer Video Type

The format you choose changes how your message lands. Each style works best for different business goals. Animated explainer videos are great for tricky concepts, live-action builds trust with real faces, and screencasts show off software clearly.

Animated Explainer Videos: 2D, 3D and Motion Graphics

Animated video lets you control every part of your story. You’re not stuck with locations or actors.

2D animation is still the go-to for explainer videos across Belfast and the UK. It’s affordable, flexible, and works for nearly any sector. At Educational Voice, we’ve made 2D animated explainers for tech startups and charities alike. This style is perfect if you want clear, friendly storytelling without too much fuss.

3D animation adds depth and a sense of realism. It’s brilliant for showing products from every angle—think machinery, medical devices, or even building walkthroughs. Production takes longer, usually 8-12 weeks, and costs more than 2D, but the visuals can make a real difference for technical B2B audiences.

Motion graphics bring text, icons, and graphics to life instead of characters. It’s great for sharing data, statistics, or step-by-step processes. Financial services and corporate training videos get a lot from this style because it keeps people focused on the info, not the story.

Live-Action Explainer Videos

Live-action explainer videos put real people in front of the camera. This can build trust fast, as viewers see actual humans, not just drawings.

Pick this format if personal connection matters most. Healthcare, education, and professional services in Northern Ireland often go for live-action to show their expertise feels genuine. A consultant talking directly to camera just feels more credible sometimes.

The catch? Production gets more complicated. You’ll need locations, lighting, sound gear, and probably more than one day to film. The weather can mess with outdoor shoots. If you want big changes after filming, you might need to reshoot, which isn’t cheap.

Animation versus live action is worth thinking about. Live-action shines when personality matters and you’re selling expertise. It’s not great for abstract ideas or processes that need visual metaphors.

Plan for 4-6 weeks from idea to delivery, as long as you’re not travelling or doing anything too fancy.

Screencast and Screen Recording Videos

Screencast videos show exactly what’s happening on your computer screen. They’re the best pick for software tutorials, platform demos, or how-to guides.

A screencast explainer walks users through every click, showing where features live and how things work. SaaS companies love this style because it takes the guesswork out of onboarding. You can record a screencast in just a few hours, so it’s handy when you need training content fast or want to update it as your product changes.

Even simple screen recordings need to look and sound good. Add voiceover, highlight the cursor, and zoom in on important bits. Basic screencasts can feel a bit amateur, but if you add motion design, you’ll get a polished training video.

The downside? Screencasts aren’t very eye-catching. They work for people already interested in your product, but probably won’t grab attention on social media.

Mix in short animated sections to keep things interesting but still easy to update.

Commissioning an Explainer Video: Initial Steps

Start with a clear budget and pick the right production partner. These first choices will set the tone for your explainer video project and affect the end result.

Setting a Realistic Budget

Your budget decides what kind of explainer video you can get and which production partners you can work with. A basic 60-second animated explainer in the UK usually starts at £3,000 to £5,000. If you want custom illustration or detailed motion graphics, it can go up to £8,000, £15,000, or even higher.

Several things affect the price. The script, animation style (2D or 3D), video length, and how many times you want to revise all make a difference. Custom characters cost more than using templates. Professional voiceover, sound, and music also add to the bill.

“When businesses come to us with a budget under £4,000, I’m honest about what’s possible in that range and still delivers value,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice. “It’s much better to make a shorter, high-quality video than stretch your resources on something longer that just doesn’t work.”

Before you look at animation service costs, think about where you’ll use the video. Social media videos might need different specs than something for your website. Knowing the real cost of animation helps you split your budget between script, production, and revisions.

Researching Agencies and Freelancers

Finding the right explainer video maker means checking out portfolios, client reviews, and how they work. Look for studios that specialise in your industry or have done similar work before. A Belfast-based studio that works with UK businesses might just get the local market better than someone overseas.

Go through each candidate’s portfolio for style and storytelling. Watch a few videos to get a feel for their range. Do they explain tricky topics clearly? Does the pacing feel right? Are the visuals interesting but not distracting?

Check client testimonials and case studies. Real results matter more than shiny awards. Look for things like higher conversion rates or better understanding of products. Studios that share project breakdowns show they’re open about their process.

Pay attention to how they work. At Educational Voice, we have a clear process from first idea to final delivery. This means script approval, storyboards, and animation previews at each stage. Studios that communicate timelines and revision rules clearly help avoid headaches later.

If you want in-person meetings, local studios in Northern Ireland make that easier. That said, lots of video production companies work perfectly well with remote clients across Ireland and the UK using video calls and online tools.

Requesting and Comparing Proposals

Ask for detailed proposals from at least three partners. Share your project brief—include your goals, audience, key messages, preferred length, and timeline. The more detail you give, the better their quotes will be.

A good proposal should cover:

• Project scope – What you get for the price
• Timeline – When each step happens
• Revision policy – How many changes you can make
• Deliverables – What files you’ll receive
• Rights and usage – Who owns the finished video
• Payment schedule – Deposit and milestone payments

Don’t just pick the cheapest. The lowest price often means stock graphics or rushed work. Look at what you actually get for your money. Does the proposal link back to your business goals?

Ask about their process. How do they handle feedback? What if you need changes after it’s finished? Can they make different versions for different platforms? Knowing animation pricing in the UK helps you spot quotes that are too good to be true.

Set up calls with your top picks. How they communicate now probably shows how they’ll handle your project later. Trust your gut—pick the explainer video maker who gets your vision and can deliver results that help your marketing.

Scriptwriting and Storytelling for Impact

A well-written explainer video script turns complicated ideas into stories that make sense and drive action. The best scripts mix emotion with practical info and lead viewers to do something specific.

Creating a Compelling Narrative Arc

Your explainer video script needs a clear beginning, middle, and end. You want to keep viewers interested from start to finish.

Grab attention in the first five seconds. Show viewers why your message matters in their world.

At Educational Voice, we use a three-act structure for scripts. The first act introduces a relatable challenge, the second shows your solution in action, and the third reveals the change and encourages action.

Key elements of strong narrative structure:

• Opening hook: Start with a question, a surprising fact, or a relatable scenario.
• Character focus: Put your customer at the centre, not your product.
• Clear progression: Let each sentence flow naturally from the last.
• Emotional connection: Tie facts to feelings that matter to your audience.

“When we develop scripts for Belfast-based businesses, we always anchor the narrative in real customer experiences rather than product features,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice. “This shift from ‘what we do’ to ‘what changes for you’ often makes the difference between a video people forget and one that drives conversions.”

A 60-second animation usually fits 140-160 words of scriptwriting. That word limit pushes you to keep things clear and precise.

Highlighting the Problem and Solution

You need to spell out the problem your audience faces before you introduce your solution. This approach matches how people process information and makes your offering feel like the obvious answer.

Try to spend about 30% of your script focusing on the problem. Make it specific and relatable. Instead of “businesses struggle with marketing,” say “you’re spending hours creating social content that barely reaches your target customers.”

Let your solution flow naturally from the problem. Avoid jargon and technical words that create distance. Use everyday language your audience already knows.

We often see scripts from Northern Ireland clients that jump straight into features. That rarely works. Your viewers want to feel understood before they care about your solution. Paint a picture of their current frustration, then show how things improve with your approach.

Link benefits directly to the problems you’ve pointed out. If wasted time is the issue, talk about saving time. If confusion is the pain point, focus on clarity and simplicity.

Writing Effective Calls to Action

Every explainer video needs a clear call to action (CTA). Tell viewers exactly what to do next, both in the script and on screen.

Strong CTAs use specific, action-focused language. Swap vague phrases like “learn more” for “download your free template” or “book your strategy session today.”

Effective CTA characteristics:

• Uses active verbs (start, discover, join, get)
• Builds urgency without pressure
• Makes the next step easy
• Matches where the viewer is in their journey

At Educational Voice, we put the main call to action in the last 10 seconds of the script. We also reinforce it visually in the closing scene.

For UK businesses, we’ve noticed that offering a low-commitment first step, like a free resource or consultation, gets a better response than asking for a purchase right away.

Your CTA should fit the viewer’s stage. If your animation aims for awareness, ask for an email signup. If conversion is the goal, direct viewers to buy or contact your team. Test if your CTA feels like a natural next step. If it seems out of place, adjust your narrative or your ask.

Planning Visual Style and Branding Elements

Your visual style sets the mood for how people connect with your message. Your branding makes the video feel like part of your business. The choices you make about animation approach, colour palette, and graphics shape how viewers recognise and trust you.

Maintaining Brand Consistency

Your explainer video should reflect your brand identity by sticking to your logos, colour schemes, fonts, and visual tone. When you get a video made, hand your animation studio your brand guidelines, including hex codes and any fonts you use in your marketing.

Keeping visuals consistent in your explainer videos helps people recognise your brand instantly. Let your brand’s personality come through in every frame.

If your company uses a playful tone on social media, match that energy in your animation style.

At Educational Voice, we create brand style guides for clients in Belfast and Northern Ireland who don’t have formal documentation yet. This way, every visual element lines up with your business values and marketing.

Plan your logo placement early. Decide if it appears at the start, end, or as a subtle watermark throughout. Make sure your call-to-action uses your brand colours and fonts to create a smooth journey from video to website.

Choosing Animation or Filming Styles

Animation gives you more creative freedom than live-action filming, especially for abstract concepts or technical content. You need to pick between 2D animation, 3D animation, whiteboard animation, motion graphics, or live-action based on your budget, timeline, and message.

2D animation works well for most business explainer videos. It’s affordable and quick to produce. Knowing the differences between 2D and 3D animation helps you decide what fits best.

“When clients in the UK approach us unsure about style, we assess their product complexity and target audience first, then recommend the animation approach that will communicate most clearly within their budget,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice.

3D animation works for products that need depth and realistic textures. Whiteboard animation gives an educational vibe, which suits training content. Think about your audience and what your industry expects before you choose.

Sourcing Assets and Illustrations

Your animation studio can create custom illustrations from scratch or adapt assets you already have. Custom artwork gives originality but takes more time and budget. Using stock elements or tweaking your current graphics saves time and money.

Give your studio high-resolution versions of any logos, product images, or illustrations you want to include. Vector files are best because they scale without losing quality.

Share photography, past marketing materials, and competitor videos you like to guide the visual direction.

Stock footage libraries offer ready-made graphics and animations that can lower costs, though you lose some uniqueness. Many studios mix custom character design with stock backgrounds to balance budget and originality.

Plan for several rounds of revisions during the illustration phase. Review character designs, colour choices, and graphic styles before animation starts. Changes get expensive once things are moving. Getting approval now saves trouble later.

Selecting the Right Production Tools

Professional animation studios use industry-standard software to deliver explainer videos that meet brand guidelines and tight deadlines. The right mix of animation and editing tools makes your video look polished.

Popular Animation Software

When you order an explainer video, knowing which animation software your studio uses gives you a sense of the quality you’ll get. Adobe After Effects stands out as the top choice for creating advanced animations and visual effects. It lets you build detailed motion graphics and bring tricky ideas to life.

At Educational Voice, we use Adobe After Effects for most client projects. It gives us the control and flexibility that UK businesses expect. We can create custom character animations, blend in your brand elements, and produce the smooth transitions that hold viewers’ attention.

Other studios might use Vyond or Animaker, which offer template-based, drag-and-drop solutions. These work for simple projects, but they often can’t customise much. Template-based animations can look generic, which isn’t great if you’re investing in professional video content.

If you’re a business in Belfast or Northern Ireland, ask your animation studio what tools they use. Studios using professional-grade software usually deliver videos that hold up well and perform better online.

Video Editing Solutions

The post-production phase decides if your explainer video feels smooth or a bit jumbled. Professional video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve provide the tools for cutting, trimming, and refining footage so your video meets broadcast standards.

“When we get client feedback during revisions, Adobe Premiere Pro lets us tweak timing and pacing without ruining the animation quality,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice.

These editing platforms support different file types and offer advanced features like colour correction and audio tweaks. For example, when we delivered a recent explainer video for an Ireland-based financial services firm, we used Adobe Premiere Pro to balance the voiceover and background music, keeping every word clear and the mood just right.

The editing software your studio uses affects how quickly you get revisions. Professional tools let editors work non-destructively, so changes don’t mean re-doing whole sections. This saves time and money for your business.

Before you commission your explainer video, check that your chosen studio uses professional editing software. Ask to see examples of their colour grading and audio mixing.

Production Process: Bringing the Video to Life

Once you approve the script and storyboard, your explainer video moves into production. This is where animation or filming happens, voices get recorded, and everything comes together.

Coordinating Animation or Filming

Production starts with creating the visuals, whether that’s animation, motion graphics, or live footage. For animation workflow projects, we begin by designing style frames and key assets based on the storyboard. These assets include characters, backgrounds, icons, and branded elements.

Video production work varies by style. A 2D animated explainer might take 3-4 weeks to animate, while motion graphics can move faster if the shapes and transitions are simple. We build each scene in the storyboard’s order, making sure ideas flow smoothly.

At Educational Voice, we check in regularly during this phase so you can see progress. For a Belfast-based fintech client, we shared weekly animation drafts showing finished sections. This kept everyone on the same page without slowing things down.

The animator or production team handles the technical details, like timing each scene to match the script, using your brand colours throughout, and keeping the animation style consistent. This careful approach during video editing stops jarring style shifts that can distract viewers.

Integrating Voice-Over and Music

Professional voice-over and sound design start once the animation draft is ready. We record the voice talent reading your script in a sound studio, capturing a few takes to get the right tone and pace.

We sync the voice-over to the animation so visuals match the narration. If your explainer mentions “three key features,” we’ll time the animation to show those features as the narrator speaks. This makes the video feel polished and professional.

Background music and sound effects come next. Music sets the mood—upbeat, calm, or something in between. Sound effects, like a soft whoosh or a notification ping, add depth without stealing the spotlight.

“The right voice and music can boost viewer retention by 30% because people stay engaged with both audio and visuals,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice.

We mix all the audio to balance the voice with the music, making sure your message stays clear and energetic.

Incorporating Feedback and Revisions

Most production agreements include two or three revision rounds in the timeline and budget. When you review the first animated draft with voice-over, you can ask for changes to timing, visuals, or specific animated elements.

Effective feedback works best when you point to exact timestamps and give clear descriptions. Instead of saying, “make it more engaging,” you might say, “at 0:32, can the graph animate upward more quickly?” That way, animators know exactly what you want and don’t have to guess.

We gather all stakeholder feedback at once to avoid conflicting edits. In our Northern Ireland studio, we use shared review platforms so your team can leave timestamped comments directly on the video.

This approach speeds up communication and helps approvals move faster.

Minor tweaks like colour changes or timing adjustments happen quickly. If you want to redo an entire scene or change the voice-over, that can extend the timeline or add costs if it goes beyond what we agreed at the start.

Once you give final approval, we start the delivery phase. We export the video in the formats and resolutions you need for different platforms.

If you need landscape for websites, square for Instagram, or vertical for TikTok, please let us know upfront. That way, we can edit each version properly during the final video editing stage.

Editing and Finalising Your Explainer Video

The editing phase turns your raw animation files into a polished professional video that grabs attention and gets your message across. Getting the pacing right and picking the right transitions can make the difference between viewers sticking around or clicking away.

Ensuring Flow and Pacing

Your video should move at a pace your audience can follow, without feeling rushed or slow. Most studios aim for 150 words per minute in the script, which usually means a 60 to 90 second explainer video.

When editing with tools like Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, or DaVinci Resolve, match visual changes to the voiceover rhythm. Each scene needs to support the narration at that moment.

At Educational Voice, we test different timings with Belfast clients to find the right balance. For a recent Northern Ireland fintech project, we slowed down a complex demo by three seconds. That small change made a big difference in viewer comprehension.

Watch out for dead air when nothing changes on screen. These gaps can kill momentum.

Your editor should fill pauses with subtle motion graphics or background animations to keep things moving.

Adding Transitions and Effects

Transitions should guide viewers between ideas without becoming distracting. Simple cuts work best for most business explainer videos. Subtle fades can signal a topic change.

Motion graphics add polish when you use them sparingly. A logo reveal at the end or animated data points can highlight key messages. Too many effects, though, just distract from your content and look a bit amateur.

“The temptation is to use every transition available in your video editing software, but restraint creates professionalism,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice.

“We stick to two or three transition types per project so the visuals stay consistent.”

During your final review, check if every effect has a purpose. Does that swipe transition help people understand a change in location? Does the zoom highlight something important? If not, cut it.

Test your finished video with someone who doesn’t know your business. Do they find the pacing natural? Does the message come through clearly?

Optimising for Audience Retention and Conversions

Your explainer video needs to grab attention in the first few seconds and guide viewers to take action. How long your video is, and what engagement techniques you use, both affect how many people watch to the end and how many actually convert.

Crafting Short-Form Content

Keeping your explainer video between 60 and 90 seconds gives you the best chance of holding your audience’s attention while still delivering your main message. Data shows 73% of users have bought a product after watching an explainer video, but only if they stick around long enough to get the value.

The first eight seconds really matter. You need to address your viewer’s specific pain point straight away or you risk losing almost 40% of your audience.

At Educational Voice in Belfast, we structure scripts to deliver the hook, the problem, and a quick solution preview within the first 15 seconds. This method has helped our clients in Northern Ireland and across the UK reach watch-through rates above 70%.

Try this structure for your video:

• Problem identification (5-8 seconds)
• Solution introduction (10-15 seconds)
• How it works (25-35 seconds)
• Call to action (5-10 seconds)

Short-form video works better because it respects your audience’s time and focuses on just one message.

Maximising Viewer Engagement

Your explainer needs to mix visual interest with an emotional connection to drive conversions. Explainer videos with real storytelling and emotional framing get better conversion results than generic marketing content.

“Your animation should answer the viewer’s question ‘why does this matter to me’ within the first 15 seconds, or you’ve already lost the conversion opportunity,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice.

Try these engagement techniques:

• Dynamic pacing: Change scenes every 3-4 seconds to keep things lively
• Relatable characters: Show people or situations your audience recognises
• Clear visual hierarchy: Guide the viewer’s eye to the most important info
• Strategic pauses: Let key messages settle before moving on

We’ve noticed that adding a human voiceover boosts engagement by making the video feel more personal. Background music should set the mood but never overpower your message.

Your call to action should be specific and easy to spot. Instead of “learn more,” say “start your free trial” or “book a demo.” Put it in the script and on screen during the last five seconds to get the best conversion rate.

Hosting, Distribution, and Video SEO

Your explainer video needs proper hosting and smart distribution to reach your audience and drive results. Search optimisation and multi-channel promotion can decide whether your investment pays off or just sits on a server.

Choosing a Video Hosting Platform

Your hosting choice affects loading speed, viewer experience, and what analytics you get. Wix, Vimeo Pro, and YouTube all serve different business needs.

YouTube gives you the broadest reach since it’s the second-largest search engine in the world. It’s free and helps new viewers find you through suggested videos. You will see competitor ads and distractions, though.

Vimeo Pro offers ad-free viewing, customisable players, and stronger privacy controls. You can embed videos on your site and keep your brand consistent. The platform costs £15-60 a month, but you get professional presentation without algorithms interfering.

Wix and similar website builders include basic video hosting, but often lack advanced analytics. For Belfast businesses serving local markets, these work fine for website embeds. For wider UK distribution, dedicated platforms work better.

Professional video hosting platforms let you track engagement, customise your player, and control where your content appears. At Educational Voice, we recommend clients match hosting to their distribution strategy, not just pick the free option and lose control.

Best Practices for Video SEO

Video SEO starts with keyword research before you upload your explainer. Tools like Google Keyword Planner show you what your Northern Ireland or UK audience actually searches for.

Your title needs your main keyword and still has to catch the eye. “How Manufacturing Software Reduces Costs” works better than a generic “Our Product Explained.” Write detailed descriptions of 200-300 words and use relevant keywords naturally.

Add transcripts or captions to every video. Search engines can’t watch videos, but they do index text. Transcripts help accessibility and boost SEO at the same time. Schema markup tells search engines your content type, duration, and thumbnail.

“Your video title and first 48 hours of engagement signal to YouTube whether your content deserves promotion,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice.

We advise clients to coordinate internal sharing and email promotion during launch week to build momentum.

Create custom thumbnails with clear images and minimal text. Video SEO optimisation takes attention to metadata, tags, and viewer retention. Your first 15 seconds decide whether people stick around.

Promoting Across Digital Channels

Your explainer video should appear everywhere your customers research and make decisions. Email marketing, social media, and paid ads all play a part in effective video marketing campaigns.

Embed your video on your homepage and key product pages. Landing pages with explainer videos convert 20% higher than those with text alone. Place videos above the fold so visitors see them straight away.

Email campaigns work better with video thumbnails and a play button. Don’t embed the actual video file, as it makes emails too big. Link to the hosted version instead. Subject lines mentioning “video” can bump open rates by 6-8%.

LinkedIn works well for B2B companies in Ireland and the UK. Share your video natively instead of posting YouTube links. Native uploads autoplay in feeds and get more engagement. Aim to post during business hours, Tuesday to Thursday, for best results.

Cut your explainer into 15-30 second clips for Instagram Reels and TikTok. Each platform wants a different aspect ratio and vibe. One 90-second explainer can give you 8-10 social clips if you plan ahead.

Paid promotion helps when organic reach slows down. YouTube pre-roll ads and LinkedIn sponsored content let you target job titles, company sizes, or industries. Start with a £300-500 monthly budget and adjust based on cost per lead.

Measuring Success and Iterating

Tracking the right metrics shows you if your explainer video meets its goals. Feedback from real viewers guides your next project.

Analysing Performance Metrics

Your explainer video’s stats reveal if it delivers real business value. Start by tracking views to see your reach, but look more closely at engagement metrics like watch time, likes, shares, and comments to see how well your content connects.

Conversion rate matters most. This tells you how many viewers took your desired action, whether that’s filling out a form, making a purchase, or booking a call.

At Educational Voice, we’ve seen Belfast clients reach conversion rates between 15% and 30% when their explainer videos have clear calls-to-action and match their landing page messaging.

Track these key performance indicators for explainer videos using your video hosting platform’s analytics and Google Analytics:

• View count – total number of plays
• Engagement rate – percentage who watched beyond 25%, 50%, 75%
• Click-through rate – viewers who clicked your call-to-action
• Conversion rate – viewers who completed your goal
• Social shares – how often viewers shared your video

“Track your conversion rate weekly for the first month after launch, then adjust your video placement or call-to-action based on what the data reveals,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice.

Compare your metrics against explainer video examples in your industry to see what strong performance looks like.

Using Feedback to Refine Future Videos

Viewer feedback can take an explainer video from decent to brilliant for your next campaign. Ask customers who watched your video to fill out a quick survey about clarity, pacing, and whether the message actually helped them.

Keep an eye on comments across social platforms and your website. People will point out confusion or ask questions your video missed. When we work with clients across Northern Ireland and the UK, we go through this feedback together after each project. It shapes what we do next time.

Try a straightforward feedback system:

1. Pop a short survey link in your video description.
2. Check customer service messages for questions your video should have covered.
3. Test out different versions of your video with small groups.
4. Chat with your sales team about which objections the video answers well.

Use what you learn to make data-driven decisions about script tweaks, visual changes, or pacing fixes. If viewers keep dropping off at the 30-second mark, bring the main benefits forward in your next video. If people watch to the end but don’t convert, try a bolder call-to-action rather than starting from scratch.

Keep track of what works and what flops in a shared spreadsheet. Your marketing team can use these lessons straight away for your next explainer video.

Popular Examples and Inspiration

Watching great explainer videos gives you a feel for what works in different industries and styles. You’ll spot effective techniques that turn tricky ideas into visual stories people actually want to watch.

Analysing Successful Explainer Videos

Checking out explainer video examples shows you what makes content stick. Dollar Shave Club nailed it by matching humour to its audience. Microsoft Azure used smooth animations and a pro voiceover to break down cloud solutions. Wine Country Gift Baskets mixed warm animation with real customer scenarios to build emotional ties.

The best videos have a few things in common. They open with a clear problem the viewer faces. They skip jargon and keep language simple. You’ll see the solution in action, not just hear about it.

Animation style isn’t as important as clarity. Crazy Egg’s heat map demo worked because people could see the product in action. Purina’s 30-second spot explained amino acids and vitamins with easy visuals. Both proved you can break down complex stuff visually.

Notice video length in the best examples. Most run between 60 and 90 seconds. That’s enough time to explain without losing people’s attention.

Learning From Industry Leaders

Businesses all over the UK and Ireland use explainer videos to make their message simple. At Educational Voice, we’ve helped clients turn technical services into engaging visual stories that actually connect with customers. Our animation portfolio shows how different industries tackle their messaging.

Chipotle’s stop-motion film about ethical farming and Lyft’s emotional storytelling prove explainer videos can do more than list features. They use narrative to create a connection. Tech Insider’s ocean depth video shows that a single interesting question with clear visuals keeps people watching.

“When you commission an explainer video, check out examples in your industry but don’t just copy them. Your animation should show off what makes your business unique, while sticking to proven storytelling structures,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice.

Look at how Communyco designed varied characters to appeal to different groups. Legalease stuck to a limited colour palette to keep eyes on the main screens. These choices all link back to business goals.

Watch at least five explainer videos in your sector before briefing your animation studio.

Frequently Asked Questions

Production costs depend on animation style and video length. Script timing and team selection need careful planning to match your brand goals.

What factors influence the pricing of an explainer video production?

Animation style changes your explainer video budget the most. 2D animation usually costs less than 3D, as it needs fewer technical skills and takes less time. Motion graphics sit somewhere in the middle, depending on how complex things get.

Longer videos cost more. A 60-second explainer is much cheaper than a three-minute one, as every extra second means more illustration, animation, and editing.

Your timeline counts too. Rush jobs need extra resources to meet deadlines, which bumps up the price. At Educational Voice, we’ve found clients who allow six to eight weeks for production in Belfast get the best value, as we can plan our team’s time properly.

Revisions can push up the final price if they go past the agreed scope. Setting clear objectives and knowing your audience from the start helps you avoid expensive changes later. Plan your budget around these factors before you talk to studios in Northern Ireland or the UK.

What is the typical duration of a script for a 60-second video?

For a 60-second explainer video, your script should be 130 to 150 words. That keeps the pace natural and easy for viewers to follow.

Voiceover artists usually speak at 130 to 160 words per minute. If you stick to this, your message comes across clearly and you leave room for pauses.

Shorter isn’t always better. A 30-second video with just 65 to 75 words means you’ll cut important details people need to understand your offer. We work with businesses across Ireland to find the balance between keeping it brief and making it clear.

“The best explainer videos focus on one clear message, not lots of ideas crammed into a short slot,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of Educational Voice. Read your script aloud before you send it to your animation studio to check the pacing feels right.

What steps should be taken when hiring an illustrator for an explainer video?

Check the illustrator’s portfolio first. Make sure their style fits your brand, and look for work that shows they can handle characters, backgrounds, and tell a story visually, not just create nice still images.

See if they’ve made assets for animation before. Animation-ready artwork has to be built in layers that move on their own. An illustrator in Belfast who gets this will save you from costly fixes later.

Ask how they create style frames. These are sample images that show what your video will look like before full production. At Educational Voice, we show clients a few style options so you can pick what fits your brief.

Talk about turnaround times and revision rules upfront. Knowing the production timeline helps you plan your marketing calendar. If you’re working with someone new, ask for a small paid test project to check how they communicate and if they meet deadlines.

What are the essential elements to include in a brief for a video production company?

Start your brief with your business goal. Whether you’re explaining a new product or training staff, the production team needs to know what success looks like for your organisation.

Describe your target audience in detail. Instead of saying “business owners,” explain if you’re talking to startup founders in the UK tech world or established manufacturing directors in Northern Ireland. These details shape everything from the script to the visuals.

Include your budget and deadline. Studios can suggest creative solutions that fit your limits, rather than wasting time on ideas you can’t afford or finish on time.

Share examples of videos you like and say why. At Educational Voice, we use these references to get your style and message right. Give your brand guidelines, including logos, colour palettes, and fonts, so the animation fits with your other materials. A full brief speeds up production and cuts back-and-forth changes.

How can one ensure the final explainer video aligns with brand identity?

Share your full brand guidelines with the animation studio before they start. Your colour palette, fonts, logo rules, and tone of voice help the creative team stay on track.

Ask for style frames early. These mock-ups show how your brand elements will look in the video. You can approve the direction before the team spends hours animating.

Involve your marketing team in script checks. The language and tone should match how you talk across your website, social media, and other channels in the UK and Ireland.

Book in regular check-ins during production. At Educational Voice in Belfast, we show clients work-in-progress animations so they can spot any brand issues while changes are still easy. Build feedback rounds into your production timeline instead of waiting until the end to raise concerns. When you stay involved, your animation will feel like a natural part of your brand.

What criteria should be used to select a voiceover artist for an explainer video?

Think about your target audience first. Match the voice to their expectations and preferences.

A corporate training video for financial services professionals in Belfast needs a much different vocal tone than a playful product explainer for young parents across Ireland. It just makes sense.

Always listen to the artist’s demo reel. You want someone who can shift their pacing, energy, and emphasis to fit your script, and keep their diction clear.

Accent and regional authenticity matter a lot. A neutral UK accent suits broad audiences, but sometimes a specific regional voice builds trust with local markets.

At Educational Voice, we help clients pick voices that feel right for their audience. It’s not always easy to decide, but it pays off.

Check the artist’s technical setup and how fast they can deliver. Professional voiceover artists record in treated spaces, so you’ll get clean audio without annoying background noise or echo.

Ask about their revision policy before you commit. Selecting the right voice shapes how viewers connect with your message.

Request a short paid sample using your script. This way, you can hear exactly how they bring your content to life before booking the full session.