When Can You Choose Whiteboard Animation For Your Business?
We all know what a whiteboard animation is, whiteboard animation is a kind of explainer video that describes a business’ products or services using a distinct animation style that uses a drawing hand and a white digital canvas upon which you bring words and images to life with animation, giving a kind of classic school lecture feel to the video.
What a lot of businesses don’t realize is that there are specific use cases for whiteboard animation, and it’s not the best style for all kinds of videos.
Deciding whether you want to create a whiteboard video depends on your overall marketing goal, your messaging, and the type of service or products you offer.
There are also some conditions in which whiteboard explainer videos become necessary and viable. Here are some of those situations and circumstances in which we would recommend you to get a whiteboard animated video produced by whiteboard animation companies.
1. When Offering Complex Services or Products
Whiteboard videos are naturally very instructive and educational, based on their style and aesthetic. As mentioned above, they adopt a resemblance to our classic way of learning in school rooms and the boards we use in business meetings.
The whiteboard helps you focus on absorbing complex information and helps you follow through with the explainer video. The animation of text and graphics helps create engagement and provides an enjoyable way to grasp complex ideas for the viewers.
According to one study, a whiteboard animation setup can increase information retention by 15%, thanks to its unique animation style that provides limited distraction and a familiar learning experience that our brain is used to.
So if you’re explaining a complex idea or pitching a product or service that’s intricate, whiteboard animated videos can be a perfect medium for you to choose in order to simplify and deliver your message in a way that’s understandable and enjoyable for the audience.
2. To Condense a Pile of Information
Whiteboard animated videos have an incredible ability to synthesize information and deliver them effectively to your audience.
If you have a lot of information to deliver about a specific service or product and are afraid you will get a “TL;DR: reply from your audience, then whiteboard animation is for you.
You can hire a professional animation studio or use whiteboard animation software to create a compelling whiteboard explainer video that condenses that information into a video format. What makes whiteboard videos unique is that the idea you’re sharing unfolds in front of the audience so they can tune in and understand not just the concepts but also the thought process and creative process behind it.
This helps generate engagement and keep their interest in the video without boring them. This is why some brands even choose to make longer videos going up to 15 minutes long.
This is because they realize that the dynamic style allows you to put out a lot more content in the form of a presentation without losing your audience’s interest and without boring them to death, which would usually force them to click the red “x” button and never watch the video again.
3. When You Want To Sound Professional
Whiteboard animation videos have found its place in the world of B2B marketing. Though it’s also extremely useful and successful in B2C marketing, our experience tells us that it’s incredibly useful for businesses looking to market their product or services to other businesses.
This is because their natural aesthetic is clear-cut and minimalistic. A detailed but targeted script coupled with a style type that’s streamlined is perfect in a business environment.
It helps you gain the interest of other businesses rather quickly without any fancy overlay, which might come across as “trying too hard.” Instead, whiteboard videos are incredibly succinct and cohesive in delivering the right kind of idea in the right kind of light-hearted manner, making it incredibly effective.
Mistakes You Should Avoid When Making a Whiteboard Animation Video
There are numerous examples of killer whiteboard explainer videos out there, We have compiled the list below for you to see. This should give you a great example of what an effective Whiteboard video should look like.
Check Out: The 20 best whiteboard video examples
The problem is that a lot of people change things that are intrinsic to a whiteboard video under the garb of creativity. Changing these intrinsic elements hurt their success and messes up the video.
Here is where you need industry experts to guide you and limit your use of creativity in a way that ensures that the basic elements remain untouched, and your creativity flourishes within those confines to do the job right. Otherwise, a whiteboard animation video can also bring your marketing campaign down, just like it has the ability to uplift it.
Here the most common mistakes that brands make when dealing with Whiteboard animation videos:
1. Pulling Out The Drawing Hand
Some people believe that as long as you have a white background and some animation, you can exclude the hand graphic itself from the video because it’s non-essential.
This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when creating an animated video. Before you make an animated whiteboard video, you should know that the hand graphic is a video essential.
It is a staple ingredient in the recipe that makes up a successful whiteboard video.
The relatability and immersive experience that we keep talking about in the blog that whiteboard videos provide come hand-in-hand(I know, this might be a bit corny) with the drawing hand, and it adds some dynamism to the video.
Without the drawing hand, you just don’t get the right kind of feel from a whiteboard video, increasing its chances of not achieving its purpose.
Related Article: What Is Hand Drawn Animation? (With Movie Examples)
2. Opt For A Non-White Background
Another trend that we’ve noticed that has come about is choosing a color other than white for the background.
This is a criminal offense in the world of WHITEboard animation. First, the white part of the whiteboard video is non-negotiable because it’s essential to the format.
Secondly, the white background is that helps the video to look clean and fresh, and the use of colors on a whiteboard helps you create emphasis, and the vibrant colors increase information retention because they pop out on a white background.
The same does not apply to other colored backgrounds because it limits the color palette of your animation and content as well as reduces the visual emphasis that colors can have on a white background.
3. Lack of Continuity and Progression
A lot of times, whiteboard videos come across as a series of separate illustrations that are trying to make a vague point.
This happens as a result of improper storyboarding and a lack of interconnectedness between the drawings. When animators use detached or separate illustrations, it reduces the continuity of the video, which makes it harder to follow.
It is important to think of whiteboard animation as story-telling. Each visual should feed into another one like they’re part of the same chain.
Each visual sequence should add to both the previous one and the one after, to create a sense of progression in the video, which is crucial to keep your audience hooked to the video.
The addition of all of these sequences should add up to the overarching idea that you’re trying to get across, and that’s how you create a thrilling and engaging video with a visual narrative that can be easily followed.
4. Poor Narration Quality
Now, this goes for all kinds of videos, but with whiteboard animation, this becomes a lot more important because the video style is heavily narration heavy.
The fast-paced world of whiteboard videos works because the visual cues and the narration work together. The visuals help condense information while the audio expounds on them and explains them in an accessible manner.
The narration in this type of animation has to be perfect, in order to ensure that they keep up with the speed of things while not compromising on explanation.
Not only that, but the narration is also responsible for setting the tone and feel of the video because there isn’t much else to do it. Here, tonal variation, enunciation, and vocal emoting come into play.
With the combination of all these things, you can make sure that you don’t compromise on your video’s quality and produce an effective whiteboard video.
5. Too much or Too Little Animation
There are two different kinds of whiteboard animation mistakes that I’ve seen in the industry. One is the integration of too little animation based on the notion that the style is supposed to be “simple and minimalistic.” The other is the one that adds too much animation based on “There are a lack of visual components, so more animation means more engagement.”
Let’s understand why both of these are untrue and how to add balance to a whiteboard animated video.
Minimal and simple does not mean limited or no animation. It just means that the animation should be clean and sleek. In a whiteboard advertising or whiteboard marketing video, there is a lack of color because of limited visual components.
This makes animation more necessary than in any other kind of video style since it’s the only thing that people can gain a visual appeal from. Limited animations can make your video look practically static and boring, and you don’t want that to happen. Whereas animation helps keep things entertaining and helps viewers enjoy the flow of the video.
Whiteboard videos with poor animation quality and lack of quantity don’t perform well in the market.
On the other hand, too much animation can also be bad. The role of the animation is to help people follow the script and retain information. This means that there is no room for useless animation that only distracts and adds no value to the viewers.
You don’t want a memorable animation that means nothing to the audience, because it doesn’t generate value. Make sure that all animated elements and sequences in the video fulfill a specific script-related purpose, and is adequately taking part in conveying the message and information.
By vetting each sequence as such, you’ll be able to identify if you have unnecessary or too much happening on the screen and remove them before releasing your whiteboard video animation.
How to Choose the Best Whiteboard Animation Studio For Your Business
Now that we’ve established the factors that you should keep in mind and the details that are essential to make a whiteboard video work, it’s time to understand the kind of creative partners you need to create a successful whiteboard video.
When choosing a creative partner, or an animation studio, it’s hard to identify the best. There are hundreds of companies out there offering 2D animation services and video marketing services, and it’s hard to distinguish the best from the herd.
By following this guide, you can make the best choice for your brand and get an incredible whiteboard video made.
Portfolio and Quality Analysis
- The first step is to always check the portfolio of a 2D animation company, references, and their previous work to identify the quality of their production. The second is to identify whether they are truly creative and don’t make the mistakes I’ve highlighted earlier.
This will help you gauge whether they are the right fit for your needs or not based on their standards and the originality of their animation ideas.
Communication, Responsiveness, and Transparency
- Communication is the bread and butter of all successful digital relationships. You have to assess whether a company has clear communication and apt responsiveness. A good company will respond on time, and communicate relevant details in a timely manner, and always keep you in the loop.
Transparency is also something you need to look out for. Check if they use any project management tools and how much they make you a part of the process. If you feel like they are excluding you from the process, it may be so that they are not trustworthy.
Customization and Personalization Standards
- Apart from just the script and animation, you have to also understand the importance of customization and brand identity. You have to analyze whether their whiteboard animations are rehashed and repainted templates or genuine custom animation with the brand and industry-specific customization or not.
The last thing you want is for your video to have a generic look and feel, which will make it look unprofessional and uninteresting. Choose a company that truly understands the importance of customization and personalization in videos.
Analyze Customer Experience
Companies that offer great customer experiences are definitely the ones on the top of the industry. To know if a company genuinely provides a pleasant customer experience, you can check out their client testimonials on their website, or on platforms like Clutch.co to find out the kind of experience their previous clients had, to help you make the correct decision when choosing an animated whiteboard video production company.
Pricing
The price for whiteboard video animation starts from $2,000 and can go up to $10,000 for a 60-second video.
In the world of animation, there are three kinds of companies. Companies that use template videos and offer no originality, companies that offer a wide range of marketing services, including animation, and companies that specialize in animation.
For your business, it’s always better to choose a business that specializes in animation.
Companies that offer low-cost services generally use templates and have no original flair to their videos, although that’s not always the case. But you should always be skeptical of too low prices.
Companies that offer a wide range of marketing services with animation only as a sub-service might not have the best talent or expertise to create an impressive custom animated video, be it a whiteboard explainer video or a 2D animated video.
Whereas a professional animation studio, or a whiteboard animation company that specializes in the craft will have the required talent and expertise.
They might charge a bit high, but you get what you pay for. But price alone should not be the deciding factor since a high price doesn’t always justify the quality. You should analyze the factors we’ve highlighted above as well.
Top 5 Whiteboard Animation Companies on the Market Right Now
So if you’re looking to get a whiteboard animated video made, we’ll make your search easy for you. Let’s take a look at the 5 companies that provide the best whiteboard animation services that you can hire.
- BuzzFlick
- Switch Videos
- Epipheo
- Kyro Digital
- Ydraw
To make things easier for you, we’re providing a list of 5 companies that provide animated whiteboard video production services. This will provide you with a reference point from where you can begin your search for a company that provides whiteboard animation video services, assuming you’ll be looking for once since you’ve come this far.
#1) BuzzFlick
BuzzFlick is one of the best video animation agency and one of our expertise is whiteboard animation services, and we bring something original to the table, every time we get animating. Our motto is to make videos that go viral, and that doesn’t happen without a creative flair, and our work exhibits the flair of our creatives.
This is what we promise as part of our services:
- 100% customized and personalized videos for our clients
- Professional quality video and animations at a competitive price that’s flexible to your needs.
- A flexible video production process that is easy to follow manage and transparent.
- We treat all our clients as part of our creative team and keep them looped in at all times to ensure the end product is exactly what they wanted.
We conduct thorough market research to understand your niche and tailor your videos to your target audience for maximum conversions.
#2) Switch Videos
The Canada-based company Switch Videos literally has a thing for challenges. It was one of those whiteboard animation companies that are highly known for their creative ideas. Whiteboard video production is not the only niche that this amazon company covers. From motion graphics to 2D animated videos, the company offers everything you expect from an animation company.
#3) Epipheo
With over a decade of experience in the video animation world, Epipheo is one of the famous industry names with an incredible experience of working with IT companies and financial services to produce animated videos. Usually considered to be on the high-end of animation cost, they bring uniqueness to the table that is truly commendable.
#4) KyroDigital
KyroDigital is located in California and exhibits a wide range of animation services, including whiteboard animation. They are known in the industry for their creativity and delivering clean visual experiences through their expertise in animation.
#5) Ydraw
Started in 2011, Ydraw has been focusing on animated whiteboard videos for quite a while and has been one of the names you keep hearing in the industry despite having a relatively small workforce.
Best Tools To Create A Whiteboard Animation Video Yourself!
If you can’t hire a professional company and are just looking to try some animated whiteboard video marketing for your brand, you can also do it yourself using free whiteboard animation software! It won’t be as professional as a studio-made, but it’ll be usable.
Adobe Animate CC
Adobe Animate CC is one of the best software out there for whiteboard video production with complete functions and no need for post-production edits using another software. You can create complex whiteboard videos using Adobe Animate, and the result will come out looking professional and high-quality.
The only downside is that the software is intricate and technical and will take your time to learn how to use it. It costs $20.99/month, but if learned, it can help you create top-notch whiteboard videos.
RenderForest
RenderForest is a cloud-based free whiteboard animation software that allows beginners to create basic whiteboard videos with a lot of in-platform templates and read-made scenes. This makes RenderForest incredibly User-Friendly.
It allows you to preview your creation before exporting it giving you the option of editing any mistakes that might have seeped into the production process to produce an incredibly well-made whiteboard animation video.
Whiteboard Animation – FAQs
We’ve had a lot of people ask us a lot of questions whenever we discuss whiteboard animation. We’ve come up with a list of frequently asked questions that are always asked in a conversation regarding whiteboard animated videos.
How much does whiteboard animation cost?
A professionally made and custom 1-minute whiteboard animation video can cost between $2,000– $10,000.
Factors that can impact this is the location of the company, the project requirements, and the production time needed.
It’s important to remember that a higher price doesn’t equate to a better quality whiteboard animated video. To assess quality, you should follow the tips we’ve given above on how to choose a whiteboard animation company that suits your needs.
How long will it take to produce a whiteboard video?
A rough timeline for a professionally made, high-end whiteboard video will take 6-10 weeks. Although, keep in mind that this is a rough estimation, and the timeline can change depending on the project to the project.
How to make a Whiteboard animation video?
Whiteboard animation is a very complex style to master due to its dependency on interconnectedness. First, you need an excellent script and a storyboard.
Then you need to be able to use the basic setup and understand the way its dynamics work (i.e., the drawing hand).
Once that’s complete, then you can start working on animating the visuals, the elements, and the characters.
You have to keep in mind the steps to write a successful explainer video script while animating and add animations that best go hand-in-hand with the script. Finally, once your piece comes to life, you can layer up the voice acting on top of the animation.
What is a storyboard?
Storyboards are also called animation boards. They are a fundamental tool used by animators in the animation process.
Storyboards allow animators to create a mock-up or a blueprint of the video. It traces the layout, the flow, the visuals (from different angles, and the different elements and their interaction and motions. The storyboard then acts as a guide throughout the animation process that animators follow to create a compelling whiteboard animated video.
Closing Word
There are many things that go into creating an animated whiteboard video, from the process of figuring out the right company to choose, to the entire process itself of storyboarding, scripting, and animating.
It isn’t as simple as just having software and tinkering with it until you have a video ready. It needs to be well thought out in order to create the impact that you want for your business.
Videos are naturally more geared towards creating engagement, but not all videos are equally successful, and the subtle differences are what differentiate a professional whiteboard video from one that looks good but does not bear the same result.
If you’re not sure of how to get started with your whiteboard marketing, you can contact us to get started.